HTMA

Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis

We need minerals- but no body really talks about them, certainly not as much as they do about vitamins.

It is important to recognise that minerals are essential to life. But what do we need? You may know that some minerals are good for you, but you may not know that some minerals can be toxic. Even too much of minerals like calcium and copper can cause issues if they are in your body in the wrong ratio or they are accumulating.

A mineral essential elements hair test can not only reveal your levels, deficiencies and toxicities, but also provides a framework to increase your wellness, enhance your energy and boost your performance. Many underlying causes of the symptoms we have can be explained through minerals and the test can revel all kinds of things about your body.

What exactly is it?

A hair tissue mineral analysis or hair toxic essential elements test is essentially a non invasive biopsy that uses hair as the sample. 

The test itself measures around 30 minerals in the hair tissues and has a 3%+/- accuracy- similar to most blood tests. It has in fact over 40 years of research behind it!

How well your cells function is determined by your mineral levels and their ratios and this affects both mental and physical performance. 

The aim of the HTMA is to be able to individualise what is required by the individual with regards to nourishing their body.

Why use hair?

Hair is essentially an excretory tissue rather than a functional tissue. Hair element analysis provides important information which, in conjunction with history, symptoms and other laboratory values, can assist with identification of underlying causes associated with deficiencies and excesses of essential and toxic elements.

Protein is synthesised in the hair follicle, so the mineral elements are incorporated permanently into the hair with no further interaction with other tissues. 

Is it current or old news? Well, scalp hair grows an average of one to two cm per month, it contains a "temporal record" of element metabolism and exposure to toxic elements- so it is pretty current and also provides a picture over time.

 
 

What can it tell you?

It is a screening test, not used to diagnose dis-ease, and provides a window into the whole body system- including information about the body and its chemistry which can reveal various mineral imbalances or deficiencies that indicate a tendency for various dysfunction.

The test actually reveals our:

  • Mineral levels

  • Mineral ratios

  • Simple and complex patterns, and

  • Changes over time when tests are repeated.


It can provide indicators of things like:

  • Heavy metal toxicity

  • Mineral deficiencies and imbalances

  • Metabolic rate (fast/ slow)

  • Thyroid function

  • Adrenal fatigue

  • Inflammation

  • Energy level

  • Nervous system imbalances

  • Liver and kidney stress

  • Carbohydrate tolerance

It is interesting that toxic elements may be 200- 300 times more concentrated in hair than in blood or urine, so can detect exposure to elements such as arsenic, aluminium, cadmium, lead, antimony and mercury. Many conditions are caused or exacerbated by heavy metal toxicity.


Why do you need to know about minerals?

Minerals are the ‘spark plugs’ of the body. They are needed in every reaction and action that takes place in the body and they also act as the building blocks for our cells- everything contains minerals.

Without minerals, life does not exist. The foundation of wellness lies in sufficient mineral intake and ideal mineral ratios. 

If your minerals are imbalanced you are fighting the tide- it’s like using a mop on the shoreline or or fighting the tide with the face cloth. It’s obviously great to do things to support your wellness, but minerals are the foundation and should be a priority. Some minerals need to be replenished and some need to be detoxed.

Once minerals are balanced, many symptoms diminish.


What can cause a mineral imbalance?

Lots of things can contribute to mineral deficiencies and imbalances, including:

  • Stress- this has a huge effect upon our minerals and they become depleted- mostly magnesium and zinc.

  • Toxic metal exposure- these can accumulate and also mimic and replace essential minerals in enzyme binding sites and interfere with mineral absorption.

  • Food- what we put in matters. Our food and soils are depleted of minerals, which is why everyone needs nutritional supplements- fulvic acid and cell salts are a decent start.

  • Drinking Water- the added toxic elements such as chlorine, aluminium, fluoride and sometimes copper cause toxicity or displace other minerals- do not drink the tap water- get a distiller.

  • Chronic systemic infections- things like gut issues and Lyme can subtly stress the body over time and continually deplete minerals.

  • Lifestyle- Poor sleep, limited movement, blue light at night, too much screen time and a lack of connection all act as stressors and deplete our minerals.


How can you balance your minerals?

Everyone id individual and it s NOT a one size fits all solution.

All minerals have a complex relationship with one another, so any excess of one can cause a deficiency in another. For example too much calcium can suppress magnesium and cause low blood sugar, a loss of mineral balance has a knock on effect on your wellness and the symptoms you experience.

