HAIR TISSUE MINERAL ANALYSIS

Hair tissue mineral analysis or HTMA is a soft tissue mineral biopsy that uses hair as the sampling tissue. A biopsy is an analysis of a body tissue. Hair is considered a soft tissue, and hence hair analysis is a soft tissue biopsy.

The test measures the levels of 20 or more minerals in the hair with an accuracy of plus or minus about 3%. This is about the same level of accuracy as most blood tests, or a little better. For accurate measurement, the hair sample must not be washed at the hair testing laboratory.  This is a serious problem with most hair testing.  How to prepare the hair sample at the laboratory is a debate that exists among the laboratories that offer hair mineral testing.  Most laboratories, unfortunately, wash the hair with powerful detergents and toxic solvents such as acetone or alcohol.

As an aside, hair is extremely useful for testing many things besides minerals.  These include drugs, other chemicals and DNA.  These, however, are not the focus of this article.  The focus of this article is the use of hair to test minerals.

Some say that hair is not helpful for testing the body.  In fact, the very opposite is the truth.  A later section of this article discusses this controversy.  Hair mineral testing is frequently used for:

- Forensic medicine (crime laboratories) sometimes test hair minerals to catch criminals.

- Hair and fur testing is commonly used to monitor toxic metals and nutrient mineral deficiencies in animals.

- The same testing method (atomic absorption, induction coupled plasma and mass spectroscopy) is used in standard soil test used by farmers.

- Geologists use the same testing method to determine the mineral content of rocks.

- Drug testing clinics sometimes test hair.  It is very accurate.  They test for chemicals, however, rather than minerals.

Not a medical diagnostic test.  Confusion often arises when doctors or others compare hair testing to other medical tests.  The hair mineral test, as performed and interpreted as suggested on this website, provides a window into the whole body system.

The hair test provides a tremendous amount of information about the body, but it is about states of body chemistry and not about “diseases”, which are often just Latin names for symptoms.

For example, the hair mineral test provides indicators of inflammation.  Inflammation can manifest as any of 20 or 30 “diseases” such as arthritis, bursitis, gastritis, chondritis, iritis and others.

Another example of the difference between hair testing and medical diagnostic tests is that the hair test can provide information about calcium deposition in the soft tissues.  However, calcium deposition can manifest as any of at least 10 or so “diseases” such as arteriosclerosis, arthritis, spondylitis, bursitis, gall stones, kidney stones, and more.

History and development of hair mineral testing.  Mineral testing by atomic absorption spectroscopy was developed about 100 years ago.  It quickly became the standard way to test for minerals in geology, agriculture, environmental monitoring, and in plant, animal and human tissue studies.

About 40 years ago, the development of computer-controlled spectrometers advanced the accuracy and reliability of testing, and reduced the cost.

Also about 40 or 50 years ago, mass spectrometers and induction-coupled plasma machines were introduced that can rapidly measure more minerals.  Human hair tissue mineral analysis became commercially available in the 1970s from Parmae Laboratory and a few other labs in the United States.

Dr. Paul C. Eck.  Dr. Paul Eck was a pioneer in hair mineral testing.  He began his research in the mid-1970s in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.  He founded Analytical Research Labs and developed a special type of calibrated chart to graph the mineral values.

He also researched ideal mineral values for human beings and animals.  His laboratory also set up quality control protocols that are important for accurate testing.

This author started working with him in 1982, and this association continued until his passing in 1996.  Since then, we have continued and expanded on his basic ideas about how to interpret a hair mineral test, and how to correct imbalances revealed on the test.  Many new patterns have been identified that greatly expand the usefulness of the test.

Why measure minerals?  Minerals are sometimes called the ‘sparkplugs’ of the body.  They are needed for millions of enzymes as co-factors, facilitators, inhibitors, and as part of the enzymes themselves.  Minerals are also the basic building blocks of physical reality, which includes our bodies.  Everything is made of minerals.

As a result, minerals have a great deal to do with the health of our bodies.  By analyzing mineral imbalances in the body, one can learn a lot about the causes and correction of hundreds of common physical and mental health conditions.

A specific class of minerals, the toxic metals, are also extremely important today as causes of ill health.  Our planet is currently very contaminated with toxic metals, more so than ever before in our history.

This is causing damage to all the human, animal and plant bodies.  Studying toxic metals is thus very important today to monitor their spread and to learn about their many damaging effects.

Even more can be learned about human and animal health by studying the ratios of the major minerals in the body.  This is a more complex area, but a very important and fruitful one.  Finally, by studying more complex patterns of minerals in the body, one can learn even more about human health and disease.

            Why use hair? Hair makes an excellent testing material for many reasons:

              1. The most important reason is that it works best to set up development programs.  Other tests such as blood, urine, scans, muscle testing or electronic machines do not work nearly as well.

