HTMA tests for twenty plus essential minerals and heavy metals and six other important mineral ratios. This information is absolute gold when it comes to providing the blueprint for you regaining your health.
Mineral levels
HTMA provides readings of the exact mineral amounts in the hair including:
- Mineral ratios: These are a more important reflection of nutrient deficiencies and excesses than the individual levels alone, but all should be taken into consideration. Ratios provide greater depth and complexity to the analysis of the body chemistry.
- Mineral patterns: Combinations of mineral levels and ratios show us further important information regarding different body systems ability to function correctly. Changes occur over time and therefore comparing past tests to present HTMAs enables determination of healing and /or worsening of biochemistry and directs the treatments and Nutritional Balancing programs.
Heavy Metals
Your HTMA also shows you your level of toxic heavy metals in your body tissues.
Lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, aluminium and nickel plus more are tested for. Interpreting the HTMA results is complex and involved, however the information contained in the test will show how much of these highly damaging substances are stored away deep in the body tissues causing you sometimes unexplainable symptoms. A future article in this HTMA series will explore this further.
Why does my Naturopath want to test my mineral levels?
Minerals are essential for life and are integral to the growth, functioning, vitality, wellbeing and healing of all living things. Every physiological function that takes place in your body is catalysed by minerals. Knowing what levels are inside your body tissues provides a blueprint for your treatment plan.
Minerals are essential for:
- the structure of bones, teeth and nails
- maintaining the body’s water and pH balance
- nerve activity
- muscle contractions
- energy production
- enzyme reactions
Basically, minerals are the ‘spark plugs’ of life and EVERYTHING is made up of them in our physical existence. Required for millions of enzymes themselves, minerals are also within co-enzymes, facilitators, and inhibitors. They therefore influence our health like nothing else.
Substandard food imbalances your body chemistry
In an ideal world with no pollution or toxins, you would obtain all the required nutrient minerals from your food and water and your body chemistry would be balanced. Unfortunately, modern farming practices of using pesticides and synthetic fertilisers encourage the taking from the soil and never the giving back. This results in poorer soil quality over time and the consequence of depleted mineral content and increase in toxic metal content in our foods. We rely on this substandard food and our body chemistry becomes more and more unbalanced.
Knowing what is unbalanced means you can fix it
HTMA accurately shows the concentration of minerals and heavy metals that have accumulated over the period of time the hair grew. Furthermore, studying the relationships of minerals to each other- the mineral ratios, gives us valuable information about the health of the body. Mineral deficiencies allow heavy metals to replace the preferred mineral in the body. This means the body keeps functioning, but not optimally, worsening with time. An example is zinc which is used in the arteries for flexibility and strength. If zinc is deficient the arteries will use cadmium for the same job, to preserve life. However, the cadmium does not work as well and causes the arteries to become brittle and harden, leading to hypertension (high blood pressure) and other cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally including in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021), Causes of Death, Australia, ABS Website, accessed 7 June 2023; Ritchie, Spooner and Roser 2019. ourworlddata.org Causes of Death). To correct the cause of cardiovascular disease, you must detoxify the cadmium and replace it back with the preferred mineral Zinc.
Nutritional Balancing works to do this and in many other examples of toxic metals and preferred minerals. Mineral imbalances cause many physical and mental diseases today.
Rebalance your mineral levels, remove unwanted heavy metals and regain your health
Testing for minerals in your body enables your practitioner to advise you on the exact minerals and the exact quantities you require to rebalance your body chemistry. This includes first and foremost, the food you eat, and also the mineral supplements you take. When your body has the minerals it requires it can eliminate the less preferred toxins, replace them with the beneficial minerals and can then function effectively and heal your tissues.
Learn all about my Nutritional Balancing program and book in to get your first HTMA and on your way to health and happiness.
Read more about HTMA in this series: