Hair Mineral Analysis
In my work as a Nutrition Consultant, one very useful tool at my disposal is the Hair Mineral Analysis, or HMA.
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 as fuel.
How is Hair Mineral Analysis carried out?
Taking a hair sample is simple, non-invasive and pain free. Any-one can do it. All that is needed is about a tablespoon of hair taken from several areas of your scalp on the back portion of your head. The hair must be about one to one and a half inches from the root end. It's important to cut off and discard any hair longer than that. This is despatched to a lab in the USA which specialises only in hair analysis. On arrival it is prepared for testing and then acids are added to break the hair down, separating out the elements contained 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 for you, complete with graphs and explanations which may give you answers you have been seeking for years.
Why use a Hair Mineral Analysis Lab in 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. My own report contained 18 pages of information (others may differ, depending on findings) and was delivered within a fortnight. It included levels of 38 minerals and the interactions between them, my metabolic type with a list of recommended supplements and details of foods to increase and decrease in order to improve my mineral balance. At the other end of the spectrum was a UK service which I won't name. Although it was somewhat cheaper, I waited 8 weeks to receive just one sheet of paper giving levels of 19 minerals. No explanations, no interactions, no graphs, no analysis. You get what you pay for.
Are there any problems?
You will be asked 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 are sceptical, in the past twenty years there have been over a thousand references in peer-reviewed journals, supporting the reliability of the HMA.
Who might benefit from HMA?
If you have a disease or illness which has not responded to conventional treatment, you may wish to explore other possibilities and an HMA is an excellent place to start. If you are suffering from 'unexplained' problems such as headaches, backaches, weakness or tremors, an HMA may help you explain it.
If you can answer 'yes' to five or more of these questions an HMA may provide information which, if acted upon, could benefit your health.
- Do you live in a city or by a busy road?
- Do you spend more than 2 hours a week in traffic?
- Do you exercise or walk by busy roads?.
- Do you smoke more than 5 cigarettes a day?
- Do you live or work in a smoky atmosphere?
- Do you buy foods exposed to exhaust fumes (i.e. on display at a road-side stall)?
- Do you generally eat non-organic produce?
- Do you drink more than 1 unit of alcohol per day? (1 glass of wine, 1 pint of beer or 1 measure of spirits)?
- Do you spend a lot of time in front of a TV or VDU?
- Are you exposed to pollutants in your job (e.g. printing) or hobby (gardening)?
- Do you have two or more amalgam dental fillings?
- Do you usually drink unfiltered tap water?
- Or you may just be feeling under par without knowing why
If you answered 'yes' to five or more of the above questions, you could benefit from ordering a Hair Mineral Analysis.