              2. Simple and non-invasive.  Sampling is simple and non-invasive.

              3. A stable biopsy material.  Hair is a stable biopsy material that remains viable for years, if needed.  It also requires no special handling, and can be mailed easily.

              4. Easy to measure mineral levels.  Mineral levels in the hair are about ten times that of blood, making them easy to detect and measure accurately in the hair.

              5. Rapidly growing tissue.  Hair is a fairly rapidly growing tissue.  This enables one to obtain a recent biochemical picture of soft tissue metabolism.

              6. A non-essential, excretory tissue.  The body often throws off toxic substances in the hair, since the hair will be cut off and lost to the body.  This is very helpful to identify toxic metals, for example, and other things.

              7. Wide variation in the readings.  Mineral levels are kept relatively constant in the blood, even when pathology is present.  This must be done because blood touches all the body tissues, and too much variation is dangerous.  This is the reason many people have normal blood tests even when they are quite ill.

Hair minerals do not circulate, and pose no threat to the body.  Values often vary by a factor of ten or twenty, making measurement easier and providing a tremendous amount of knowledge about the cells and the soft tissue of our bodies.

              8. Easier detection of toxic metals.  Toxic metals are easier to detect in the hair than in the blood.  The body quickly removes toxic metals from the blood, if it can.  For this reason, most toxic metals are not found in high concentrations in the blood, except right after an acute exposure.

            In contrast, many toxic metals accumulate in the soft tissues such as the hair because the body tries to move them to locations where they will do less damage.

            9. A longer-term reading.  Hair testing provides a long-term reading, while blood tests and urine tests provide a more instantaneous reading of the body.  Both types of readings have value.  For example, blood tests can vary from minute to minute, depending upon one’s diet, activities, the time of day and many other factors.  This is beneficial in some instances, but is often less helpful when seeking an overall metabolic reading.

              10. Cost-effective, accurate and reliable.  Advancements in computer-controlled mass spectroscopy and other technologies have rendered the hair mineral biopsy an extremely cost-effective, accurate and reliable test when it is performed well.  The US government licenses all hair mineral testing labs in this nation.  The only problem is that some labs wash the hair, while others do not.  This causes the results to vary from lab to lab.  This problem is discussed elsewhere in this article.

II. WHAT DOES THE HAIR MINERAL TEST MEASURE?

The test measures minerals that are deposited inside the hair cells and in the spaces between the cells.  The secretions of the oil and sweat glands of the skin can also contribute to the readings.

A test of a 1-inch or 2-centimeter sample of hair provides a reading of the minerals deposited in the hair during the past 3-4 months.  Some people claim that hair testing measures the total body load of a mineral.  This is not true!

With a hair mineral test, one can assess:

1. Mineral levels. These are the actual numbers or readings of the minerals on the test.

2. Mineral ratios. This adds significant complexity and a great deal more information.  Dr. Paul Eck found that the ratios are usually more important than the levels of the minerals.  This has to do with homeostatic states of body chemistry, which means states of balance or equilibrium.

3. Simple patterns.  These are combinations of the levels and/or ratios.

4. Complex patterns.  These consist of combinations of levels, ratios and simple patterns.

5. Changes over time and the rate of change.  By comparing two or more tests when a person has followed a development program, one can discern changes over time of the levels, ratios, simple patterns and complex patterns.  One can also discern the rate of change of all these.

            Which minerals are tested?  At least 20 elements are measured, depending on the laboratory.  The three groups of elements tested are:

              1. Macrominerals.  These include calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and phosphorus.  Some labs also read sulfur.

              2. Trace Minerals.  These include iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, lithium and perhaps others.

              3. Toxic Minerals.  These include lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, and nickel.  Some labs read others as well.  Toxic metals are discussed at length in a separate article entitled Toxic Metals.

 How are the readings reported?  The mineral values are usually reported in one of three ways:

1. Milligrams per 100 grams, often written as mg%. This is how Analytical Research Labs reports the numbers.

2. Micrograms per gram or ug/g. This gives numbers that are 10 times higher than milligrams per hundred grams or mg%.  To convert the reading to mg%, simply move the decimal point one space to the left.  For example, if calcium is reported as 1210 ug/g, it is the same as 121 mg%

3. Parts per million or ppm. This method gives the same numbers as when they are reported in ug/g.

III. HOW IS HAIR MINERAL TESTING USED BY DOCTORS?

 Most mainstream medical and other personnel and many nutritionists never use hair mineral testing.  They have been influenced by several widely-publicized, but seriously flawed studies that were designed to discredit hair mineral testing.  These studies are discussed later in this article.

These practitioners often make negative comments about hair mineral testing based upon these studies.  However, their experience with the test is limited or non-existent and they are ignorant of the great value of the test.

Those that use the test.  Practitioners that offer hair mineral testing use it in one of four ways:

              1. Toxic metal testing only.  Most practitioners who offer mineral testing use it mainly for the detection of toxic metals.

