HAIR
MINERAL ANALYSIS
What
is Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis?
A
trace mineral analysis is a test that measures the mineral
content of your hair. Your
hair reflects the mineral content of the body’s tissues. If a mineral deficiency or excess is present, then it
usually indicates a mineral deficiency or excess within the
body, or that the minerals are bio-unavailable.
An
example of a deficiency or excess is your level of calcium in
the body. If your
hair reveals an elevated calcium level, 2 or three times normal, then your calcium level within the body may be
elevated also, then there is a strong tendency toward
arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries due to calcium
plaque.)
If
your level of calcium is low, then a tendency toward
osteoporosis (demineralization of the bone), increased
tendency to bone fractures, dental cavities, periodontal
disease and muscle cramps. Etc.
Mineral
imbalances revealed through hair analysis are a screening test
for metabolic dysfunction before any symptoms are manifested.
Why
test for minerals?
Dr.
Paul Eck, a leading proponent of hair analysis, called
minerals our "sparkplugs” of life and for a very good
reason. They are
involved in almost all enzyme reactions within our body. Without enzyme activity, life ceases to exist. A trace mineral analysis is a preventive as well as a
maintenance-screening tool. It allows us to keep a watchful eye on our own body’s
metabolism and to be able to take participate in the knowledge
of the inner workings of our body.
Who
needs a hair analysis?
Everyone
and especially those who are found ill and no explanation can
be found, or when the cause seems to be found but the therapy
is not wholly effective. This screening tool opens new vistas of possibilities
for unexplained illness through understanding your own
biochemical individually.
Even
if you are not experiencing a severe problem, any abnormal
changes in your body chemistry, unexplained aches and pains,
and in today’s fast food revolution, nutritional
deficiencies can result in early and very subtle changes in
the body.
Changes
such as:
-
White
spots in fingernails - indicates a possible zinc
deficiency
-
Longitudinal
ridging in nails - indicates an iron deficiency ª Brittle
hair and nails - calcium deficiency
-
Stretch
marks - zinc deficiency
-
Lack
of growth - zinc deficiency
-
Mood
Swings - Possible toxic metal accumulation such as lead,
mercury or cadmium.
All
of these are possible early warning signs of metabolic
disturbances and can lead to serious problems if left
unchecked.
Common
causes of Mineral Imbalances are:
-
Improper
nutritional intake - excessive ingestion of refined
carbohydrates and sugars, a strict vegetarian diet, or
other exclusive diets.
-
Taking
vitamins and minerals that are incomplete with your
current body chemistry.
-
Medications
-
Birth
control pills
-
Stress
-
Accumulation
of toxic metals from the environment, job or hobby.
-
Inheritance
of mineral patterns from parents.
Other
conditions that can result or be aggravated by a mineral
imbalance are:
-
Depression * Headaches * Hair Loss
-
Hypoglycemia * Hypertension *
Anemia
-
Hyperactivity * Arthritis * Thyroid Disturbance
-
Prostate
Disorders * Allergies * Digestive Disturbances
-
Skin
Problems * Emotional Problems
-
Cardiovascular
Disease *
Glandular disorders
-
Musculo-Skeletal
Disorders
Hair
analysis is an invaluable screening tool which can help
develop a correct program, without guesswork, for your
nutritional and supplementation needs, designed for each
individuals specific body chemistry.
Reasons
Why You Should Use Hair Mineral Analysis Testing To Design
Your Nutritional Program
1.
Your Body’s Cells
The
main site of your nutritional metabolism is at the cellular
level. What you
eat is not as important as what is reaching your body at the
cellular level. A
tissue mineral analysis provides an inexpensive screening of
information that directly relates to your cellular activity.
2.
Trends
Trends
in your body’s health care toward a disease or disorder can
be identified before they occur and to be able to take action
before they surface. Twenty
or more trends can be identified from a properly interpreted tissue mineral analysis. This can make a tissue mineral analysis an invaluable
screening tool.
3.
Rebuilding Your Body’s Energy Mechanism
Are
you feeling tired all the time? Having an adequate energy level is necessary for your
health. ALL body activities including healing depend on adequate
energy synthesis. The
tissue mineral analysis can assess the efficiency of the
body’s energy systems. Two systems, the Glycolysis (A ten-step cycle involved
in the breakdown of glucose into simpler compounds, mainly
pyruvate or lactate. There
are various minerals and vitamins required in the glyxolysis
cycle. If there is a deficiency, the cycle may fail to go to
completion and your energy output may decrease) and the Krebs
or citric acid cycle, an intra-cellular cycle in which amino
acids and fats are converted to energy. Eighty percent of ones energy is produced in the Krebs
cycle) and to recommend nutrients and foods that are
appropriate to assist in rebuilding the energy system.
