Why test the hair?
Identifying, recommending, and analysing appropriate tests is an important part of my work. I regularly recommend blood tests (either through a GP or privately). I also work with many other functional medicine tests including comprehensive stool analysis, as well as food intolerance, hormone, and genetic testing. Test results help inform my therapeutic recommendations and ensure that my advice is truly personalised.
One of my favourite tests is Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA), because it is non-invasive, economical, and provides such a wealth of information about multiple aspects of a person’s health.
Who can benefit from hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA)?
In my view, everyone can benefit from hair tissue mineral analysis. I use it regularly with clients suffering from fatigue, stress, hypothyroidism, allergies, frequent infections, anxiety, osteoporosis, gut issues, PMS, and for women approaching or going through menopause. It is also an excellent test to run for children, as it is non-invasive.
What can hair tissue mineral analysis tell us about our health?
“As the hair is being formed, prior to extrusion from the scalp, it is exposed to the blood lymph and intracellular fluids. During this time, it accumulates constituents present in this internal environment, particularly the mineral, but other substances as well. As the cortex of the hair shaft hardens and protrudes from the scalp, the evidence of this internal metabolic environment is preserved as a convenient record.” (Dr. David L. Watts)
A hair mineral test analyses the 4cm of hair closest to your scalp, providing a record of the mineral activity that took place at a cellular level over the last three to four months (the time that it takes for 4cm of hair to grow).