It is a decent test for this purpose, although no test will detect all toxic metals.  From the perspective of development science, toxic metal testing is one of the least important uses for the mineral test.

2. Replacement therapy.  Some practitioners use the hair mineral test to detect the levels of nutrient minerals.  Then, they do replacement therapy.  This means that they suggest foods or food supplements to raise the levels of the minerals that are low, or to lower the minerals levels that are too high.

              This method works poorly, if at all, in our experience.  Dr. Eck, my mentor, firmly rejected this use of hair mineral testing.  To learn more about this method of using a hair mineral analysis, please read Replacement Therapy on this website.

3. Following the laboratory recommendations.  A number of physicians and nutritionists follow the recommendations of labs such as Analytical Research Labs (ARL) or other labs.  These labs recommend diet and/or supplement programs based on the test.

The recommendations of ARL are better than the others, and much better than replacement therapy.  However, the computer at ARL has not been updated in over 12 years.  As a result, we find their dietary and supplement recommendations are not good enough.

IV. WHAT CAN A MINERAL ANALYSIS REVEAL?

Hair mineral analysis can reveal the following:

             1. Lifestyle imbalances.  The test can reveal that a problem in a person’s lifestyle - such as drug use, a very unhappy relationship, or a work problem – is impacting the person’s health.  This is extremely useful, in some cases.

              In addition, the test often reveals the highly toxic effects of cigarette and marijuana use (cadmium).  It also reveals the toxic effects of body care products such as selenium-containing shampoo, aluminum-containing anti-perspirants, and lead-containing hair dyes.

            It may also reveal the toxic effects of medical drugs such as Flonase (antimony), anti-acids (aluminum), and some diuretics (mercury).

            It can also sometimes reveal occupational or other exposure to toxins such as excess exposure to iron, copper, or manganese in those who work in these industries.

            2. Dietary problems. The test contains a number of indicators to help a practitioner discern that a person’s diet is inadequate or imbalanced.  These include indicators for low protein intake (low phosphorus in some cases), excessive carbohydrate intake, some drinking water problems, and problems with vegetarian and vegan diets.  In addition, the test can identify several foods that contain toxins such as Rooibos tea (nickel and lead toxicity) or eating fish (high in mercury).

              3. The metabolic type.  This is an important fact of body chemistry.  It is most helpful to understand hundreds of symptoms, and to guide the dietary and supplement recommendations.  It also helps to understand many emotional and mental symptoms as well.

              4. The energy and vitality level.  Energy is a common denominator of health.  This means that if one’s energy is low, hundreds of symptoms can occur.  Restoring one’s biochemical or adaptive energy is a key to healing.  This is one of the most basic of healing principles.  A properly interpreted hair mineral analysis is an excellent way to evaluate a person’s adaptive energy level, as well as to figure out how to correct it.

              5. Gland and organ activity.  Hair mineral testing can provide a number of indicators for the cellular effect of the thyroid and adrenal hormones, and at times the ovarian hormones as well.  It can also be used indirectly to assess the activity of the liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines and perhaps other organs as well.

              6. Carbohydrate tolerance.  The test can quickly screen for hypoglycemia and, at times, diabetes, although a glucose tolerance test (GTT) should be done if one suspects diabetes.  Hair testing can, however, usually guide a practitioner to correct Type 2 diabetes and some Type 1 diabetes without the need for most drugs.  Mineral imbalances and chronic infections are often involved with these conditions.

              7. Toxic metal assessment. No method of testing can detect all the toxic metals in the body because most of them are hidden deep in the body organs and glands.  When interpreted properly, however, a hair mineral analysis is often helpful to assess the general level of toxic metals in the body.

              Some patterns, such as the Poor Eliminator Pattern, provide indicators of the presence of hidden toxic metals, a most important concept.

              8. Reducing guesswork in recommending diets, nutritional supplementation and detoxification methods.  This is very necessary because natural methods can easily be applied incorrectly or a haphazard manner that can make matters much worse.

              9. Trends or tendencies for over 60 common health conditions.  This is an amazing benefit.  Research indicates that many health conditions are related to tissue mineral imbalances.  The test may reveal them months or years before they manifest in the body.  This makes possible a powerful preventive medical science.  This is much less costly and more effective than waiting until a disease such as cancer or heart disease occurs.
            This aspect of hair mineral testing alone would save billions of dollars if it were used widely.  For example, one can inexpensively and accurately screen for tendencies for diabetes, heart disease, chronic fatigue, cancer, yeast infections, and many other health conditions.

              10. Monitoring Progress.  Hair mineral analysis is often helpful to monitor a person’s progress on a healing program of any kind.  Symptomatic changes alone are often not a good way to know if a person is progressing on a healing program.  However, the hair test will often detect subtle changes in body chemistry, another wonderful benefit of this test.

              11. Stress patterns.  A properly performed hair mineral analysis is superb to assess the stage of stress, as well as 30 or more stress response patterns of the human body.

