What Is Hair Mineral Analysis?
Hair contains all the minerals present in the body and, in most
cases, reflects the quantity of these elements in your tissues.
Analysis of this information provides a wealth of information on
how efficiently your body is working and its nutritional status.
A blood test will only give information about your mineral
levels at the time the test is taken.
For instance, if you've just eaten a banana a blood test may
indicate a high potassium level, even though you actually need a
potassium supplement. Hair analysis reflects your body's storage
of potassium over a period of time, not what you ate that day,
or even that week. Likewise, urine tests measure what is being
excreted from your body, which is not necessarily what has been
absorbed.
How is it carried out?
Taking a hair sample is simple, non-invasive and pain free.
Any-one can do it. Full instructions are supplied. The sample is
despatched to a lab in the USA which specialises only in hair
analysis. There it is prepared for testing and acids are added
to break the hair down, separating out the elements in the hair
protein. After 'digestion' the remaining mineral salts are put
into solution and analysed by sensitive and specialised
instruments. The results are interpreted to produce nutritional
mineral levels, their interrelationships and metabolic
categorisation. The report is then personalised complete with
graphs and explanations which may give you answers you have been
seeking for years.
Why the USA?
After evaluating various services I settled on this lab because
it offered excellent value for money, a superb report and a fast
service. Reports typically contain over 12 pages of information
(depending on findings) and are normally delivered within a
fortnight. They include levels of 38 minerals and the
interactions between them, metabolic type with a list of
recommended supplements and details of foods to increase and
decrease in order to improve your mineral balance. Although
there are cheaper services, some I have seen return just one
sheet of paper giving levels of less than 20 minerals. No
explanations, no interactions, no graphs, no analysis. You get
what you pay for.
Are there any problems?
You will be asked to specify which hair preparations you used,
as some hair treatments can contaminate scalp hair. For instance
dyes may contain lead acetate, bleaching processes affect
calcium and certain medicated shampoos contain zinc or selenium.
However, only that individual element is affected. All the
others tested are valid. Although some health-care professionals
remain sceptical, in the past twenty years there have been over
a thousand references in peer-reviewed journals, supporting the
reliability of the HMA.
Case history 1: J.C. presented with symptoms of fatigue,
lethargy, joint aches and excessive hair loss (at age 25). His
hair mercury was markedly high. Following treatment his hair
levels of mercury decreased to a much more acceptable level and
his symptoms improved significantly. The source of the toxicity
was never identified.
Case history 2: C.T. became mentally ill and was diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia. He was also alcoholic and consuming
large quantities of drugs. An HMA revealed four times the
acceptable levels of lead in his hair and also elevated levels
of cadmium, mercury and copper. Following therapy and
supplementation his condition improved dramatically, he lost his
cravings for alcohol and his symptoms of mental illness reverted
to normal, with no further need for psychoactive drugs.
Case history 3: L.S., a housewife in her early 40s, had been
feeling tired for months. Her doctor had run all the standard
tests and could find no problems. Finally she had an HMA which
showed she had high levels of lead that were causing her
tiredness. The cure came easily, she was feeling better in two
weeks and the tired feeling vanished within a month.
L.S. was breathing excess lead from a car exhaust. How much lead
are you breathing in from car exhausts - jogging or queuing in
heavy traffic? How much cadmium have you accumulated from
passive (or active!) smoking at the office and the pub? Is the
mercury in your fillings stable, or is the vapour slowly
poisoning you? Why might you benefit from an HMA?
If you have a disease or illness that has not responded to
conventional treatment, you may wish to explore other
possibilities and an HMA is an excellent place to start. If you
suffer from "unexplained" problems such as headaches, backaches,
weakness or tremors, an HMA may help you to get to the bottom of
it. Or you may just be feeling under par without knowing why.
How much lead are you breathing in from car exhausts - jogging
or queuing in heavy traffic? How much cadmium have you
accumulated from passive (or active!) smoking at the office and
the pub? Is the mercury in your fillings stable, or is the
vapour slowly poisoning you?
Are just toxic minerals examined?
No - the HMA will examine the status of the essential minerals
such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium and a whole host of
others. Modern food processing methods strip nutrients from
food. A massive 98% of chromium is stripped from flour in the
refining process. Chromium is an essential part of the 'Glucose
Tolerance Factor' which controls blood sugar, stimulates burning
of food for energy, controls blood cholesterol levels, reduces
blood fat levels and suppresses hunger symptoms. Modern farming
methods have depleted the mineral content of soil and addition
of some fertilisers can make minerals unavailable to plants. If
sodium (in table salt), calcium (in dairy products) and
phosphorous (in fizzy drinks) are present in excess in your
diet, these can upset the natural mineral ratios. Is fluoride in
your water supply depressing your calcium absorption? The graphs
in an HMA will reveal all. Why not find out?
To sum up: Obviously an HMA is no substitute for diagnosis by a
qualified medical practitioner, but if conventional medical
investigations have failed to find a reason, or suggest a
treatment for your problem, Hair Mineral Analysis represents an
invaluable and cost effective next step.