The best thing you can do for your wellness is to work on your health BEFORE you get sick- I know it’s a radical concept. But the saying “preventions better than cure’ is so true. So the earlier you start balancing your minerals, the better!

A hair mineral analysis is like seeing into the inner world of your wellness and can give you a starting point and a plan to improve your wellness.

The majority of you are mineral-starved, so even though you may be ‘eating clean’ thanks to modern agricultural practices, stress and processing of foods- they have become depleted and nutrient deficient over the past 100 years. So it is about more than food.


Some general hints to support you;

Get your hair mineral analysis here!

  • Eat cooked vegetables daily- steamed is a great way to do this.

  • Eat animal protein- if you are vegan or vegetarian this is not ideal for healing. (I do appreciate and understand this is a choice and having been both vegetarian and vegan in the past for a number of years I do understand, but I cannot provide alternatives where they do not exist).

  • Reduce/ limit sugar- they can feed inflammation.

  • No processed foods- this speaks for itself.

  • No liquids during meals- it affects your hydrochloric acid necessary for digestion- better to drink beforehand.

  • Ensure you have a little sea salt- NOT table salt.

  • Use IR/NIR light

  • Get some ANF Therapy


Obviously there is a lot more involved- but this is a good start.


If you would like to find out more about the HTMA or book yours you can go to the website here

 
 

Sources

 

📜 Disclaimer: The content is intended for informational and educational purposes only. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition, and should not be used as a substitute for any and all professional and/or medical advice. Recipient of this notice so affirms before partaking in any and all information and related links, etc. 

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What does your hair say?

Well your hair tells a story, a tale about you and what’s going on in your life.

We can look at this with a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis or HTMA.

But, why would you bother when you can just go see your doctor and get a blood test free on the NHS (In The UK)?

Well, when you are told by your doctor that your blood tests results are 'within normal range all is fine’ , but you actually feel like sh*t, then this is when your discernment needs to factor in.

Blood tests are not the gold standard when ot comes to mineral levels. If we just take calcium, most of this is found in your cells, not in the blood. So you can in fact have super low levels, which triggers the body to release calcium from your bones and into the blood stream, so if your levels are coming back ‘normal’ then we need to look at other levels in conjunction with your symptoms and your history.

Blood tests within normal range, does not mean much to a holistic health practitioner, it’s the patterns that need to be observed.

Sometimes you just know yourself that ther is something 'going on' and you potentiallly can recognise the symptoms as 'warning signs’. Just like a holistic health practitioner will observe and listen to you and your body.

Your blood is a homeostatic tissue and loves balance- so it strives for ti. So if there is something out of balance in a blood panel it usually means that the issue has been there for sometime. 

If you wake up feeling knackered, generally feel a bit meh, are constantly hungry, wake up sweating at night or are putting on weight with no obvious reason (i.e. you are eating excessively) then it may be wise to do some further investigating. 

These are manifestations of other stuff going on- can be for many reasons- but a lot can be attributed to the actions you take regularly- things like wearing sunglasses all the time, watching TV into the small hours and waking up for a midnight snack. These are common ways to progress yourself into leptin resistance, insulin resistance and pre diabetes… amongst other things.

When the blood test results are 'within normal range' but …you aren’t well, then don’t believe the testa and listen to your body. 

You are likely NOT a hypochondriac.

One way you can look a little deeper into is with HTMA.

  • A HTMA is not simply about identifying toxic elements and doing a detox.

  • It is not about looking at which mineral is low, and so just to add that one in or which one is high and take that one out.

  • It is also not about a computerised report with a stack load of synthetic supplements.

  • It is a test that gives a picture of the WHOLE person. 

From here you are able to determine what is interacting with what and work on a pathway forward- looking to the long term resolution, where possible.

Remember your body does not lie… its just under no obligation to make sense to you!

Sometimes you need an interpreter.

Love + wellness

Tracy 

If you would like to know more about HTMA click here

 
 

Heavy Metal Toxicity?

The toxic metals inhibit it prevent enzymes from connecting with our nutrient minerals by blocking their receptor sites- so we become nutrient deficient. It changes the carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen composition- chronically this may directly affect our DNA. Enzymes are the catalyst in cell reactions, they help things to work efficiently.