              This type of analysis and interpretation is based on the stress theory of disease, a modern understanding of health and disease.  It was the work of Dr. Hans Selye, MD some 60 years ago.  However, it is still not used much by the medical profession.  Understanding the stages of stress can enable the practitioner to reverse many types of pathology that do not respond well to either traditional medical care or holistic care.

              12. Autonomic nervous system assessment. A properly performed hair mineral test can assess and guide the correction of the activity of the autonomic nervous system.

            Problems with this nervous system are very widespread today, and can cause hundreds of symptoms from digestive disturbance and inability to eliminate toxic metals, to sleep disturbances, blood sugar problems and even cancers.  Few in the medical, holistic or naturopathic professions know how to address these issues.

              13. Psychological/emotional assessment. One the most exciting uses of the hair mineral analysis is the assessment of causes for conditions such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, attention deficit, brain fog, autism, schizophrenia, dementia, violence, and bipolar disorder.  Hair mineral testing often shows why these conditions occur, and how to correct them at a deep level.

              14. Trauma.  Hair mineral testing can also reveal sociological issues such as some traumas, abuse, and criminality.  For more on this topic, please read Trauma Release on this site.

              15. Animal health. The same test is extremely helpful to identify and guide the correction of health problems in animals, both large and small.  The identical principles of interpretation apply to many animal species, just as well as they apply to human beings.  This has the potential to save ranchers, farmers and others millions of dollars, and improve the quality of our food.  Articles on this site discuss the application of development science and hair testing in Dogs, Cats, Horses, Cows, and Deer at this time.

              16. Agriculture. The common soil analysis farmers use is identical to the hair mineral analysis.  The principles of development science can be used to help balance the soil and improve crop yield and nutritional quality of our food supply.  For more on this topic, please read Rejuvenating The Soil With Development on this site.

              17. Other. More is possible with hair mineral testing.  One of the most interesting is identifying movement patterns.  These have to do with a person’s lifestyle and current activities, in relation to the person’s life path or progress through life.  This can be extremely helpful in counseling a person, and to understand illness, both physical and emotional.
            Deep insights into biochemistry, physiology, psychology, pathology and possibly more esoteric sciences, such as biological transmutation of the elements, are also possible using the hair mineral test.  Some of these are briefly discussed in the article entitled The Theory Of Development Science.

V. CURRENT IDEAL HAIR MINERAL VALUES WE USE

 These change with new research.  For the current ideal values and ranges, please go to Ideal Human Mineral Levels And Ranges on this website.

NOTE:

            1. Hair must not be washed at the laboratory for accurate readings.

            2. Levels below the ideals listed above generally indicate a poor eliminator of this metal.  This is an important concept for hair analysis interpretation.  For more on this topic, please read the article entitled Poor Eliminator Pattern on this website.

            3. Most people have too much of most of the toxic metals, even if they are not revealed on the test.  They can be hidden, sequestered deep within the body tissues.  This is especially true of mercury and aluminum, due to environmental contamination.

VI. DOCUMENTATION

            Mineral analysis by mass spectroscopy-ICP and related methods is a standard testing procedure used in laboratories and universities throughout the world.  Hair mineral testing on human and animal populations has been carried out for over 80 years.
            Well over two million analyses have been performed.  Several thousand papers and other research have been published on this method of biological monitoring.  About 450 of these are listed by clicking on Hair Analysis References.
            Regarding toxic metals, the United States Environmental Protection Agency published a 300-page study in August 1979.  They reviewed over 400 journal articles about hair mineral testing.  The authors concluded that hair is a "meaningful and representative tissue for biological monitoring for most of the toxic metals".

            Sadly, very few physicians are trained in hair tissue mineral analysis interpretation.  I am medically trained, and was also very skeptical about its use.  However, research and clinical experience with over 50,000 patients have dispelled any doubts as to its efficacy and significance for health care.  We currently work with about 100 nutrition consultants and physicians worldwide.  These Approved Practitioners are listed on this website.

VII. RELATION TO ACUPUNCTURE PULSE AND OTHER DIAGNOSIS

            Amazingly, the patterns revealed on a hair mineral analysis correlate perfectly with many acupuncture diagnosis patterns.        We even use similar names for many of the patterns.  Examples are the bowl pattern, hill pattern, and coming alive pattern.  Many of the acupuncture patterns are quite advanced, so most acupuncturists are not familiar with them.

            This is very unusual!  The reason this occurs may be that both hair analysis assessment and acupuncture assessment are measuring the whole body system, even though the way the assessment is done is extremely different.  For more on this topic, please read Acupuncture on this site.

VIII. BASIC TEST INTERPRETATION

            According to the research of Dr. Paul Eck and others, one must first look for whole system patterns, before interpreting the individual mineral levels.  Some of these patterns are the metabolic type, the stage of stress, the oxidation rate and type, and the major electrolyte ratios.  Here are basic interpretation steps:

            1. Look for a four lows pattern. This is present when the first four macrominerals - calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium - are all below their ideal levels.  Please read Four Low Eelctrolytes for much more on this pattern.

