What is Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA)?
This is a functional test* that is easy to do and gives us insight into the mineral status in the body. It only requires a few small pieces of hair (about 1 tsp) taken from different areas of the scalp to be sent into the lab for analysis. This gives a glimpse into what is going on at a cellular level and is a valuable tool for determining what nutrients and lifestyle changes should be prioritized for you.
Nutritional Therapy is not a one size fits all, so this helps pinpoint imbalances that need to be addressed so that your time and resources are best used in getting you feeling better.
Using hair testing is unique since it shows us intercellular activity. Blood is tightly regulated by the body and does not often indicate when the body is experiencing mineral imbalances until things are really dysregulated. The body will store minerals in tissues if intake is very high or remove minerals from tissues if intake is low. Both of these scenarios can cause issues and symptoms, but may appear normal in the blood.
Some minerals, such as Magnesium and Potassium are 99 percent intercellular so bloodwork is only giving you a tightly regulated 1 percent snapshot. HTMA also gives us a view of your mineral status over the past couple months rather than just a brief snapshot.
*This test is not a diagnostic test. NTPs do not diagnose or treat disease.
Why are minerals important?
Minerals are involved in thousands of enzymatic reactions that perform essential functions in the body. Deficiencies or imbalances can cause many symptoms.
We can not make minerals and must consume enough of them. They are involved in things such as energy creation, blood sugar, metabolism function, muscle function, heartbeat, the building of tissue, how nutrients get into cells, hormone production and so much more.
This is why minerals are a great starting foundation to build your health on!
What can this test tell us?
Some important results to highlight are:
Metabolic Type: shows how your body is metabolizing energy.
Mineral Status: shows both high or low levels and is a view of your body’s mineral status over the past couple months. This can show us info about your individual nutrient needs.
Stage of Stress: gives us info about if you might be in an alarm state or resistance stage of stress or in an exhausted burned out stage.
Heavy Metals: We are exposed to these from our food, water, environment and products we use. This can show heavy metals our body is excreting which can highlight a need to reduce exposure or detox from them in some cases.
Important Ratios: Minerals interact with each other and imbalances can create problems. Ratios can also give us more insight into adrenal and thyroid function as well as blood sugar tendencies.
Who might benefit from this test?
Unfortunately today we have a lot of factors that effect our mineral levels. Stress and a modern fast paced lifestyle can quickly deplete our mineral levels. Our foods today are not as mineral dense as they once were. On top of this, we are also often exposed to chemicals and heavy metals, bombarded with nutrient poor foods, and medications and improper supplementation can further deplete mineral stores.
This test is great for anyone wanting to target their nutritional status and give their body the key building blocks to optimize their health.
It can be great as a preventative way to making sure you feel your best. For example, optimizing calcium status before it causes bone issues as you age or replenishing minerals lost from stress. Or noting heavy metals to reduce your exposure to them.
It can also be helpful for providing some insight for those dealing with symptoms such as:
- Low energy (minerals spark energy production)
- Digestive issues (sodium and zinc are essential to stomach acid)
- Blood sugar imbalances
- Adrenal issues
- Poor thyroid function
- Postpartum (minerals are depleted during pregnancy)
- After periods of high stress
- Dizziness, weakness, or blood pressure issues
- Hormonal imbalance
- Hair loss
- And more!
Questions?
Schedule a free discovery call so we can talk about how you might benefit from this informative test!
You can also reach out to me through messaging on Instagram @healthwhippedup or via email: healthwhippedup@gmail.com