We are in favor of exercise. We know it improves circulation, we know it helps get rid of tensions. We know it can help give one a sense of rhythm. And we know it can improve a person’s energy, because it does for many people.

There is still something about exercise that we believe has never been brought out: Exercise can give a person a false sense of vitality. Exercise can make a person believe he is much healthier than he really is.

Exercise acts as a stimulant. Exercise raises sodium levels and increases adrenal activity. If the person has a low sodium level, or a low sodium to potassium ratio, then exercise will give him a definite physical and mental boost.

Vigorous exercise can cause a release of narcotic-like substances from the brain and pituitary gland.

Exercise will also affect other minerals. Under the stimulus of exercise, the body can move certain minerals out of storage and into “active duty.”

The question is, “Can the improvement really be sustained without a specific rebalancing and replenishing of the mineral pattern?” We don’t think so.

Another question – If exercise moves minerals out of storage areas, what will happen when these storage areas are depleted? How will exercise help then?

When you are fatigued, and cannot, or will not, do anything about it, the body often dulls your sensitivity. It reduces your awareness so you can continue to function.

Often, the person has no idea of the trouble he is in until he has recovered. This is frequently true of heavy exercisers. One reason for this is that exercise – and jogging in particular – can give people a sense of physical and mental euphoria which is not warranted by their physical condition.

Vigorous exercise can cause a release of narcotic-like substances from the brain and pituitary gland.

This is why runners say they get a “natural high.” It is a “high,” because the substances that are released are closely related to heroin and opium.

The person is getting an exalted and exaggerated sense of well-being that is frequently not supported by a solid nutritional base.

That is why so many joggers and heavy exercisers feel terrible and depressed when they don’t work out for a few days. They have come off their “high.” They have sunk down to where they really are – and they don’t like it.

Vigorous exercise can make people believe they are in better health than they really are.

When you hear people say that they are addicted to running, they are telling the truth. They are addicted – to their own self-made narcotics. They are addicted because the heroin and opium-like substances in their brain are giving them a sense of well- being they cannot normally achieve.

We have seen tissue mineral analyses of joggers who said they never felt better. In one instance it turned out that the person actually had a degenerative condition and didn’t know it. In another, the levels of two main energy minerals (iron and copper) were so low that we knew the person was slowly sliding into an extended period of physical burn-out.

Exercise can prevent people from ‘feeling bad’ when they actually should feel bad.

What concerns us about heavy exercise is that it is so stimulating. It has the ability to prevent people from feeling bad when they should feel bad. It has the ability to block out awareness of an underlying fatigue that should not be allowed to continue.

There is no reason not to enjoy the exhilaration of exercise. Just don’t become overconfident because you “feel” so good. Make sure your nutrition is balanced so you can enjoy real health, not just the illusion of health.

How can you tell whether your exercise routine is good for you or not? An important way, of course, is to monitor every exercise program periodically with a tissue mineral analysis. If the exercise is helping you, the tissue mineral analysis will show this.

Without a tissue mineral analysis, it is difficult to tell whether a person is really better, or just seems to be because he is using up vital mineral reservoirs.

In general, don’t overdo exercise just to prove how fast you can run or walk, etc. And don’t judge your progress by increases in muscular strength. It is possible to have stronger muscles but not be in good health.

The best criteria would probably be: Do you have more energy – both physical and mental – on a long term basis? Do you feel more relaxed – not just after exercise – but again, on a long term basis?

Exercise is necessary for optimum bodily function and no nutritional program can substitute for it. But the opposite is also true. Exercise is no substitute for adequate and balanced nutrition. You need both to achieve optimum energy levels.

from Energy: How it affects your emotions, your level of achievement, and your entire personal well-being. An interview with Dr. Paul Eck by Colin and Loren Chatsworth. Reprinted by permission.