A Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) is a screening test which measures the levels of twenty-one minerals and toxic metals in a sample of hair. When interpreted correctly, a hair test reveals an accurate metabolic picture of the way the body is responding to stress.
Our bodies adapt to hundreds of internal and external stress triggers daily requiring adaptation moment to moment, day to day (beyond emotional/mental stress, some triggers include: temperature changes, sounds-sights-smells in our environment, EMF from our cell-phones, hunger and thirst, among hundreds of others). These adaptations build up layer by layer; with each adaptation requiring more of the body’s energy. Therefore, as one ages, less and less energy is available for all other bodily functions.
For example, the body deposits toxic metals in tissues such as hair to get them out of blood and decrease toxic exposure to the vital organs and tissues. This can go on for years, until the body can no longer keep up this adaptive behavior. Only then will symptoms arise and imbalances be revealed on diagnostic tests.
- Anyone experiencing symptoms or illness where no explanation can be found such as fibromyalgia, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, food sensitivities, etc.
- Anyone experiencing common emotional imbalances such as anxiety, panic attacks, depression, hyperactivity, phobias, insomnia, and many others
- Anyone low in energy, or relies on coffee, sugar or other stimulants to get through the day
- Children struggling with schoolwork, concentration, and recurring infections
- Anyone wanting to know which foods and nutritional supplements are best for them
- Anyone wanting to heal at the deepest layers and create high resistance to disease
- Anyone on a spiritual path seeking to master higher levels of focus and concentration
WHY USE HAIR AS A BIOPSY MATERIAL
- Sampling is simple. Only a small amount of hair is needed.
- Testing for many minerals is inexpensive.
- Retesting every 3-6 months is simple and inexpensive, allowing one’s specific progress and improvements to be tracked and program updated accordingly. This takes the guesswork out of nutritional therapy.
- Hair analysis values will not vary from day to day, providing a long-term metabolic blueprint. Mineral levels in the hair are also ten times that of the blood, making them easy to detect in hair.
- Blood tests are subject to daily fluctuations due to foods eaten the previous day, emotional states, etc.
Hair samples are analyzed at Analytical Research Labs, Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona. ARL is one of the only labs that does not wash the hair before analyzing it, which removes up to 50% of water-soluble minerals and affects all mineral levels to some degree. Washing the hair with laboratory cleansing agents such as alcohol and harsh solvents like acetone, ruins the accuracy of results according to a number of studies.
For detailed instructions, please READ: “Hair Preparation & Sampling Instructions”