What is Hair Mineral Analysis?

Hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA), is an analytical test which measures the mineral content of the hair. It helps identify mineral imbalances and heavy metal toxicities and provides the evidence required to design the most effective nutritional and detox programs. You'll discover which minerals are best for your body, which ones could actually be hurting you, and how imbalances are affecting your health and energy. 

The sampled hair, obtained by cutting the first inch and one-half of growth closest to the scalp at the nape of the neck, is prepared in a licensed clinical laboratory called Trace Elements, Inc. through a series of chemical and high temperature digestive procedures. Testing is then performed using highly sophisticated detection equipment and methods to achieve the most accurate and precise results.

Why is it best to test minerals through the hair and not the blood?

Unlike blood tests, which photograph the state of the body at the time the sample is effectively taken, the hair analysis measures the average mineral level in the cells over a longer time period. The level of minerals that is read better corresponds to the level the tissue effectively reaches. This is important because this is where they are used to supply muscles and organs with energy, and to ensure their proper functioning. The blood, on the other hand, acts as a highway by transporting minerals from the sources to the final destination or the organs and muscles that need them. Your health and energy is therefore not reflected by your blood concentrations, but instead the availability of minerals in your cells.

The blood gets minerals both externally from the diet, or internally from other sources in the body. If sufficient amounts of a mineral is missing in the blood, the body compensates for this by drawing minerals from bones and other tissues in order to keep levels constant. This is why blood mineral levels almost always fall within the reference range and you can mistakenly be given a clean bill of health even though you feel deep inside that something is off. The problem is that we don’t know where the minerals in the blood are coming from. If the source is internal, it can create an invisible deficiency. It is completely possible to have normal blood levels while there is a deficiency at the cellular level. Symptoms of mineral deficiencies can be present long before low levels can be detected in the serum. In fact, nutrient loss from the body can become so advanced that severe health conditions can develop without any appreciable changes noted in those same nutrient levels in a blood test.

In addition to testing essential mineral levels, the HTMA can detect heavy metals of toxic levels of minerals. When these accumulate in the body they do not stay in the blood. This is due to blood's homeostatic nature. Blood must, by necessity, remove excess toxins and minerals quickly.  Some of this excess gets excreted in urine (urine analysis shows what's being excreted) but much of the excess gets stored in cells and tissues.

A HTMA reveals a unique metabolic world or intracellular activity, which cannot be seen through most other tests. For example:

• A hair test may reveal calcification in tissues and patterns of bone loss even though serum levels are normal. When blood calcium drops, calcium is removed from bone to replenish the blood so the blood calcium can appear within normal range even though bones are being demineralized and osteoporosis is developing.  

• 30 to 40 days following an acute exposure, elevated serum levels of lead may be undetectable. This is due to the body removing the lead from the serum as a protective measure and depositing the metal into such tissues as the liver, bones, teeth and hair.

• A HTMA reveals ratios between intracellular minerals. For example, the Ca/K ratio gives clues about thyroid health. Both calcium and potassium play an important role in thyroid activity so addressing thyroid health solely with thyroid hormones on a blood test may be an uphill battle if the Ca/K ratio isn’t first balanced. Even when a blood thyroid test comes back healthy, the HTMA may show otherwise, as the HTMA better shows how much thyroid hormone in being absorbed. Another useful ratio is Na/Mg which gives indicates about adrenal status and how exhausted or burned out you may be.

Can I not just take a multi-mineral supplement to ensure I have all the minerals I need?

Taking a high strength multivitamin or randomly taking certain supplements can have a detrimental effect on the delicate balance of minerals and actually make you worse. This is because the human body is an advanced chemical factory where every essential mineral directly effects the balance of other minerals. All minerals are either antagonistic or synergistic to certain other minerals. Meaning when one mineral goes up, it may raise or lower other connected minerals. No one person is identical so one nutrient can have a completely different effect in one person that it does another creating a very different net result. Taking supplements randomly is like playing Russian Roulette with your body chemistry.

For example:

• Excess vitamin D can deplete potassium, vitamin A, and magnesium (we see this often on hair tests!) while increasing the risk of calcium deposits within the arteries.

• Excess zinc can deplete copper and iron but too little may prevent mercury and toxic copper from being removed.

• Excess vitamin C can cause an iron overload in tissues.

• Taking calcium alone may result in calcifications in tissues and taking calcium supplementation while you are magnesium deficient could in fact be making your bones even more brittle.

Having a clear picture of your mineral levels, as presented through HTMA, is essential prior to supplementation, and makes supplementation not only safer but more effective since it’s targeted to your personal chemistry.

Why test minerals?

According to Dr. Linus Pauling, two-time Nobel Prize Winner, “You can trace every sickness, every disease, and every ailment to a mineral deficiency.”

