Hair Testing (HTMA), The Low Down

Never heard of it? Neither had I. The HTMA has changed my life, keep reading to found out how it might change yours.

If you have stumbled across Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) in conversation or perhaps online, then you might be wondering what the hell people are talking about. In this guide, I will cover what it is, what we can learn from it and how you can access one.

• What is the HTMA (Hair Mineral Test Analysis)?

• Valuable insights from taking a HTMA

• How do I get one.

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What is the HTMA?

Basically, the HTMA is a measure of the mineral and toxin content of your hair, which has been deposited over the past 3 months. Minerals are found in food and are important components in many bodily functions such as the immune system, building tissue, inflammation, hormone production and regulation, just to name a few. You can take a hair sample at home or at your hair dressor to take one and send it off to the lab in an envelope. The HTMA tests for 15 vital minerals and both toxix and non-toxic metals.

Check out the example below for an example on what the test looks like

Valuable Insights from taking the HTMA

As already mentioned, the HTMA is a snap shot of the past 3 months of your life which makes it a special test. If you think about taking a blood sample, it is a moment in time, with a fraction of your blood and can be affected by how hydrated you are or what supplements you may have taken in the past 24 hours.

Not only can we identify nutrient deficiences way before they would show up in your blood (because your body is really good at keeping things regulated with the resources it has), but we can also gain information on what is happening in organ systems, with your stress status and response and even with toxic metals.

How? I can hear you asking. Well lets dive deeper.

Firstly, the ratio of minerals to each other provides important information on what is happening in your organ systems. Particularly the adrenals, the thyroid, the sex hormones and the nervous system. By looking at the ratio of one particular mineral to another, we can see that an organ system is under stress.

Why is this relevant to you? Well if your adrenal glands are over worked you may be experiencing fatigue. If your thyroid not working optimally, you may feel sluggish and constipated. If your nervous system is over stimulated, you may feel wired, stressed and overwhelmed. Pretty cool? Are you beginning to put the pieces together that you can start to optimise minerals in the body to stabilise these systems and, hey pronto, your symptoms start to neutralise. This is why this test has meant so much to my health journey. I have visited a lot of doctors, and they all tested my blood and found no issues. But why am I feeling like this? Why am I constipated and experiencing gut pain and bloating when I eat certain foods? One specialist told me; "you will just have to live with it". As it turns out, what I needed was minerals!

If we delve a little deeper, then you might start to realise that we might be using these minerals up and becoming depleted for certain reasons. And there are many reasons, but one of the main ones is stress. We live in a world that is fast paced, hyper stimulated and speeding up. This can burn through our mineral stores quick smart, and the stages of stress as well as your stress response can be read from your HTMA. You maybe depleted and stressed and not even know it.

Finally, we can discover the heavy metal status of the body. Now there is a lot of hype about heavy metal exposure, detoxes and swapping every product in your house out for a natural one. The HTMA takes away the guess work and shows you if there is any heavy metals you have been exposed to and if you need to worry at all.

Check out the example below that shows the significant mineral and heavy metal ratios.

How do I get one?

Anyone can actually order a test privately, but I know, you are thinking, I don't know what all those letters mean! Ideally you will need a practitioner to guide you through the results, and how to actually make changes. You might find a local natropath or integrative doctor, but to be honest, it might be hard to find someone that can read a HTMA well.

Luckily, I've got your back. You can book in with me online and we can organise the test together. We will go over the results and formulate a plan that suits your lifestyle and your budget. The best thing is, you won't even have to leave the comfort of your own home.

If you would like to book an appointment, check out my services page and leave me your details. I'd love to hear from you!

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