Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis - heavy metals & minerals

Functional

Hair Tissue Mineral Analaysis

Nutritional & Toxic Minerals Hair Testing

Hair metal and mineral analysis measures nutrient and toxic metal content of hair. As the constituents of the hair are determined by the entry of substances from external sources and from substances that enter it from the blood stream, hair makes an ideal medium for analysis. Great for kids to ensure lead, mercury and aluminium levels are not impeding intellectual development.

Hair can contain minerals and metals and can accumulate over long periods of time. A wide range of metals and minerals can be measured in one sample to provide status of cellular activity and nutrient metabolism. Every physiological function in the body is catalysed by minerals.

Since the structure of hair remains unchanged, the minerals are fixed in the hair and levels in hair do not significantly change once that portion of hair has grown. The analysis accurately provides concentrations of minerals that have accumulated in the hair tissue over the hair growth period, approximately one to three months.

Heavy metals toxicity can be caused by exposure to pollution, chemicals and poisons. It is a growing threat to the population as metals deposit in body tissues leading significant developmental and neurological damage. Heavy metal toxicities can also lead to numerous health conditions including those affecting the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, muscle, skeletal, skin and nervous systems.

Useful when working holistically in the management of:

Cardiovascular disease
Immune dysfunction
Toxicity
Muscular skeletal conditions
Metabolic syndrome
Skin conditions
Immune and inflammatory condition
Mental health disorders
Allergies

Collection information:

This is a home based test. The kit will be mailed to you, you take the sample at home, then post the kit back to the lab.

Copper Overload

Copper toxicity is becoming a valuable part of a holistic health review. The health effects of copper overload are far-reaching, effecting metabolic processes, such as blocking the uptake of iron, to increasing your senstivity to stress and anxiety.

Gaining awareness in the realm of holistic psychiatry, this is a short list of the psychiatric symptoms and traits that may be associated with copper overload:

Hyperactivity, restlessness, unresponsive anaemia, learning difficulties, ADHD, autism, skin sensitivity to tags in shirts or rough fabrics, intolerance to estrogen and birth control pills, onset during puberty, pregnancy or menopause, white spots on fingernails, skin intolerance to cheap metals, emotional meltdowns and frequent anger, ringing in ears, sensitivity to food dyes and shellfish, high anxiety, depression, poor immune function, sleep problems, poor concentration and focus, low dopamine activity, and elevated activity of norepinephrine and adrenaline.

Other medical conditions associated with copper overload may include acne, allergies, Candida overgrowth, hypothyroidism, anemia, hair loss, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, migraines and male infertility.

The reason that copper is linked with such a long and varied list of conditions is that it is absolutely essential to the proper functioning of the immune system, the endocrine system (hormones), and the nervous system (neurotransmitters).

Copper is important for regulating the synthesis of neurotransmitters that mediate psychological symptoms. It is a co-factor in the chemical reaction that converts dopamine to norepinephrine (stress hormones). When copper levels are high, more norepinephrine and epinephrine (adrenaline) are synthesized from dopamine, which can causes feelings of agitation, anxiety and panic, overstimulation, racing thoughts, restlessness, and insomnia. In other words, it has an amphetamine-like effect, revving the nervous system into a state of overdrive. Consider that copper is often used in electrical wires because it conducts electricity well, and likewise increases nerve transmission, which is an electrical chemical process.

Copper is also central to cellular energy production, and thus many patients with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue conditions related to mitochondrial dysfunction have disorders of copper metabolism.

Hair tissue mineral analysis is a useful test for copper toxicity, better than a blood test for determining the presence of copper over time, and it's influence on mineral balance and availablity.

How to take a hair test sample:

HTMA - Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis

Current Clients - call or email to order.

1. Hair Test Delivery with postage paid

2. Book your session separately

The first step is an initial Naturopathic appointment, at which functional testing will be discussed.

New clients - please book an Initial Consultation