Reverse Engineering Symptoms
The same symptom can mean opposite things.
The Problem with Symptom-Based Supplementation
Fatigue? Must be low iron. Take iron. Anxiety? Must be low magnesium. Take magnesium.
But symptoms don't map 1:1 to deficiencies. The same symptom can indicate deficiency, excess, or something else entirely. Guessing based on symptoms often makes things worse.
Same Symptom, Opposite Causes
Low iron (can't carry oxygen)
Iron overload (oxidative damage)
Low magnesium (nervous system excitability)
Excess methylation (overstimulation)
Low B12 (neurological function)
B12 toxicity (paradoxical deficiency)
Low magnesium (can't relax)
Excess methylation (racing mind)
Low potassium or magnesium
Electrolyte imbalance from excess supplementation
The Stacking Problem
It gets worse. Nutrients interact. Taking one affects the absorption and utilization of others. Zinc competes with copper. Iron blocks zinc. Calcium interferes with magnesium. Vitamin D depletes vitamin A.
Taking multiple supplements based on multiple symptoms can create new imbalances that produce new symptoms, which lead to more supplements, which create more imbalances...
This is how people end up taking 20 supplements and feeling worse than when they started.
The Reverse Engineering Approach
Symptoms are clues, not diagnoses. They point toward metabolic bottlenecks and nutrient interactions, not isolated deficiencies.
Understanding the system matters more than chasing individual symptoms. Otherwise you're playing whack-a-mole with your biology.