More About Root Cause Protocol

The Root Cause Protocol (RCP) is an integrative dietary approach to treat the mineral dysregulation that causes disease and sickness. Minerals and vitamins are essential for all cellular processes to occur, driving the enzymatic processes of every cell, so that DNA repair and production of energy occurs.

What is the Root Cause Protocol?

I was introduced to Morley Robbins by a patient and read his book “Cu-re your fatigue”. The teaching program that he created is called the Root Cause Protocol. Its goal is to address the mineral dysregulation and vitamin deficiencies that cause the underlying dysfunction in our bodies. Dysfunction suggests that our bodies are not functioning ideally. While reading medical research and talking to researchers in super specialized areas, he has amassed an incredible amount of information on the importance of minerals in regulating our bodily function. He continues to read, learn and teach adding to the collective knowledge of RCP coaches.

What causes mineral dysregulation?

Mineral dysregulation is caused first and foremost by stress. Stress can be good as well as bad. A wedding day, for example can be a good stressful event. Deaths, divorces, abuse, jobs, poor eating, lack of exercise and social isolation are all well known negative stressors.

Stress in itself can cause hormone imbalances. Cortisol can be elevated abnormally and this can affect the regulation of potassium. Stress can also lead to behavior changes. Increase in alcohol or caffeine, which are both diuretics can lead to mineral loss through the urine or GI tract.

Our diets can also affect what mineral and vitamins are available to be absorbed. If our gut is not capable of absorption, vitamins and minerals can not be absorbed leading to deficiencies. The soil has been depleted of copper, for instance. Therefore there is less copper available to be absorbed even if we choose a nourishing diet. The lack of sun exposure, through the use of sunscreens and sunglasses can interfere with the absorption of vitamin D and retinol (vitamin A). A vegetarian or vegan diet lacks retinol (meat based vitamin A). Most flour in the US is iron fortified. This leads to an accumulation of iron over the lifetime of a male, unless he has routine blood loss. This accumulation of iron also occurs in females once they stop menstruating.

How is mineral dysregulation evaluated?

Mineral dysregulation is evaluated by obtaining a history. Acknowledging the stressors in one’s life and correlating it to symptom development is the first step to the evaluation. For some people, they have never felt good. For other’s there is an obvious event after which they had symptoms. For other’s the symptoms were slow to progress.
Blood tests and hair analysis (HTMA) are evaluated to establish a baseline and to identify the minerals that are dysregulated.

How is mineral dysregulation treated?

The Root Cause Protocol can be downloaded at https://therootcauseprotocol.com/handbook-download/ This is an extensive explanation of what should be eliminated from your diet and the order in which to start adding minerals and vitamins. There are ways to add these back through whole foods and/or supplements.

In the western world of medicine, if something is low, the immediate reaction is to replenish it. To take a pill or a supplement. Likewise if something is high, the allopathic approach is to try to lower it. (Cholesterol is a prime example of this). However, once you start to understand that the body is dynamic and tends towards fixing itself, the changes that you make in your diet and lifestyle to reduce inflammation, as well as slow changes in supplements can have profound effects on your overall health, as your body starts to self regulate.

What symptoms are treated by improving the regulation or function of minerals?

Fatigue is probably the number one symptom that can be treated by improving mineral regulation.

Magnesium for example is necessary for nerve and muscle function. In the ICU, I used to treat asthmatics with magnesium. Muscle cramps, especially at night respond well to magnesium. Constipation improves with magnesium. Elevated blood pressure responds well to magnesium replacement. Low magnesium can lead to osteoporosis & kidney stones.

Sodium and potassium are needed for every cellular function. Low sodium can cause issues with regulating blood pressure, dizziness, lightheadedness, and muscle cramps.

Too much iron can accumulate in the liver, spleen, intestinal wall, and eye. We know that this occurs with people with hemochromatosis, as this iron over load disease has been studied extensively in both mice and men. Increased iron can lead to chronic infections, such as Lyme.

There are papers where both retinol and copper were used to treat anemia of chronic disease, which is very different different than an anemia related to blood loss. In an era where iron is being given, even to small children, who have never had a bleeding issue, one needs to think that most anemias are not iron deficiency anemia. What happened to critical thinking? The best aspect of RCP, is that the information that is being conveyed is founded by research, most of it done last century.

What type of diet is recommended?

A whole food diet similar to our ancestors. Weston Price DDS studied the diet of indigenous people around the world looking at dental health. He wrote down his observations. A book called “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon was written with recipes using the information that Weston Price gathered. The Weston Price Society has local chapters throughout the USA, who can further assist with understanding of nutrition and health.

Everyone’s diet needs to be modified for them. Some people need more meat, while others can sustain themselves on more vegetables. Some people are sensitive to oxalates and other plant based potential toxins and will need to maintain their present diet until the change in minerals start to help the body regulate itself. A whole food diet is not dissimilar to Ayurvedic dietary recommendations. Dietary recommendations can be adopted for any culture. Correcting the minerals and vitamin levels in our bodies will impact our genetic expression of genes, which turn on or off depending on what they are exposed to.

How long does it take to feel better?

For some people, the benefit of replacing sodium, potassium, whole food vitamin C and magnesium, Phase One of the RCP, has an immediate benefit. For others, their mineral status has been depleted for so long, that it can take months before they can advance to Phase Two. While you are implementing changes, it is important to understand how to adjust for stress. Changes should not add additional stress to your body. If new symptoms develop while participating in the program, either slow down the dietary or supplement implementation and/or give Dr Stebbing a call.

Appointments for the RCP program can be done by telemedicine.
Once your appointment is made, instructions for blood sample and hair analysis will be given.

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