Frequently Asked Questions About the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis

• Do you regularly use antiperspirants or antacids?
• Do you have metal tooth fillings or regularly consume seafood?
• Do you live or work in an industrial setting?
• Do you spend a great deal of time in traffic?
• Do you have chronic symptoms that haven't been diagnosed or treated successfully?
• Do you have chronic gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, or gas?
• Do you take minimal amounts of vitamin C?
• Do you suffer from periodontal symptoms, allergies, or hypertension?
• Do you suffer from mood changes that are difficult to explain?
• Do you have trouble with concentration, memory, or learning?
• Do you get infections easily or recover slowly?
• Do you experience a reduced sense of taste or smell, poor night vision, rough skin, or poor wound healing?

If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, you may have element imbalances or excess toxic elements in your system. You should purchase the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis Test if this is the case.

• Thirty to 40 days following an acute exposure, elevated serum levels of lead may be undetectable. This is due to the body removing the lead from the serum as a protective measure and depositing the metal into such tissues as the liver, bones, teeth and hair.
• Calcium loss from the body can become so advanced that severe osteoporosis can develop without any appreciable changes noted in the calcium levels in a blood test.
• Symptoms of iron deficiency can be present long before low iron levels can be detected in the serum.
• 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.

• Improper diet - through high intake of refined and processed foods, alcohol and fad diets can all lead to a chemical imbalance. Even the nutrient content of a "healthy" diet can be inadequate, depending upon the soil in which the food was grown or the method in which it was prepared.
• Stress - Physical or emotional stress can deplete the body of many nutrients while also reducing the capability to absorb and utilize many nutrients
• Medications - Both prescription and over-the-counter medications can deplete the body stores of nutrient minerals and/or increase the levels of toxic metals. These medications include diuretics, antacids, aspirin and oral contraceptives.
• Pollution - From adolescence through adulthood the average person is continually exposed to a variety of toxic metal sources such as cigarette smoke (cadmium), hair dyes (lead), hydrogenated oils (nickel), anti-perspirants (aluminum), dental amalgams (mercury and cadmium), copper and aluminum cookware and lead-based cosmetics. These are just a few of the hundreds of sources which can contribute to nutrient imbalances and adverse metabolic effects.
• Nutritional Supplements - Taking incorrect supplements or improper amounts of supplements can produce many vitamin and mineral excesses and/or deficiencies, contributing to an overall biochemical imbalance.
• Inherited Patterns - A predisposition toward certain mineral imbalances, deficiencies and excesses can be inherited from parents.