According to Lawrence D. Wilson, M.D. (Dr. Wilson has a medical degree and 20 years experience as a nutrition consultant specializing in the use of hair mineral analysis for nutritional assessment), in his article on “Tissue Mineral Analysis” notes minerals are often called the "stepchildren of nutrition." Commonly ignored for more exotic nutrients or remedies, they are vital for health and well being. Their roles range from regulating fluid balance to activating genes and hormones. Thousands of enzymes involved in every body function depend on minerals as components, activators, facilitators or inhibitors.

Measuring Minerals

Minerals are fairly easy to measure accurately with computer-controlled spectrometers. They are measured in the blood, urine, tissues, red blood cells, hair follicles and other sites.
 		  
 
  The problem with measuring minerals lies in understanding the readings. For instance, if a mineral is elevated in a particular tissue, does it mean it is also high in other areas of the body? Perhaps it is being excreted through the tissue, or being stored there. Does the mineral normally deposit in this tissue, or is its presence a compensation for another primary mineral imbalance?

Minerals found in Hair

Hair is an excellent biopsy material. It is easy to sample, easily preserved and transported, represents a soft tissue of the body, and is a storage and eliminative tissue of the body.
 
 
Tissue Mineral Testing Procedure

Each mineral gives off characteristic colors or spectra, which are read by sensitive detectors. Controls are run with each batch of sample.
Some laboratories wash the hair when it arrives. In the author's experience, this is an unwise practice. Labs that wash the hair say that washing is necessary to prevent contamination of the sample. However, studies have shown that washing the hair can erratically remove water soluble minerals such as sodium and potassium. Hair is a biopsy material. Harsh washing agents such as detergent and acetone that are commonly used will affect the integrity of the sample.

Minerals commonly measured on the tissue mineral analysis are: Macrominerals - calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and phosphorus • Trace minerals - zinc, copper, iron, manganese, chromium, selenium, boron, silicon and others • Toxic metals - lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, nickel, and others

The test provides a reading of the minerals deposited in the cells and interstitial spaces of the hair over a 2-3 month period. This is very different from blood tests that give an instantaneous reading, but which are more subject to hourly or daily fluctuations. Hair analysis is considered a screening test. It is designed to provide a lot of information rapidly and inexpensively.

Total Body Load or Stress Patterns
One way to interpret a mineral analysis is to estimate the total body load of a mineral based on the test. This is difficult to do because mineral metabolism is complex. Each mineral deposits differently in tissues. Minerals may be lost or excreted through other tissues, and may be stored in still other tissues. Levels may also be compensations for a primary excess or deficiency of another mineral.

The second method of interpretation is less concerned with the total body load of the mineral. Instead, one uses the mineral levels and ratios to create a metabolic picture of how the body is responding to stress, and therefore how to approach a healing program. In the author's experience, the second method is much more fruitful. It requires a deeper understanding of physiology and biochemistry. However, it enables one to make much greater clinical use of the mineral analysis. Principles of Interpretation
Dr. Paul C. Eck was a pioneer in hair mineral testing. Over years of research, Dr. Eck incorporated the stress theory of disease, metabolic typing, natural healing theory and modern biology to help interpret the test. While this is a research area, the author's experience confirms that the test can provide information about one's energy level, immune system, carbohydrate tolerance, emotional balance, and glandular activity. Tissue mineral testing can help reduce the guesswork in recommending diets and nutritional supplements. It can also be used to monitor metabolic changes as a result of any form of therapy.

The science of interpreting the mineral analysis as developed by Dr. Eck is quite complex. It is more fully described in a textbook, Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis (by Dr. Wilson). One principle is to view the entire chart as a whole, rather than focus on one or two minerals. Too often, physicians focus on a single mineral such as a toxic metal, and ignore the richness of information that is present. A second principle is to be aware of ratios and patterns of minerals, not simply mineral levels.

A third principle is to assess what is called the oxidation rate. Dr. George Watson, a researcher at UCLA and an early pioneer of metabolic typing originally coined this term. The term, as used in hair analysis interpretation, has a slightly different meaning than that originally designated by Dr. Watson. One can identify fast, slow and mixed oxidation types. Within each type are several subtypes. The oxidation types are associated with the stages of stress according to Dr. Hans Selye, MD. These are the alarm, resistance and exhaustion stages of stress.

Assessing the metabolic type and oxidation rate provides information about how the organism is handling stress. Knowing the physiology and biochemistry of each stage can help a health care practitioner recommend foods and supplementary nutrients to help restore the body to a more balanced, higher energy and healthier stage of stress.

Case History #1: Infections, Seizures and Learning Disorders:
An excellent way to understand mineral balancing is with case histories. Molly and Megan, age four, are identical twins. Both had a history of chronic infections, with frequent coughs, bronchitis and earaches that often progressed to febrile seizures. Teachers also suspect • ed a learning disorder. The four-year-old twins were often prescribed antibiotics for the infections. They also took Phenobarbital and Dilantin to control seizures. The twins' hair analyses reveal mineral imbalances associated with a low energy level, seizures, and a reduced ability to resist infections. The Critical Ratios

A key principle in hair analysis interpretation is to examine mineral ratios. Ratios represent relationships and balances in the body. On the girls' charts, two key ratios, sodium-to potassium and calcium-to-magnesium, are very low. These ratios are very important for health. A low sodium-to-potassium ratio is associated with a compromised immune system and lowered energy level. It is also associated with adrenal weakness, and a tendency for carbohydrate intolerance.

An unbalanced calcium-to-magnesium ratio is associated with carbohydrate intolerance, often caused by a diet that is too rich in carbohydrates. This upsets body chemistry, interferes with energy production, and sets the stage for many symptoms.

Zinc and Copper

Both twins show low levels of zinc. Adequate tissue zinc is important for the immune system, for digestion and for the repair of all body tissues. Zinc also has a calming, anti-seizure effect on the central nervous system. Both twins have very elevated copper levels. Copper antagonizes or interferes with zinc. Elevated tissue copper is associated with a tendency for seizures and infections. Copper imbalance can also affect the thyroid gland, the nervous system, the skin and other body systems. Many children today have high tissue copper levels due to weak adrenal glands or passed on to them from parents with elevated copper. Cadmium

Both twins' tests reveal elevated levels of cadmium, a highly toxic metal. Cadmium antagonizes or interferes with zinc. Cadmium may replace zinc in vital enzyme binding sites, impairing the function of zinc-dependent enzymes. Cadmium toxicity may contribute to immune system dysfunction and possibly to seizures. Cadmium is found in smoke from cigarettes and marijuana, junk food and tap water. Some industrial workers may be exposed to cadmium. In four year-old children, cadmium probably came from their mother, passed to them through the placenta. Children today are often born with high levels of toxic metals due to the eating and living habits of their parents and even grandparents.

Both girls also have elevated aluminum and nickel levels. Aluminum toxicity is a common finding on hair mineral tests. Aluminum is widely distributed in the environment. Common sources include food cooked in aluminum cookware, beverages from aluminum cans, antiperspirants and anti-acids. However, aluminum is also added to table salt, drinking water, and baking powders. Peppermint and spearmint tea, and to some degree regular tea, are high in aluminum.


Aluminum and nickel
Excessive tissue aluminum is associated with memory loss, dementia and possibly learning disorders in children. The girls probably got aluminum from their mother. Fortunately, aluminum is fairly easy to remove from the tissues unless dementia has set in. The aluminum level of both twins increased on the retests. This indicates an active elimination through the hair, and is a common finding. After the elimination, the levels decrease.

Nickel toxicity is less common. Sources include hydrogenated oils found in margarine, commercial peanut butters and vegetable shortening. In adults, dental materials and occupational exposure to metals may also raise the nickel level.

Balancing Body Chemistry

Both girls were placed on a dietary and supplement program to balance their mineral levels and ratios. In this instance, the diet included eating less sweets and carbohydrates, low-fat protein with each meal, more vegetables, and fresh, high-quality food. Nutritional supplements included vitamins A, B complex, C and E, and manganese, zinc, calcium and magnesium in the proper dosages to balance the ratios. Within four months, both girls stopped wetting the bed and stopped coughing completely. Neither suffered any more infections or seizures. After a year had passed, their mother reported that previously they had visited the doctor's office about once a week for one problem or another. Since beginning the nutrition program, the twins had not required a doctor even once.

Case #2: Depression, Fatigue, Tooth Decay, Acne, Yeast Infections, and Premenstrual Tension:
This case illustrates common mineral patterns in young adults. Rona is 29, and follows a natural food, mostly vegetarian diet. She is often tired, and has allergies, gas and bloating, acne, cravings for starches and fats, and some depression and PMS.

