A Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis also shortened to HTMA is a very simple test that uses the hair from your scalp. Nails can be used if hair is not an option. The HTMA test in non invasive and unlike many tests it is affordable for the depth of information that it provides. A HTMA is more accurate than a blood test. A blood test is a ‘snap shot’ of what is happening within that moment of time.
HTMA provides information on….
At least 20 minerals
Deficiencies, imbalances and toxicities
Dietary issues
Carbohydrate tolerance such as low blood sugar
Lifestyle imbalances such as stress
Gland health especially the adrenals and thyroid
Digestive health
Toxic metal status, suppressed or exposed
Psychological and emotional stress
In essence the HTMA test allows your nutritional plan to be tailored to your unique requirements. There is no one size fits all diet plan.
A “Snap shot in time” aka “the blood test”
Blood test is really a ‘snap shot’ in time of that specific moment in your life? If you asked the doctor to take another sample a few minutes later the blood test readings may well be different to what they were 5 minutes ago! It may be hard to believe but the only way of knowing this is to actually try it out. Traditional ‘diagnostic’ tests DO NOT take into consideration that the body is a dynamic, constantly changing, inter-connected living being. If anything, these standard tests treat the body as if it was a ‘static piece of equipment’…but the truth the human body is a dynamically changing fluid being. So in essence, in clinic what I tend to see are clients with various symptoms, such as from ongoing headaches, fatigue, depression through to irritable bowel syndrome and ALL standard blood tests show up ‘normal’ .
It is not a surprise that everything is within the so-called ‘normal’ range as the blood will maintain balance as if it’s life depended on it, literally! So say if your general calcium levels are low, either because your diet is not nutrient dense or your hormones are out of balance, your body will take the calcium out of the bones and teeth to ensure that the blood has enough calcium. This is the ‘Rob Peter to pay Paul’ kind of syndrome.
This is why a HTMA proves very useful. HTMA tests DO take into consideration that the body is a dynamically changing fluid being.
Mineral levels are higher in hair than in blood, so it is easier to detect mineral levels in the hair than in the blood. Hair grows pretty fast and taking a sample of hair from the scalp shows what has been going on over the last few months unlike a blood test. The body also ‘dumps’ heavy metals such as mercury, aluminium, lead into the hair for safe keeping, so HTMA uses this valuable information too.