            2. Assess is the oxidation rate. It is determined by assessing two ratios.  These are the sodium/magnesium ratio and the calcium/potassium ratio.  This will assess if a person is in fast, slow or mixed oxidation.  For more on this assessment and the meaning of the oxidation rate, please read Fast, Slow and Mixed Oxidation.

            3. Assess the sodium/potassium ratio.  It is critical that the hair not be washed at the laboratory for accurate sodium and potassium readings. This gives a lot of information about inflammation, infection, blood sugar, fatigue, anger and more.  For more on this ratio, please read The Sodium/Potassium Ratio.

            4. Assess the calcium/magnesium ratio.  This is sometimes called the lifestyle ratio.  For much more on this topic, please read The Calcium/Magnesium Ratio.

            After assessing these patterns and ratios, one can focus on individual mineral levels, and about 60 other important patterns revealed on the test.

            Learning this method of interpretation takes some time.  I was badly confused for four years working at it full time.  However, I offer training for anyone who wishes to learn this science.  For a list of all the hair analysis patterns, please go to the Read Articles page of this website, where they are listed.

IX. THE MINERAL ANALYSIS HAIR SAMPLING PROCEDURE

            Accurate results depend on cutting hair samples correctly.  Here are basic rules for sampling the hair.

            1. Cut the sample from anywhere on the head.  The nape of the neck is excellent, but other areas are fine, as well.  If head hair is not available, the next best hair is from the underarms.  On men, beard hair or chest hair will work, as well.

            If these are not available, some labs will test the minerals in fingernails, and this is fairly accurate.  Do not use pubic hair.  It is not as accurate, even though some laboratories allow it.

            2. Cut the hair as close to the scalp as possible for the most recent  and therefore the most accurate readings.

            3. Then measure about one inch or two centimeters from where it was cut on the head.  Cut off the rest of the long hair and throw it away.  Using even shorter hair is excellent.  The only problem is with long hair.

            4. The best way is usually to cut several little samples and combine them until the paper scale tips or until you have filled a small spoon or have 125 mg of hair.  (This is not a lot of hair.)

            5. Hair that has been tinted, dyed, highlighted, bleached or permanent-treated may be used.  If it has been bleached or the person has had a permanent, wash the hair several times after the hair treatments before cutting the sample to remove the chemicals and allow the hair to grow out a little.

            6. Thinning shears or even a razor may be used if the hair is short.  It must be an electric razor, as we do not want the hair mixed with shaving cream or soap.  If thinning shears are used on long hair, it may be hard to tell which end was cut.

            7. Use a clean paper (not plastic) envelope to collect the hair.  Plastic is okay, but the hair tends to stick to it and is harder to remove easily.

            8. The sample must be sent to a licensed clinical laboratory for analysis.  The best labs are Analytical Research Labs in Phoenix, Arizona (my first choice) or Trace Elements, Inc. (a very poor second choice because they read more minerals, but results may not be as accurate and worse, their corrective programs are terrible).
            Do not use a lab that washes the hair, which includes all the other laboratories in the world, as far as I know.  These labs may be okay to measure toxic metals.  However, they are not good at all to get accurate readings of sodium and potassium, which is required for development science.

X. LABORATORY ANALYSIS PROCEDURE

            The procedure described here is used at Analytical Research Laboratories in Phoenix, Arizona.  Similar, but at times less rigorous procedures may be used at other hair testing laboratories.

            1. Hair samples arriving at the laboratory are first cut into small pieces with surgical scissors.

            2. A precisely weighed amount of hair is digested overnight in nitric and perchloric acid.

            3.The following day the sample is rehydrated and placed in the measuring instrument to be assessed for minerals.
            The most common measuring instrument today is an ICP-mass spectrometer.  This is a highly sophisticated hybrid, computer-controlled machine costing several hundred thousand dollars.  It is not a “home or office unit”.   Any doctor who runs this test in his office is not using the same equipment and results may not be as accurate.
            Essentially, the dissolved sample is burned at a high temperature.  Each mineral gives off a characteristic spectrum or frequencies of light, which is picked up by sensitive detectors in the measuring instrument.  Calibration and precise control of the flame temperature are essential to obtain accurate readings.

              Licensing.  In America, hair mineral analysis laboratories are inspected annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services, Division of Health Standards and Quality.  An operating license is issued only if personnel and procedures meet rigorous standards.

              Quality Control.  Analytical Research Labs runs control samples and blank samples at the beginning, middle and end of every batch.  Also, small amount of hair is set aside and any readings that are far out of range are retested automatically at no extra charge.  This is not done at most laboratories.
            Hair tissue mineral analysis is not something that can be done in an office or at home.  If someone offers a test that is done at the office, it is not the same test.  Only about eight or nine laboratories offer commercial hair tissue mineral analysis in America and a few exist overseas.  All other laboratories send hair samples to one of the few labs that have the correct equipment and licensing to perform the test.