Slow Metabolism

A dominant pattern on Rona's test is her very high calcium and magnesium levels combined with very low sodium and potassium levels. This pattern is associated with a sluggish metabolic rate or oxidation rate. Oxidation refers to the burning of food. The hair must not be washed at the laboratory to provide accurate sodium and potassium readings. Slow oxidation is associated with reduced adrenal glandular activity at the cellular level. Weak adrenals may contribute to low blood pressure, low energy, allergies, chronic low blood sugar, and an excessively alkaline body chemistry that increases susceptibility to yeast infections. The adrenal hormones, cortisol and adrenalin, help prevent allergies and raise the levels of blood sugar and blood pressure. Conditions such as allergies, asthma, arthritis and others may have very different causes depending on the body chemistry. Correction is far more successful when the cause is ascertained, instead of guessing and using symptomatic nutrition or symptomatic herbs or drug therapy. Calcium and Magnesium Rona's calcium level is eight times normal! This can be confusing, as it does not mean she has an excess of calcium or magnesium in her body. Quite the opposite! She is losing these minerals through her hair. The phenomenon is called biologically unavailable calcium. In these cases, calcium precipitates into the tissues, instead of remaining in the blood. This can cause a combination of symptoms of calcium excess such as joint stiffness, and calcium deficiency such as leg cramps, irritability and later in life, osteoporosis. The 'Calcium Shell' A very high tissue calcium level is associated with feelings of depression. Calcium stabilizes cell membranes and increases the voltage required for nerve cells to fire. It literally depresses the functioning of the nervous system. When calcium is over 200 mg%, as in this instance, it is called a `calcium shell' pattern. It is associated with psychological withdrawal, and at times a lack of awareness. Often these individuals are very sensitive to stress, overwhelmed by stress, or not proficient at coping with stress.

Low Sodium and Potassium

Rona eats plenty of potassium foods and uses some salt. Yet her sodium and potassium levels are very low! The adrenal hormone aldosterone retains sodium in the body. Rona is urinating out too much sodium and potassium. Low hair sodium is associated with low energy, and with deficient gastric hydrochloric acid that may impair protein digestion. Rona's ratio of sodium to potassium is also low. The normal ratio is about 2.5:1. Her ratio is 2:1. This is another fatigue and weak adrenal indicator. Low Phosphorus

Phosphorus is low on this test. Phosphorus is a component of protein. A low level often means that protein synthesis is inadequate. This may be due to a diet deficient in high-quality protein, impaired protein digestion or absorption, or a zinc deficiency. Zinc is needed for digestive enzyme formation and for protein synthesis. Low hair phosphorus may be associated with impaired digestion, an irritable colon, and often, vegetarian diets. While some people are healthy on vegetarian diets, many do not feel well.

Hidden Copper Imbalance

High hair calcium with a low hair potassium is associated with a copper imbalance. This is so even if the hair copper level is in the normal range, as in this case. Copper imbalance is associated with acne and premenstrual tension. In fact, the symptoms of copper imbalance are identical to the symptoms of premenstrual tension. The copper level tends to correlate with the level of estrogen in the body. Copper imbalance tends to accentuate the emotions, and can contribute to depression, mood swings and irritability.
Correction

Rona was advised to change her diet to include more protein, preferably some animal protein, as it is higher in zinc and lower in copper. She feels better taking digestive enzymes and acidophilus to assist digestion until her body chemistry becomes better balanced. Other nutritional supplements recommended included B-complex vitamins, as these may help increase the metabolic rate. She received adrenal support including vitamins A, C, E and adrenal glandular substance, and chelated calcium, magnesium, manganese and chromium. While deep healing may require months, within a week on this regimen Rona reported feeling "so much better," with more energy, improved digestion and a more positive outlook on life. How Accurate is Hair Testing?

When performed correctly, which includes not washing the hair at the laboratory, mineral analysis is as accurate or more so than standard blood tests. Commercial hair testing laboratories are inspected by the government, and must adhere to the same standards as blood laboratories. Often they are under greater scrutiny because the test is less conventional.

Can Hair Analysis Help Emotional Problems?

A mineral analysis can help identify nutritional causes for depression, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, phobias, attention deficit, and even violence and some forms of schizophrenia. How is this possible?

The brain is a chemical organ. It depends on a balance of hundreds of nutrients for its functioning. Nutrients including copper, zinc, manganese and the vitamins affect cognition, neurotransmitter levels and nerve cell activity. Toxic metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium profoundly affect the brain. The `mad hatters' of Alice in Wonderland were poisoned by mercury, a common problem in the felt hat industry a hundred years ago.

It should be no surprise that a test for cellular minerals can indicate tendencies for emotional and mental conditions. In practice, mineral balancing is helpful for many emotional difficulties, and may enhance the response to psychotherapy and other emotional therapies.

