Description
Hair analysis is a form of testing that determines mineral imbalances and toxicities in the body. It is also often used to detect drug use.
This technique is commonly employed to detect levels of potentially toxic heavy metals, particularly aluminum, cadmium, lead, and mercury, in the body. Calcium can also be analyzed to determine a variety of nutritional deficiencies. Using this approach, imbalances and/or toxicities can be detected early and dealt with as per the recommendations of your naturopath or other health practitioner. A personalized nutritional and lifestyle program typically follows to correct metabolic imbalances or flush toxins before they manifest into additional conditions.
As your hair more closely reflects the presence or absence of minerals in your cells and organs (especially toxic metals), a hair analysis is more accurate than a blood or urine analysis, which only reflects levels of circulating minerals. For this reason, your hair will often indicate heavy metal toxicity when a blood or urine analysis will not.
How It Works
To perform a hair analysis, approximately 2 tablespoons/1g of hair is cut from recently grown hair on the nape (back) of your neck. The sample is stripped of all foreign matter and chemically washed. A specific amount is then dissolved in acid and analyzed with an emission spectrophotometer / atomic absorption photospectrometer where minerals are isolated and measured in parts per million (ppm). The results quantitatively indicate mineral concentrations in the body and the values can be processed by computer to determine a correlation between the minerals/toxins in question.
A hair analysis may be performed at a later date to determine the effectiveness of treatment.
Ailments / Situations Where Used
A hair analysis is often performed to determine mineral imbalances, mineral toxicities, and nutritional deficiencies in the body. The test is also used to narrow out other possibilities when holistically isolating the root cause of one or more symptoms or illnesses.
Contraindications / Precautions / Warnings
Chemically treating hair through bleaching, colouring, and permanent waving can produce inaccurate results. In this case, pubic hair may be analyzed instead.
Hair analysis has received its share of criticism over the past few decades. The testing methods can be tedious and misleading if conducted incorrectly. It is important to deal with a reputable hair analysis laboratory to receive accurate results. Be sure to ask the laboratory, your naturopath, or other health practitioner how long they have been in business, how old their equipment is, how experienced their staff is, and whether the lab conforms to standards set by either the American Society of Elemental Testing Laboratories (ASETL) or the Hair Analysis Standardization Board.
Ailment / Situation Listing
| Heavy Metal Poisoning | Mineral Imbalances | Nutritional Deficiencies |
All information contained on this website is for reference purposes only and all content should be treated as a resource. It is highly recommended that you consult with your naturopath or other health practitioner when undertaking self-treatment. For serious conditions, always seek the advice of your naturopath or other health practitioner. People taking medication should
consult with their naturopath or other health practitioner before undertaking additional regime for their ailment.
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