Hair Mineral Testing Analysis for Heavy Metal Toxicity: A Comprehensive Guide
Hair mineral testing analysis (HTMA) for heavy metal toxicity is a valuable tool to help people identify and treat any issues related to heavy metal exposure. This comprehensive guide will provide a detailed overview of hair mineral testing analysis, its benefits, and the steps to take to ensure accurate results. We’ll explain the importance of heavy metal toxicity testing and what hair mineral testing analysis can reveal about your health. We’ll also discuss how to interpret the results of your analysis and the potential risks associated with heavy metal exposure. Finally, we’ll provide tips on how to reduce your risk of heavy metal toxicity and maximize your health.
What is Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA)?
HTMA is a type of diagnostic test that measures the levels of certain minerals in a person’s hair. These minerals are mainly trace elements, such as iron, zinc, and copper, which are essential for many bodily functions. HTMA is used to detect heavy metal toxicity, which is the accumulation of toxic metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic in the body. It is also used to monitor nutritional deficiencies and imbalances that can lead to health problems. The test is non-invasive and can be done at home or at a lab.
What are the Benefits of Hair Mineral Testing Analysis?
HTMA can provide valuable insight into a person’s health and nutrition status. The test can detect toxic metals that may be present in the body, even if they cannot be detected by other tests. This allows for early detection and treatment of any issues related to heavy metal toxicity. Hair mineral testing analysis can also help identify nutritional deficiencies or imbalances that could be contributing to health issues.
How to Interpret the Results of Hair Mineral Testing Analysis
The results of HTMA are typically presented as a graph or chart. The graph or chart will show the levels of each mineral in the sample. Some minerals, such as iron, zinc, and copper, should be present at certain levels for optimal health. If the levels of these minerals are too low or too high, it may indicate a deficiency or imbalance that should be addressed. The graph or chart may also show which toxic metals are present in the sample. If the levels of any toxic metals are too high, it may indicate that the person has been exposed to them and should be evaluated by a doctor.
What are Heavy Metals?
So what are heavy metals?
Heavy metals, like minerals, are non essential elements that have no known function in the body and are considered toxic. Yes, they are “naturally occurring” and you can easily find them in the periodic table with other elements like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, oxygen, etc., but just because they are “natural” doesn’t mean they are “essential for health”.
In times in which exposure is present, metals can accumulate in the body, which can then cause disease. We do, unfortunately, use and interact with metals every day because of our modern climate with many things being industrialized, but these elements that are toxic can cause health issues down the line. That being said though, exposure isn’t the only thing that leaves us defenseless to heavy metals, it’s also the fact that we can become deficient in essential minerals in which can leave us susceptible to accumulation as well.
How does that Work?
Well, we have an entire blog post already on this called Ionic Mimicry, but we’ll give you a quick run down here. Minerals are crucial to our bodies, helping to keep us healthy and functioning properly. But what happens when we don't have enough of them? Our bodies start to search for other elements to substitute, and sometimes that means allowing metals to accumulate in our systems. This can lead to metal toxicity, which isn't just caused by exposure but can also happen due to a deficiency in a mineral that's chemically similar to a metal.
One important way our bodies eliminate metals is through our lymphatic system, but issues with our kidneys, bile, dehydration, constipation or lack of physical activity can hinder our body's ability to detox properly. To complicate matters further, some of us inherit elevated levels of heavy metals and minerals from our mothers.
To determine metal levels, we can take a hair sample and send it to a lab where it's weighed, dissolved, and measured using an ICP-mass spectrometer. Once metals are detected, there are a few ways to remove them, but not all are recommended. It's important to stay informed and take care of our bodies to maintain optimal health.
Potential Risks of Heavy Metal Toxicity
Heavy metal toxicity can lead to a variety of health issues, including fatigue, weakness, headaches, and digestive problems. Long-term exposure to heavy metals can also cause serious health problems, such as kidney damage, cognitive impairment, and cancer. Therefore, it is important to detect and treat any issues related to heavy metal toxicity as soon as possible.
Reducing your Risk of Heavy Metal Toxicity
Many practitioners in the HTMA space like to opt for chelation therapy, but here at Upgraded Formulas, understanding the dangers of that and knowing how minerals and metals interact, we take a different approach. To read all about why there are risk with chelation therapy, check out our blog here.
In short though, chelation therapy is when one uses specific substances called chelators to bind or hold onto other substances, usually metals, to then excrete out of the body. You’d think “Oh, well that’s what I want to do, I want to remove the metals”, but if you understood the process of ionic mimicry up above, it wouldn’t be a good idea. This is because upon removing metals in such an abrasive manner, we can also affect the adaptation process of the body as it continues to try and “function” for you, despite having replaced metals for minerals because of present deficiencies. This can lead to the body reacting negatively but also binding to minerals, whilst trying to bind to metals. Chelators have no concept on as to what they should bind to. They simply bind to everything and exit out of the system, hence can make us more deficient than we were before starting. Lastly, chelators can also negatively affect our emunctory organs, such as our kidneys, liver, and in some cases the colon. This isn’t good, for we need properly functioning emunctory pathways to detox in the first place.
Instead, the way we go about balancing minerals and detoxing metals here at Upgraded Formulas is by focusing on remineralization first. Our job is to get all the minerals back to a place where you are fully functioning again, which the body will then recognize in the midst of a protocol, and start releasing metals as minerals come back in. The reason for this is exactly how metals get into the body in the first place. If a metal can push OUT a mineral and replace it, a mineral can push OUT metal and replace it too. Understanding mineral and metal antagonists and synergists is vital for this process, for everything works together, and never independently, in the body.
If this is something you are concerned over and feel the need to check, order your HTMA today by clicking the link here to get started!
Barbara Madimenos
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis Practitioner
Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner
Integrative Health Coach