4.
Determining an Individuals Oxidation Type
Dr.
George Watson discovered that in some people food will burn at
a faster rate than normal and in others, at a slower rate than
normal. When you
know your oxidation rate, you can decide what foods are most
needed, and which nutrients are necessary to restore balance
to the body. When
you take the wrong vitamin or mineral at an excessive or
deficient percent, it can make your health problems worse. A tissue mineral analysis can be used to determine,
with scientific and mathematical precision, your individual
oxidation rate. Your
metabolic blueprint. Once
this is corrected, and balance is restored, the disease trend
can be slowed or possibly reversed.
5.
Detecting Toxic Metals
In
today’s toxic world, where we are subjected to an unclean
environment, toxic metals have become a serious problem,
contributing to many metabolic disorders and symptoms.
Such
as unmanageable stress, chronic fatigue, asthma, infections,
high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. While routine blood tests cannot detect chronic heavy
metal poisoning, tissue mineral analysis is one of the few
methods approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for
detecting toxic metals within the body.
6.
Emotions
Biochemical
imbalances can contribute to many mental and emotional
disturbances. A
tissue mineral analysis can predict, explain, and suggest
nutritional solutions for common complaints such as anxiety,
depression, hyperactivity, learning disabilities, phobias,
insomnia and possibly criminal behavior, etc.
7.
Constructing A Picture of One’s Body Chemistry
With
correct interpretation of a hair tissue mineral analysis, one
can construct a metabolic picture, your personal metabolic
blueprint, of the way your body is functioning and the way it
is responding to stress. There is no other simple test that can
give you a scientific and mathematical picture of your
metabolism.
8.
Hair Tissue Mineral Test vs. Blood Test
A
blood test is a valuable tool to determine immediately any
changes occurring in the body when the blood is drawn. It can determine your cholesterol, hemoglobin levels,
and many other parameters while in an acute stage of stress. A blood test fluctuates daily due to the foods we eat
and our emotional stability. Mineral level in blood are ten times less than they are
in soft tissues. Blood tests also have narrower parameters or
limits by the body, so that readings vary little and very
little information can be determined.
Hair
analysis will not vary day to day, and will provide a long
standing metabolic blueprint of our bodies biochemical status.
9.
Gland, Organ and Tissue Function
The
level and ratio of the tissue minerals in the body relate to
the activity
of specific glands and organs. By calculating these ratios through the mineral test,
the function of the glands and organs can be assessed long
before any abnormalities appear on x-rays and in a blood test.
10.
Why Use Exact Amount of Supplements, Minerals, and Proportions
of Foods? In
today’s fad diet world, it is all about shocking the body
into extremes. Yes,
you may lose the weight but at what cost to your bio-chemical
stability. The
body functions best between specific ratios and levels of
minerals. If one
mineral is off then eventually the others will follow. Sometimes it happens fast and other times it is an
accumulation of years. There
are many factors that contribute to the rate of decline within
the body which have already been discussed.
11.
Monitoring Your Progress
In
nutritional therapy, a common problem is monitoring if it is
really working for you.
Are
you getting results? You
may see the inches coming off and some of the symptoms
disappearing, some even persisting. But
it is in the monitoring of your biochemistry on a regular
basis, that tells the true story of how your body is
functioning on the inside. How your body is transforming the internal stress tells
how you are handling the external stress of everyday life. It is recommended that once you are on a program for
three months, you do a repeat mineral analysis. A
comparison is done on the earlier tests and your program is
reevaluated scientifically instead of guessing what should be
done next. What
is so great about this is you are part of the process and
outcome of your nutritional program. It is solely up to you to stay committed and involved
in every step of your road to a balanced-body chemistry.
Once
I found this program, I decided I couldn’t guess anymore
about what my body needed to thrive on and remain healthy. A good analogy to this is to think of your self as a
tree. You are organic and like a tree, and if not given the correct
nutrients in the correct ratios, it will eventually wither and
die, failing to bloom or produce fruit. What is so different with the human body? Think of this, if you can’t get pregnant, then maybe
something is out of balance, chemically, stopping you from
creating a baby. It
is something to think about.
12.
Accuracy and Reliability
Hair
tissue mineral analysis is a highly controversial test. It has
been criticized for its accuracy. Procedures exist to make it as accurate as possible.
But no test is 100% accurate. Tissue mineral analysis by atomic absorption is not
new. It has been
around for over thirty years and is used by industrial and
university chemistry labs throughout the United States. New
computer-controlled instruments make for excellent
reliability.