The delicate balance of minerals in our bodies has far reaching effects on health, both physically and mentally. They are essential in countless metabolic functions in all phases of the life process. For example:

• Zinc is involved in the production, storage and secretion of insulin and is necessary for growth hormones.

• Magnesium is required for normal muscular function, especially the heart. A deficiency has been associated with an increased incidence of abnormal heart conditions, anxiety and nervousness.

• Potassium is critical for normal nutrient transport into the cell. A deficiency can result in muscular weakness, mild depression and lethargy.

• Excess sodium is associated with hypertension, but adequate amounts are required for normal health.

• Boron is essential for adrenal function, bone health, and digestion.

In addition, almost all physical health conditions, and many mental health conditions, can be traced to the functioning of our endocrine (glands that produce and release hormones) which is largely affected by key mineral balances. By restoring a healthier balance of minerals, the functioning of the endocrine system improves.

What causes mineral imbalances?

There are many factors to take into consideration, including:

Diet - Improper diet through high intake of refined and processed foods, alcohol and fad diets can all lead to a chemical imbalance. Even the nutrient content of a "healthy" diet can be inadequate, depending upon the soil in which the food was grown or the method in which it was prepared.

Stress - Physical or emotional stress can deplete the body of many nutrients while also reducing the capability to absorb and utilize many nutrients.

Medications - Both prescription and over-the-counter medications can deplete the body stores of nutrient minerals and/or increase the levels of toxic metals. These medications include diuretics, antacids, aspirin and oral contraceptives.

Pollution - From adolescence through adulthood the average person is continually exposed to a variety of toxic metal sources such as cigarette smoke (cadmium), hair dyes (lead), hydrogenated oils (nickel), anti-perspirants (aluminum), dental amalgams (mercury and cadmium), copper and aluminum cookware and lead-based cosmetics. These are just a few of the hundreds of sources which can contribute to nutrient imbalances and adverse metabolic effects.

Nutritional Supplements - Taking incorrect supplements or improper amounts of supplements can produce many vitamin and mineral excesses and/or deficiencies, contributing to an overall biochemical imbalance.

Inherited Patterns - A predisposition toward certain mineral imbalances, deficiencies and excesses can be inherited from parents.

Is Hair Mineral Analysis supported by research?

Hair tissue mineral analysis is supported by an impressive body of literature in a variety of respected national and international scientific publications. Over the past twenty-five years hair mineral testing has been extensive. Each year in the United States alone, federally licensed clinical laboratories perform over 150,000 hair mineral assays for health care professionals interested in an additional screening aid for a comprehensive patient evaluation. This does not take into consideration the thousands of subjects used in numerous continuing research studies conducted by private and government research agencies.

Hair is used as one of the tissues of choice by the Environmental Protection Agency in determining toxic metal exposure. A 1980 report from the E.P.A. stated that human hair can be effectively used for biological monitoring of the highest priority toxic metals. This report confirmed the findings of other studies in the U.S. and abroad, which concluded that human hair may be a more appropriate tissue than blood or urine for studying community exposure to some trace elements

What can I see on a hair mineral test?

Most of our clients are amazed at the information that they receive from a hair test. Markers include:

• 15 nutritional minerals (Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Copper, Zinc, Phosphorus, Iron, Manganese, Chromium, Selenium, Boron, Cobalt, Molybdenum, and Sulfur)

• 8 toxic metals (Antimony, Uranium, Arsenic, Beryllium, Mercury, Cadmium, Lead, and Aluminum)

• 14 additional elements

• Significant mineral ratios that correlate with metabolism, blood sugar, and thyroid and adrenal function.

These markers can help correct several imbalances including mineral deficiencies and excesses, adrenal and thyroid issues, heavy metal toxicities, protein absorption, bone health, digestion, and more!

How do I correct imbalances found on the Hair Mineral Test?

Based on the results of your test, we’ll recommend a combination of lifestyle changes along with supplements that target your specific needs. If you have heavy metals that need to be detoxed we recommend adding the supplements in two phases. The first phase addresses digestion, adrenal health, mineral levels, and detox pathways (liver, kidney, lymph etc) health. And the second phase works to detox any heavy metals that are showing on your test. Although you should start expecting to see results such as some increased energy, improved digestion, less anxiety, and improved sleep within the first three months of the program, correcting health can take anywhere from two months up to two years depending on your situation. We do recommend retesting every six to a year to monitor any changes and update supplement recommendations.

Please note that we do not give medical advice nor prescribe treatment and that, although nutritional support may compliment medical care, it is not a substitute for the diagnosis and treatment by a medical provider. Our goal is to provide education to enhance your knowledge of health as it relates to diet, lifestyle modifications, and supplements.

How do I get started?

Click the button below to be directed to our services page where you can purchase the program. Once you’ve made your purchase, look for an email within a day or two with information on how to send in your hair sample along with a health questionnaire and letter of consent that needs to be submitted.