Testing for mineral deficiencies and heavy metals can be overwhelming. However, a hair mineral analysis is a safe, affordable, and incredibly effective way to learn about your body and what is going on inside it. The more you know, the more efficient actions you can take towards healing. 

A single hair mineral analysis can reveal and explain the causes of many health symptoms and diseases. It can shed light on underlying causes almost always related to nutritional deficiencies, mineral imbalances, and heavy metal toxicity. You can’t heal from what you don’t know.

Heavy metals are some of the most toxic substances on the planet. And they are everywhere. Especially for those on a healing journey, removing heavy metals and toxicities should be at the top of your To-Do lists! It’s so important that Essential #2 (Reduce Your Toxic Exposure) and Essential #5 (Embrace Biological Dentistry) are all about removing heavy metals and toxins! Even ailments like chronic fatigue, stubborn weight, and allergies are connected to heavy metal toxicity. 

We are incredibly fortunate to live in a time where we can test, test, so we never have to guess! A hair mineral analysis is just one way to test. Other options that I LOVE are the SelfDecode DNA Test and super early breast cancer detection tests such as Prenuvo & SonoCine as well liquid biopsies such as the Galleri and RGCC tests!

Remember: Regardless of which test you use, ALWAYS back it up with a second test. No stand-alone screening tool is 100% accurate.

 

Hair 101

Hair is a part of our body that many of us spend a lot of time styling, coloring, and caring for purely for external beauty reasons. Have you ever put much thought into it? Most people don’t. Do you know its secrets and how to keep each little strand healthy from the inside? 

Hair Anatomy 101

Let’s start splitting hairs—your hair is made of keratin, a tough protein. A hair follicle anchors each hair into the skin (head, arms, legs, etc.). A hair bulb forms the base of the hair follicle. Inside a hair bulb, living cells divide and grow to build the hair shaft. On average, you grow about one-half inch of hair each month. The cells of a hair bulb are nourished by blood vessels and deliver hormones. These hormones modify hair growth and structure at different times of life. For example, remember some weird hair situations happening all over during pregnancy or menopause?!

Menopause Hair 101

On the menopause note, silver hair results in pigment cells no longer producing melanin in your hair follicles. With aging, pigment cells die and turn your hair into the beautiful color of wisdom—silver! 

Why Analyze Hair?

Your hair is also a dumping ground for excess heavy metals and minerals. This helps keep the bad stuff away from your vital organs. Before falling out, a single hair on your head grows for about 2-6 years, absorbing chemicals, drugs, sweat, body oils, and heavy metal toxins in your body. This happens via microscopic blood vessels that feed the base of each strand.  Each one is lined with tiny blood vessels that feed the base of each hair strand in your body. 

Testing hair is a simple, non-invasive way to discover the underlying causes of various health challenges. It is also private and cost-effective because hair samples can be sent out via standard mail so that they can be done in the privacy of your home.

Check out my go-to hair mineral analysis test through my friend and colleague, Wendy Myers, the Myers Detox.

What Does a Hair Mineral Analysis Test?

A hair mineral analysis tests for 37 toxic metals and nutritive minerals. This test measures the mineral content of your hair since it directly reflects your body’s tissues. A mineral deficiency or excess result in the hair usually correlates with a mineral imbalance within the body or bio-unavailability of that mineral. 

If you are not consuming the right minerals, your body will pick up whatever toxic metals from the food, air, and water as substitutes. Therefore, one of the best ways to protect your body from toxic heavy metals is to fill it with the essential minerals it needs. 

What Will a Hair Mineral Analysis Tell You?

So many things! It can shine a light on your stress pattern—how your adrenals and thyroid are functioning. It can also help you create a plan of action for conditions that may result or be aggravated by a mineral imbalance: Depression, Hypoglycemia, Headaches, Hypertension, Hair Loss, Thyroid Disturbance, Digestive Disturbance, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Skin Rashes, Allergies, and More.

In short, if you are not experiencing vibrant health, a hair mineral analysis may give you the insight to create a customized plan of action. If you are taking the test for prevention, it provides a crystal ball to preview the state of your health and body chemistry imbalances before they manifest into symptoms.

The test allows you to truly know what is happening in your body. However, the results are still numbered on paper. Working with a Breast Cancer Conqueror Coach can turn those numbers into a realistic plan of practical action!

Hair Mineral Analysis Vs. Urine and Blood Testing

Urine testing: Most heavy metals get buried deep in our bones, brain, and tissues—which is why they cause so many issues and can only be removed by an effective detox plan. However, urine tests can be helpful when paired with a hair mineral analysis (HTMA). Urine testing can detect metals that are not on an HTMA. IV chelators are used, and then the urine is collected to reveal metals that typically don’t show up on an HTMA, such as lead.

Blood testing: Blood tests are often not accurate for early detection. By the time mineral levels are low in the blood, a person is already very ill. Mineral levels are kept relatively constant in the blood even when pathology is present (often at the expense of other tissues). Therefore, the blood does not always accurately reflect existing mineral deficiencies and excesses.

What Should I Do?

If you are interested in taking this at-home test, check out my go-to option: The Myers Detox. Once you do the test and receive your results, working with a Breast Cancer Conqueror Coach, or your doctor can help you create a specific plan of action according to the test results.

Your results may indicate the need for supplements like a Metal Detox. This product contains a wide array of nutrients that synergistically work together to reduce the initial absorption of metals into the tissues and organs. This is done by pulling them out more effectively and helping to decrease their reabsorption and recirculation.

You are your health’s best advocate and detective. Some of your biggest answers could be found by simply analyzing your hair!