There
are many labs in this country doing Hair Tissue Mineral
Analysis. You
only have to make sure that their testing procedures and
preparation of the hair is reliable.
13.
What Can I Expect From A
Tissue Mineral Report? Your
practitioner, whether a chiropractor, Naturopathic Doctor, or
another, will receive a booklet, 13-20 pages, containing a
written report on what your tests represent, graphic printouts
of your nutrient mineral ratios, nutrient mineral levels,
toxic metals and trace minerals. Before the test is preformed, you are asked to fill out
a symptom form and add to it anything you feel is bothering
you. The booklet
will contain further information about your symtomology,
interpretation of your tests, how to read the booklet, a
suggested nutritional program to follow, and a listing of
specific supplements and minerals recommended and designed for
you to take to reverse your body’s metabolism.
14.
How Much Hair is Necessary For The Test?
A
sample of two tablespoons or 1 gram is needed for the test. A
sample is taken from the nape of your neck and as close to the
hair shaft as possible. The first one inch is used for the
test as it is still alive and the newest growth. Several small samples are taken randomly at the back of
the head. For a
person with short hair, we use thinning shears to cut the hair
and to stay with the hair style. If a person has no hair on his/her head, chest hair or
pubic hair can be used. The hair samples are labeled where they have come from and
the samples are not mixed.
15.
How Much Does This Test Cost?
The
Price varies but it will range depending on the lab, $49.00 to
79.00. There is
usually a consultation fee by the practitioner along with the
test.
16.
Additional Things to Know
DO
NOT wash your hair twenty-four hours prior to having your hair
sample taken. Dirty
hair is better. Some
shampoos such as Grecian Formula, Selsun Blue, and Head and
Shoulders. All
contain metals that are toxic and can leave a residue on your
hair. They will
add to the metal ratios and the test would not be valid. So don’t use them.
Copyright @ Analytical Resource Labs. Information is the educational purposes only.
Kate’s
Story
I
am writing this because I found Hair Mineral Analysis and
I feel it has saved my life. I feel when it is time to learn or heal or with the book to help others, the universe presents you with its gifts of knowledge. You
can either ignore them or thank God that they appeared when
they did. I am
thanking God that I was given this gift to heal myself and now
I want to share it with you. You are not alone, and there is help out there.
I
have always considered myself healthy. I look healthy and have felt healthy most of my youth
and adult life. I
exercise regularly and I thought ate well. I
have never cared for refined sugars and sweets and I don’t
eat junk foods. I
don’t smoke and or do drugs and drink very little, if at all
now. My diet has
been fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and chicken, no red meat,
nuts and grains.
I had a few health disturbances as a child. Which I look back on that now, I can see how they were the beginning of where I am now. Sad but true! The doctors just kept telling my parents I would out grow these symptoms. Please don’t ever believe that. The body is talking to you, just listen and eventually an answer will come.
As
I look at children today and that I too was plagued by
constant ear infections from the age of five, and was told
that they were caused by allergies. I was given allergy shots but it never seemed to stop
the infections. Hundreds
of skull x-rays, sinus x-rays later, and nothing was any
different. After
visiting hundreds of doctors in my young life, my mother was
finally told by a leading ear, nose and throat doctor in Los
Angeles, that when I reached the age of sixteen (it must b e the
magic number), I would outgrow all my symptoms and, if by
magic, the ear infections would disappear! Well, that never happened. Not until I was 33, and going to school to become a
massage therapist, did I discover acupuncture and learned
about the balancing of the body’s internal energy.
So
my journey to health began. It is an odd thing and I feel there are no
coincidences, that I left western medicine at this time in my
life. I had been
a respiratory therapist for twelve years but because of the
things I saw and worked in, I just thought there had to be
more to healing than surgery and drugs and a more caring
environment where you listened and touched the person and
spent time with them.
In the summer of 2000, and after returning from one of my many sojourns to South America, and where I had lived for several years, I began experiencing unknown aches and pains that would not stop. Nagging hip and muscle pain... and
nothing I did seemed to help it completely. Massage felt good but it was a temporary relief. Then as I worked through this with a chiropractor, and
got somewhat better, new symptoms appeared. My hair started falling out. My memory was really bad and I ached all over. My sleep was never enough and never a complete nights rest.
I
couldn’t remember little things. Something someone had just told me came in as fast as
it went out. That
was scary. I was gaining weight around my middle for no apparent reason. All my life I had had a flat waist-line. Now I had a layer of fat. This mystified me as I am a fairly active woman and I
exercise regularly. Emotionally,
I was on a roller coaster. I was told this was menopause but I
didn’t believe it was all that. There were major changes taking place and no one could
give me an answer as to why. It was like over night, I grew a tummy, lost my memory,
and had aches and pains. Nothing seemed to help. Not even increasing my exercise
routine or eating less. I
went and had blood tests done and everything said I was
normal. I was within the range they told me. I hated
it when a doctor told me it was all in my head. That was it! I
was bound and determine to find the cause of these changes I
was feeling.