XI. CONTROVERSIES IN HAIR MINERAL ANALYSIS

1. SHOULD HAIR BE WASHED AT THE LABORATORY?

            The danger of environmental contamination has prompted many mineral testing laboratories to wash the hair before analyzing it.  However, studies indicate this is far worse than the occasional contamination due to an environmental agent.  These include the following studies:

·           Leroy, R. (J Ortho Med., 1986;1(2)).

·           Seidel, et al.  (JAMA, 2001, 285, #1).  The authors compared hair test results from about six labs.  The results of the two laboratories that do not wash the hair samples showed excellent correlation, unlike some of the others.  One must obtain the actual test numbers to realize this, as it is not mentioned in the study.

·           Assarian, GS and Oberleas, D., (Clin Chem., 1977;23(9):1771-1772).

            These studies showed that washing the hair at the laboratory erratically and unpredictably removes calcium, sodium and potassium.  Zinc, magnesium, nickel and most other elements are also affected by washing. Thus, we recommend only using a laboratory that does not wash the hair at the laboratory.
            Those who favor washing the hair at the lab contend that any mineral that is washed out is 'exogenous' - not really part of the hair.  Judging by the excellent predictability the mineral ratios provide when the hair is not washed, one is lead to conclude that the loosely bound minerals are not simply exogenous.  They are part of the biopsy material.

            This is why I only recommend Analytical Research Labs for hair mineral testing.  While Trace elements, Inc. does not wash the hair, they are not as careful in their lab technique, in my experience, and their nutrition programs are not nearly as good.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION OF HAIR SAMPLES

            Some say that hair samples are inaccurate due to hair treatments and environmental contamination.  However, our experience indicates that shampoo, conditioners, rinses, hair dyes, tints, light sweating and air pollution generally do not significantly affect hair readings.
            Most people wash their hair frequently.  Most hair products do not contain many minerals that remain in the hair after the product is used.  Therefore the test is not affected.  Hair is not very porous, about 10% in men and 15% in women.  Most contaminants do not remain within the hair.
            However, swimming in pools can raise sodium and copper levels.  Heavy sweating immediately before cutting the sample can raise sodium and potassium readings.  ‘Grecian Formula' and 'Youth Hair' hair dye contain lead.  They will elevate the lead level (and should be avoided!).
            Head & Shoulders shampoo can elevate the zinc level.  Selsun Blue shampoo can elevate the selenium level.  These contaminants are usually easy to identify on a hair test because the readings are heavily skewed.  Asking the patient what products are on their hair will usually be sufficient to rule out abnormal readings due to hair products.
            Showering may wash out a small percentage of water-soluble minerals.  However, minerals from the sweat or oil glands appear to re-establish an equilibrium on the hair within a half-hour after washing.  Of course, this re-equilibration cannot occur if the hair is washed after it is cut from the head at a laboratory.
            Bleach or other harsh chemicals used in permanents will have some effect on hair readings.  If possible, take a hair sample before having a permanent or bleaching.  After a beauty parlor permanent or bleaching treatment, it is best to let the hair grow out for several weeks.
            Second best is to wash the hair 4-5 times after these treatments before having a hair analysis.  However, if a person is very ill, a sample can be taken at any time.  It may not be perfectly accurate, but will provide enough information to begin a corrective program.

CAN A HAIR TEST BE USED TO SET UP A HEALING PROGRAM?

            Some authors criticize hair mineral testing when it is used to recommend nutritional supplements or even foods for improving one’s health.  In particular, vitamins may seem difficult to recommend because the test only detects mineral levels.  Let me explain how this is done, however, with a simple example.
            It is known that certain vitamins, such as vitamin C, can be used to help remove toxic metals.  Thus a practitioner may recommend supplementary vitamin C if a hair analysis reveals excessive toxic metals.  There are many other ways the test can be used to recommend herbs, vitamins and other nutritional products.

            The acceptance of hair mineral testing as a valid procedure has been slowed by several disagreements among researchers who use hair mineral testing.  These are:

XII. CHALLENGES TO THE VALIDITY OF HAIR ANALYSIS

              Several studies critical of hair analysis have been published.  Most criticism stems from two studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  The first was published in August 1985, JAMA 254(8)1041-1045.
            In this study, standard hair analysis protocol was ignored in three ways, any one of which would be enough to discredit the entire study:

1. A few long pieces of his daughter’s hair were used. This is not the correct way to do the test.  One must use small one-inch samples cut close to the scalp.  The ends of long hair are more subject to contamination and should never be used.
2. Samples were washed under the kitchen tap before being sent to the laboratory.  This is also a violation of standard hair sampling protocol.  Tap water is often rich in minerals.  Hair samples should never be washed in this manner.
3. Hair samples were mixed together by hand.  Here is another violation of standard protocol.  It is difficult or impossible to obtain a homogenous sample this way because hair tends to stick together.  Hair should have been powdered first and then mixed together, or at least cut into tiny parts before mixing.

