Your Labs Are Fine. You're Not.

You're holding this book because something is wrong-and no one has

been able to explain it.

You've been to doctors. You've had tests. Everything came back

"normal." But you don't feel normal. You feel exhausted, foggy, anxious,

achy-like your body is working against you.

This book is about the gap between what tests are designed to catch and

how people actually feel day-to-day. It focuses on minerals-nutrients

that are often under-consumed, under-tested, and overlooked when

symptoms don't rise to the level of disease.

Minerals are not the answer to everything. But for

many people, they're a missing piece. That piece might be yours.

This isn't a book you have to read cover to cover. It's designed to meet

you where you are-whether you're barely functioning and need the

simplest possible next step, or you're stable and ready to understand

how everything fits together.

Start where you are. Not where you think you should be.

Joy Stephenson-Laws, JD, is a healthcare attorney with over forty years of experience and a certified wellness coach. She is the founder of Proactive Health Labs, a national health education nonprofit helping people take charge of their health-especially when doctors can't figure out what's wrong. Her path to writing about minerals was personal. Joy grew up on a farm in Jamaica, where she learned early that soil quality determines everything. Plants in poor soil got sick. Animals without the right minerals got weak. She also grew up watching her mother take pills religiously for every ailment-and then take more pills to treat the side effects of those pills. Her mother followed her doctors' advice without question, never educating herself or asking why. She ultimately died from complications of diabetes and hypertension, conditions that might have been managed differently with better information and a more collaborative approach to her care. Years later, as a healthcare attorney in California, Joy saw the same patterns-in her clients and in herself. Exhausted, anxious, dismissed by doctors who said their labs were "normal." Doing everything right and still feeling terrible. That search for answers-and the lessons from watching her mother-led her to the connection between minerals, stress, and the nervous system. It also convinced her that we must educate ourselves, formulate the right questions, and work with our doctors as partners rather than passive patients. This book is the result. Through Proactive Health Labs, Joy and her team have published hundreds of evidence-based articles helping people understand their bodies and advocate for their health. That educational library is available free at phlabs.org/education. She first explored this topic in Minerals: The Forgotten Nutrient, cowritten with three physicians. That book was thorough but technical-written for people who wanted the science. This book is different. It's for the person who's exhausted, foggy, and needs answers they can actually use. Joy lives in California, where she continues her advocacy work and plays golf-not because she wants to be a golf professional, but because it teaches her to breathe, stay present, and forgive herself when she misses.

Dr. Jose earned her MD from the University of the East, Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center in Manila, and holds a BA from the University of the Philippines in Quezon City. Her medical journey continued in New York City, where she completed her residency in family medicine at the Brooklyn Hospital Center. She previously served as a clinical instructor at UCLA's Department of Family Medicine, blending deep academic knowledge with compassionate, practical patient care.For nearly 15 years, Dr. Jose has dedicated her practice to wellness-centered care, believing true healing goes beyond merely treating illness-it involves nurturing balance in body, mind, and spirit. Since 2010, she has passionately empowered individuals and families to achieve vibrant, lasting health.