I
did a test to check my hormone levels and that was ok but my
periods were off and on.
I
was told that the layer of fat accumulating was estrogen
build-up and that I needed to increase my progesterone. So I did that and it helped and my periods became
regular once again and that layer of fat started to disappear. But the hair loss continued and it was getting worse. This went on for nearly a year without a solution or a why. None of my practitioners had an answer.
Then in the summer of 2001, I decided to moved to Florida, where there were many
practitioners of alternative medicine. Someone had to have an answer. On my drive to Florida, I remembered an athlete of mine
who had used hair mineral analysis to help him rid his body of
toxic metals. He
used it to monitor his body’s changes. So I decided I needed to find this test and have it
done. When I arrived in Fl, I opened the phone book and began calling every chiropractor in the St. Petersburg area. I got lucky!
After
calling several chiropractors, one gave me the name of a
chiropractor who did the test. I called and made an appointment. It took ten days to
get the results, but to my surprise and delight, there in
black and white was the cause of my body’s breakdown.
My report told me my
mineral ratios were way off.
My cellular blood sugar was too high, my thyroid and my adrenals were very slow, a lowered rate of metabolism, and I was in the exhaustion stage of stress. Plus it indicated my state of health was in decline. I was in shock but also relieved to finally
know the true answers. And to realize that the healthy lifestyle I thought I was
living was also hurting me. As a practitioner, I have always believed in eating well,
and a common sense approach to nutrition. I took my vitamins and drank minerals - did all the
right stuff as they say, exercised, tai chi, meditation...I did it all. I also did too much. I had to make some major lifestyle changes. Letting go of what was not important was the answer. I embarked on a path to save my life.
But
here is where the secret lies. I took vitamins without knowing
if they really were doing me any good. How would I know any way? I didn't know there was a test that could tell me this? I only did what was recommended and what I read was
correct for me sighted by the FDA. Followed all the up-to-date books on nutrition; How could I have been so mislead? The wrong supplements and my nutritional program were the cause of
my failing body.
I
wasn’t getting the right protein to help my body or the
right amount of minerals and vitamins to sustain me. Even though I ate fish and chicken, soy protein, nuts
and grains, it wasn’t enough. I needed to eat red meat. I was drinking fruit smoothies with protein powder
everyday, making me even more carbohydrate sensitive. I was ingesting too much fruit sugar and throwing off
my chemistry plus not eating enough protein to keep my
hair on my head.
So
I embarked on a path to save my life. I had no other choice as I saw it. I
wanted to live a quality life free of debilitating illnesses
and pain and especially get my memory back and stop my hair loss. No woman wantst to lose their hair. It was now or never and I didn't want to see that bleak of a future of ill health looming near me. So I got with the program.
I ordered the supplements specifically designed for my body’s
needs. I changed my nutritional program, eliminated the fruits
and simple carbohydrates and reduced my stress, meditated more
and made some significant lifestyle changes. I also began to eat red meat again, but only organic,
pasture fed beef. Within
two weeks, my hair stopped falling out, my memory returned and
that extra layer of fat around my middle began to disappear.
Since
that faithful day, and remembering Tony and his hair analysis,
I have watched my body regain its energy, vigor and lust for
life. It has been re-contouring itself, with moderate exercise, I
eat three meals a day, and my metabolism is working the way it
is suppose to and I feel mentally more stable. I have a desire to live and contribute my insights to
others, and get back into life as they say. My life is better, my sex life is great and I am once
again happy to be alive.
I
am blooming again and not withering like an old tree!
I
am now in my tenth month of this program and at three-month
intervals, I recheck my hair to see the transitions my body is
making.
Anyone
can do this test and should. It is the best screening test I know of to get to the
root cause of your body’s health issues. Loving your Self
enough to make a commitment to yourself and that you feel you
sincerely deserve to be healthy is an acknowledgement that we
all need to make. You
are the MOST important asset you have and taking care of your
body should be your number one priority and an investment that
will last you a life time.
IT
IS THE ONLY SCIENTIFIC AND MATHEMATICALLY DESIGNED SYSTEM to
help you find the causes of your illness, and to lose weight
that won’t wreak havoc on your body’s systems. Plus the results will last longer and not cause your
body internal stress that reflects on the outside. The
benefits are worth this investment.
It
can save your life like
it has mine. Aren't you worth this investment?
*To
order the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis Test, click
here to see our Products page. |