Isn't Hair Contaminated by Shampoo, Tints or Hair Dyes?

Hair is not very porous, about 10% in men and 15% in women. The following can affect hair readings: • Daily 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. • Bleaching and permanents can affect hair readings.

Is Hair Analysis Documented?

Hundreds of papers have been published on the subject of tissue mineral testing. Spectrographic analysis is a standard testing method used at laboratories and universities around the world for the past 70 years. The United States Environmental Protection Agency published a 300-page study in August 1979. They reviewed over 400 medical reports on hair testing. The authors concluded that hair is a "meaningful and representative tissue for biological monitoring for most of the toxic metals." Lists of medical references for hair analysis are found in textbooks such as “Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis”, and “Trace Elements, Hair Analysis and Nutrition”.

Very few physicians are trained in hair mineral analysis. Hair analysis has been tainted by some poorly conducted studies. One was printed in the Journal of the American • Medical Association in August 1985. Fifty-six samples were sent to 13 different laboratories, and the results analyzed - for consistency. Four of the thirteen labs • performed very well. Another three performed moderately well. The author of the article, however, overlooked these positive results and claimed that all hair analysis was probably a fraud. In this study, which was well publicized, standard hair analysis protocol was violated in several ways, any one of which would be enough to discredit it.. Long strands of hair were used, and cut into small pieces. The ends of long hair are old, subject to contamination and should never be used.. Also, the samples were washed under the tap before being sent to the laboratory. This contaminates the sample. If the hair is washed while on the head, the mineral levels re-equilibrate after showering. This is not possible once the hair is cut. Tissue mineral testing is also misunderstood due to other design errors in medical studies. For example: • Studies of a single mineral often miss the fact that all the minerals interact. They are part of a mineral system. Only when viewed as a system, do hair test results make much sense. • Studies that address whether feeding a mineral causes that mineral to rise in the hair are often inconclusive. These studies miss the point that the hair readings represent a state of body chemistry, not the total body load of a mineral. The body chemistry is only partially determined by the ingestion of a particular mineral or food. • Some laboratories wash the hair. This will affect the readings, and cause conflicting results if samples are sent to several laboratories for comparison. • Some studies of hair analysis involve replacement therapy, which does not work well! Replacement therapy is the attempt to correct body chemistry by simply recommending the minerals that are low on the test. This method can lead to confusing and conflicting results.

How Can Hair Analysis Be Used to Recommend Vitamins/Mineral?

Some criticize hair mineral testing when it is used to recommend foods and supplements, particularly vitamins that are not even tested. The answer is that vitamin and food needs may be inferred from test results. For example, vitamin C, garlic and sulfur amino acids help remove toxic metals from the body. It is a matter of common sense to recommend these products if toxic metals are revealed on the mineral test. Hair analysis is excellent for assessing some nutritional needs, provided the test is performed and interpreted correctly. The test helps one create a metabolic blueprint of the state of body chemistry. It is then possible to recommend with some accuracy diet, lifestyle changes and supplements that may lead to dramatic improvements in health and well-being.

A distance learning course on hair mineral analysis is offered by Westbrook University, University Plaza, 120 Llano Street, Aztec, NM 87410, USA; phone: (505) 334-1115; web site: www. westbrooku. edu.

REFERENCES

1. "Toxic Trace Metals in Mammalian and Human Hair and Nails", EPA-600 4.049, August 1979, US. Environmental Protection Agency, Research and Development. This is a review of 400 studies on hair analysis and toxic metals. 2. Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis, L. Wilson, L.D. Wilson Consultants, Inc., Prescott, AZ, 1992, 1998. A newly revised text discusses the theory, interpretation and clinical application of tissue mineral analysis. Trace Elements, Hair Analysis and Nutrition by R.A. Passwater and E. Cranton, Keats Publishing, New Canaan, CT x983. This is an older textbook, and mainly theoretical. Analytical Research Laboratories, PO. Box 37964, Phoenix, Arizona 85o6g, USA; Phone: (602) 995-1580. An excellent laboratory that also offers monthly teaching bulletins, seminar tapes, articles and books on mineral analysis.
 		  
 

Hair element analysis is an important screening test for determining specific nutrient minerals and trace elements your body may be lacking.  It can also readily reveal what toxic element pollutants such as lead, cadmium, mercury, aluminum, or arsenic you may be exposed to unknowingly.

 

Proper mineral balance is essential to preventing as well as overcoming health problems. Mineral imbalances are often the result of nutritional deficiencies.  Heavy metals can antagonize the absorption of their more healthful/essential mineral counterparts.