            Other flaws in this study were:

              The author had a clear conflict of interest.  He was, and may still be, the director of Quackwatch, a medical industry-funded group that specializes in deriding natural, alternative, complementary and holistic methods of healing.  In fact, the author of the study, I am told, operates over 30 website that he uses to denigrate holistic healing methods under various titles and pseudonyms.

              Referencing for the study was almost nonexistent.  For example, the author completely ignored over 400 studies that had been done on hair analysis and reported upon by the United States Environmental Protection Agency only 6 years before.  Obviously, the author was either extremely ignorant about hair analysis research or did not care what the medical community really knew about it.

            The author admitted in the study that he had no professional experience with hair analysis whatsoever.  One must wonder why he was picked to author this study.

THE 2001 JAMA HAIR ANALYSIS STUDY

            Another study appeared in JAMA, #285, #1, Jan.3, 2001 that claimed to “revisit” the earlier one.  Six hair samples were cut from one person and sent to six laboratories for analysis.  Flaws in this study include:

1. An illegally operating, unlicensed mineral testing laboratory was included in the study. This lab reported the worst results, and was the basis for the authors conclusion that hair mineral analysis is unreliable.  This is so bizarre it is once again difficult to fathom.  Would JAMA publish a study of brain surgery procedures and use an illegally-operating hospital or a bogus surgeon?  I doubt it.

            Plenty of other hair testing labs could have been used, but the authors somehow found one that had lost its license.  This makes little sense, unless one wishes to discredit the field of hair analysis.

2. The “study” involved only one patient.  I learned in medical school that a report involving only one or two people is “anecdotal”, and not a valid study.  It is shocking that the Journal of the American Medical Association would accept such a report and print it.  It is also a poor reflection on the authors that they would draw any conclusions at all from this anecdotal “study”.

3. Rather than compare the raw data, the authors compared whether readings were reported as high, normal or low. This is not a measure of the reliability of hair analysis, as they claim.  This is comparing the reference ranges of various laboratories, which is another issue altogether.

4. The authors demonstrated clear bias and ignorance of hair analysis.  They referred to the 1985 JAMA study, stating, “we decided to update Barrett’s results”.  This implies they were unaware or unconcerned with all the flaws in the earlier study.

5. Very poor referencing again. Very few studies of hair analysis were mentioned, and once again, the authors ignored hundreds of favorable studies of hair analysis.

6. Ignoring their own findings. In this anecdotal report, the two laboratories that do not wash the hair at the lab, ARL and TEI, provided identical results in 6 of 9 trace minerals and extremely close results on the other three.  In other words, in the only valid comparison of hair analysis laboratories, results indicated the exact opposite conclusion than that drawn by the authors.  This fact was completely overlooked and not reported by the authors in their discussion or conclusion.  Essentially, the anecdotal report indicated that when the hair is not washed at the lab, the results are astoundingly reliable and accurate, but this fact was ignored and the authors conclusion was the exact opposite of this truth.

THE HAIR ANALYSIS “EXPOSE” ON THE ‘NIGHTLINE’ TELEVISION PROGRAM

            Also in the 1990s the 'Nightline' television show discussed hair analysis in a widely watched program.  In this “expose”, hair from a dog was sent to a commercial hair analysis laboratory.  The perpetrators of this scam from 'Nightline' led the laboratory to believe it was a human hair sample.  They did not tell the laboratory it was from a dog.  Identifying the species from which hair is sampled is the standard and an obvious procedure.

            When results came back, they were very odd because the normal mineral values for a dog are very different than for humans.  The television host claimed that this was a healthy dog and that such odd results proved that hair analysis is a fraud. 

            Of course, if one sent a dog's blood to a blood laboratory and did not tell the laboratory it belonged to a dog, the exact same thing would happen.  This, of course, was not pointed out in the Nightline piece.

THE JUNE 12-13, 2001 CDC REPORT ON HAIR ANALYSIS

Another shameful government pronouncement on hair testing took place in 2001 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  A panel was assembled to evaluate “the state of the art of hair analysis”.  It involved seven “experts” in toxicology and other fields and 50 public observers.

The experts reviewed 7 studies of hair analysis to prepare for the meeting.  In addition, another 25 studies were cited during or after the meeting.  Based on this “review”, the panel concluded that hair analysis is not effective or reliable as a method of biological monitoring for toxic metals, with the exception of methyl mercury.   Flaws in this report include:

·           Extreme lack of references. A review of only 32 studies of hair analysis should have disqualified this panel right away.  In addition, of the 32 papers, one was a CDC paper on toxic chemicals, one was a report on the anatomy and physiology of hair, and one was an article about controlling hair growth.  Another concerned Napoleon Bonaparte’s exposure to arsenic in 1816, while another was about regeneration and rate of hair growth in men.  One was also the 1989 recommended dietary allowances.  Totally ignored were literally hundreds of studies, many of which are in the reference section of this text.

