What is Hair Tissue Mineral Analyis (HTMA)?

Hair tissue biopsies are an amazing source of information:

• Cells are the major site of metabolic activity

• Mineral levels in the hair are about 10x that of the blood

• Simple sampling and non-invasive

• Stable biopsy material, requires no special handling

• Cost effective, accurate, reliable

Minerals are essential for growth, healing, vitality and wellbeing. They provide structural support in bones and teeth, and they maintain the body’s pH and water balance, nerve activity, muscle contractions, energy production and enzyme reactions. They are the basic ‘spark plugs’ of life.

Ideally we should get all the minerals we need from a balanced diet. Unfortunately, in today’s world, this is rarely possible. Modern farming techniques, fertilizers and depleted soils reduce the mineral content of foods. Environmental pollutants, chemical food additives and stressful lifestyles also have a detrimental effect on our nutritional status.

We live in a toxin filled environment. From the products you use on our body to your the coffee you drink in the morning, sitting traffic, pesticides in foods and the stress hormones we produce, toxins are unavoidable.

Many health conditions are aggravated by mineral imbalances, toxic heavy metal excesses, and generalized body /liver toxicity include fatigue, muscle weakness or pain, chronically recurring infections, infertility, nausea, allergies and intolerances, multiple chemical sensitivities, chronic fatigue syndrome, stress, depression, hormonal imbalances, anemia, low zinc and other mineral deficiencies, thyroid problems, ADHD and birth defects. Consequently, monitoring and addressing our nutritional status is more important than ever.

• Stress

• Chronic / Acute physical or emotional stress can deplete minerals at a rapid rate as well as reduce the body's capability of absorbing and utilizing nutrients.

• Inherited Mineral Patterns

• Deficiencies and excesses of minerals can be inherited from our parents and we can pass on our toxic load to our unborn children. 

• Medications

• Some prescription and over the counter medications can deplete the body of stored nutrients, decrease the body's ability to absorb nutrients, and increase the body's toxic load. Some examples of these are diuretics, antacids, NSAIDS, aspirin and oral contraceptives. 

• Nutritional Supplements

• Taking the wrong supplements or incorrect amounts can really disrupt the mineral balance in your body. Our body has a delicate balance of vitamins and minerals so many isolated supplements can affect other minerals and cause an excess and/or deficiency causing a person to become even more imbalanced. 

• Environmental Toxins

• In today's world the average person comes into contact with over 500 toxic chemicals per day. All these toxins become a burden to our bodies and overload our livers so much they are unable to function as they should. Just a couple of examples are: Cigarette / marijuana smoke (cadmium), hair dyes (lead), hydrogenated oils (nickel), deodorant (aluminum), lead based cosmetics, copper and aluminum cookware, dental fillings. These and many other toxins can have major effects on our minerals and metabolic function. 

• Safe, non-invasive, and cost effective functional lab test.

• Reliable data on more than 35 essential minerals, as well as toxic heavy metals, and over 25 important mineral ratios.

• Valuable health information often not revealed in standard blood and urine tests.

• Discovery of nutrient mineral imbalances or toxic heavy metal or mineral excesses that may be affecting your health.

• Personalised patient and practitioner interpretive test reports that assess your current mineral status, highlight areas of concern and recommend dietary changes and supplements for improved health and wellbeing.