Hair Mineral Analysis/Saliva Testing
Hair contains all the minerals present in the body, including nutritional minerals as well as toxic heavy metals. Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) is a laboratory test that measures this mineral content in the hair. Analysis of this information provides a wealth of information on how efficiently your body is working and its nutritional status.
Why use the hair? Why not use the blood? Hair is ideal tissue for sampling and testing. First, it can be cut easily and painlessly and can be sent to the lab without special handling requirements. Second, clinical results have shown that a properly obtained sample can give an indication of mineral status and toxic metal accumulation following long term or even acute exposure. A blood test will only give information about your mineral levels at the time the test is taken. For instance, if you've just eaten a banana a blood test may indicate a high potassium level, even though you actually need a potassium supplement. Hair analysis reflects your body's storage of potassium over a period of time, not what you ate that day, or even that week. Likewise, urine tests measure what is being excreted from your body, which is not necessarily what has been absorbed.
A HTMA reveals a unique metabolic world: intracellular activity, which cannot be seen through most other tests. This provides a blueprint of the biochemistry occurring during the period of hair growth and development.
Hair is used as one of the tissues of choice by the Environmental Protection Agency in determining toxic metal exposure. A 1980 report from the E.P.A. stated that human hair can be effectively used for biological monitoring of the highest priority toxic metals. This report confirmed the findings of other studies in the U.S. and abroad, which concluded that human hair may be a more appropriate tissue than blood or urine for studying community exposure to some trace elements.
Why test for minerals? Trace minerals are essential in countless metabolic functions in all phases of the life process. Zinc is involved in the production, storage and secretion of insulin and is necessary for growth hormones. Magnesium is required for normal muscular function, especially the heart and a deficiency in it has been associated with an increased incidence of abnormal heart conditions, anxiety and nervousness. Potassium is critical for normal nutrient transport into the cell. A deficiency in Potassium can result in muscular weakness, mild depression and lethargy. Excess sodium is associated with hypertension, but adequate amounts are required for normal health.
With a complete and comprehensive evaluation of the results, a plan is put into place to bring back balance naturally
Saliva Testing/Blood Spot Testing
Saliva testing is an easy and noninvasive way of assessing your hormone balancing needs, and is proving to be the most reliable medium for measuring hormone levels. Unlike serum tests, saliva testing represents only hormones actively delivered to receptors in the body. Clinically, it is far more relevant to test these bioavailable hormones and provide an accurate reflection of the body’s active hormone levels. Testing sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) Adrenals (DHEA, Cortisol) and sleep hormone from the Pineal gland (melatonin) is a wonderful way to help with rebalancing the hormones of the Endocrine system.