·           Overlooking their own research. There was no mention or citation of the government’s own 300-page review of over 400 studies of hair analysis conducted in August of 1979.  This was a real review that could have been updated by the CDC, had they cared to do so.  The earlier review concluded that hair testing was “meaningful and representative for biological monitoring for the major toxic metals”.

·           Unqualified “experts”. The 7-member panel of “hair mineral analysis experts” contained no one who actually uses hair mineral testing as a regular part of a healing practice.  Instead, it included 1) a professor of emergency medicine, 2) the president of an internal medicine consulting service, and 3) an employee in the Department of Health Education and Promotion at the ATSDR.  Also among the experts was Dr. Seidel, one of the authors of the second JAMA study described above.  This might be seen as obvious bias, since she was the lead author on a very negative study of hair analysis.  The reference for this panel discussion is http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/hair_analysis/index.html.

XIII. A UNIVERSAL TEST

            When performed and interpreted as suggested in this article and on this website, hair mineral testing is quite amazing.

It is not just “another test”.  The hair mineral test’s ability to assess and predict physical and psychological states of the body is quite unlike blood, urine, feces and every other method of testing the body that we have encountered.  We encourage any practitioner to look into this.

The mineral deposition in the hair tissue reflects the condition of the energy field or ‘aura’ of a human being or animal.  In this sense, the hair mineral test is a measure of the radiance or life energy of the body, and of the brain, in particular.

The mineral levels, ratios and patterns represent complex patterns of biological organization.  This includes hormone levels, the electrical balance of the cells, the stage of stress according to the stress theory of disease, the oxidation rate and type, and more.

Fractal and holographic design.  The reason this occurs, in part, is due to the fractal design of the human and animal body.  Fractal design means that the body is made of simple repeating whole-number patterns.  Excellent examples of fractals are on the internet.  For more details, read Fractals.

              To experience this for yourself, however, one must use the test correctly.            The keys to using the hair test in the way we are describing it are:

            1. Hair sampling must be done correctly.  This topic is discussed elsewhere in this article.

2. One must use a laboratory that does not wash the hair at all at the laboratory.  This is not easy to find.  The only commercial laboratory we know of that does not wash the hair at this time (2019) is Analytical Research Labs.  Other labs may say they do not wash the hair, but our experience is that the numbers are not correct.

3. The testing must be highly accurate.  This is also a problem with some laboratories at this time.

4. The mineral values must be graphed on the calibrated chart used by Analytical Research Labs.  Other graphs and charts used by any other lab do not work well.

5. To really appreciate the test, one must perform a lot of tests - at least 100 - and interview the clients to see if the tests reflect what we suggest they reflect in this and other articles on this website.

XIV. OTHER TOPICS

            Do hair mineral values vary with a person’s age?        Yes, to a degree.  Most children are fast oxidizers until around age 3 to 10.  Their hair analyses look different, with higher sodium and potassium values and lower calcium and magnesium values.  Some day, perhaps, a separate chart of ideal values will be published for children under age 10.  Otherwise, however, the ideal values do not vary with age.

              Are hair test results different for men than for women?  Women tend to have somewhat slower oxidation rates than men.  This means their calcium and magnesium levels tend to be slightly higher than those of men, while their sodium and potassium levels tend to be somewhat lower than those of men.  Copper levels also tend to be somewhat higher in women.

            Do hair tests vary with one’s hair color or race?  We have not found significant differences, although those with red hair may have higher copper levels in the hair.

SUMMARY

            Hair tissue mineral analysis has been available for about the past 80 years or so.  It is widely used in biological monitoring of animal species throughout the world and is being used more and more for human metabolic assessment as well.  When understood properly, it offers great potential to improve human and animal health at the deepest levels.  It can also be used preventively and for prediction of illness.
            This website contains many articles about various aspects and details concerning hair mineral testing.  Topics include Toxic Metals And Their Removal, Hair mineral analysis patterns, The Theory Of Development, a journal article, Nutritional Balancing and Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis and more.

            In addition, one of our books has a long section containing about 36 hair analysis patterns: Development Science And Development Programs (2019).  This website also contains a list of Hair Analysis References, Scientific Statements About Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis, and Development Program Testimonials.

REFERENCES

BOOKS

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Crook, W.G., The Yeast Connection Handbook, Professional Books, 1999.

Davies, I.J.T., The Clinical Significance of the Essential Biological Metals, C.C. Thomas, 1972.

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JOURNAL ARTICLES

For a list of about 500 medical journal articles about hair mineral testing, please go to Hair Analysis References.

For professional statements about hair mineral testing, click here.