 

Hair permanently records the past events of your trace element status.  These records can be the result of environmental and dietary factors revealed and explained through personalized interpretations.

 

For many elements, hair more closely reflects the body's mineral stores than does blood or urine.  Due to “homeostatic” mechanisms our mineral blood levels are constrained to normal levels despite inherent and dramatic mineral deficiencies.  Indeed there is often no clear linear relationship between mineral tissue levels indicated in hair and those levels in serum.  Serum blood trace mineral levels are believed to be defined extracellularly where as the hair trace mineral levels are believed to be defined at intracellular trace element concentrations.  This is why hair analysis is considered to be a better record of mineral tissue levels.  Not affected by dietary intake that week and an accurate measurement gauge of the past 3-5 months for mineral tissue levels.

 

 

Often, hair will uncover a metal toxicity when the blood or urine does not.  Hair analysis is used as forensic evidence in virtually every courtroom.  It is performed using ICP Emission Spectroscopy and ICP-Optical (or Atomic) Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES).

 

Dr. Gordus of the University of Michigan tested the head hair of naval midshipman in Annapolis and army cadets from West Point.  When the incoming freshman cadets arrive at their respective academies they have widely different levels of trace minerals in their hair, reflecting variation in their local nutritional intakes.  As they accumulate time at the academies their hair trace mineral patterns became more and more a like suggesting that nutritional intake and environment, not individual genetics, are the primary factors determining hair trace mineral levels and nutritional status.

 

Hair analysis is the most convenient laboratory test as an overall health indicator and measuring tool for biochemical mineral imbalance.  It is recommended that this safe, simple, and cost-effective test be performed once or twice a year on individuals of all ages.  It should be recognized that hair analysis is a screening test and cannot be used to precisely diagnose the presence or absence of disease.  As with any test, hair analysis has valid applications as well as certain limitations.

 

Used properly, hair analysis is a helpful indicator to monitor major and trace element imbalances and environmental toxicity.  With the information obtained from hair analysis and other examinations, specific nutritional programs can be wisely designed to restore the natural balance of the body.

 		  
  Hair element analysis is an important screening test for determining specific nutrient minerals and trace elements your body may be lacking. It can also readily reveal what toxic element pollutants such as lead, cadmium, mercury, aluminum, or arsenic you may be exposed to unknowingly.

Proper mineral balance is essential to preventing as well as overcoming health problems. Mineral imbalances are often the result of nutritional deficiencies. Heavy metals can antagonize the absorption of their more healthful/essential mineral counterparts.

Hair permanently records the past events of your trace element status. These records can be the result of environmental and dietary factors revealed and explained through personalized interpretations.

For many elements, hair more closely reflects the body's mineral stores than does blood or urine. Due to “homeostatic” mechanisms our mineral blood levels are constrained to normal levels despite inherent and dramatic mineral deficiencies. Indeed there is often no clear linear relationship between mineral tissue levels indicated in hair and those levels in serum. Serum blood trace mineral levels are believed to be defined extracellularly where as the hair trace mineral levels are believed to be defined at intracellular trace element concentrations. This is why hair analysis is considered to be a better record of mineral tissue levels. Not affected by dietary intake that week and an accurate measurement gauge of the past 3-5 months for mineral tissue levels.

Often, hair will uncover a metal toxicity when the blood or urine does not. Hair analysis is used as forensic evidence in virtually every courtroom. It is performed using ICP Emission Spectroscopy and ICP-Optical (or Atomic) Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES).

Dr. Gordus of the University of Michigan tested the head hair of naval midshipman in Annapolis and army cadets from West Point. When the incoming freshman cadets arrive at their respective academies they have widely different levels of trace minerals in their hair, reflecting variation in their local nutritional intakes. As they accumulate time at the academies their hair trace mineral patterns became more and more a like suggesting that nutritional intake and environment, not individual genetics, are the primary factors determining hair trace mineral levels and nutritional status.

Hair analysis is the most convenient laboratory test as an overall health indicator and measuring tool for biochemical mineral imbalance. It is recommended that this safe, simple, and cost-effective test be performed once or twice a year on individuals of all ages. It should be recognized that hair analysis is a screening test and cannot be used to precisely diagnose the presence or absence of disease. As with any test, hair analysis has valid applications as well as certain limitations.

Used properly, hair analysis is a helpful indicator to monitor major and trace element imbalances and environmental toxicity. With the information obtained from hair analysis and other examinations, specific nutritional programs can be wisely designed to restore the natural balance of the body.
 		  
 

Return to Alternative Medicine