What a Hair Test Measures: 250 mg of Hair, mg% Units and 2 to 3 Months of Growth
A hair tissue mineral analysis sample is about 250 mg of scalp hair, cut at the scalp from several sites and no longer than 1.5 inches (4 cm), according to the collection protocol of Trace Elements, Inc. (TEI), the laboratory that processes the HTMA Profile 2 offered at Spinal Fitness Health and Wellness Center in Kennewick, WA. Each reading averages roughly 2 to 3 months of hair growth and is reported in milligrams percent (mg%).
The sample, and the reason for each rule
TEI’s protocol sets 5 rules:
- Scalp hair from multiple sites, from the crown above the ears back to the nape. Several sites give a more representative sample than 1.
- No more than 1.5 inches from the scalp. The distal length is discarded, because older hair carries longer environmental exposure.
- High-grade stainless steel scissors. Rusty blades add iron to the sample and chrome-plated blades add chromium.
- Analyzed unwashed at the laboratory. Washing removes over 90% of sodium and potassium.
- Shampoos, conditioners and dyes are noted on the request form.
TEI’s evidence for the length rule is a 22-inch strand cut into 14 segments and analyzed segment by segment: calcium read 27 mg% at the scalp and over 200 mg% at the far end. Long hair reports years of accumulated exposure; the first 1.5 inches reports the recent period.
Number type 1: nutrient mineral levels
The report gives each nutrient mineral in mg% against TEI’s ideal. TEI’s current ideals include calcium 60 mg% (acceptable range 22 to 97), phosphorus 16, magnesium 6, sodium 24, potassium 10, zinc 20 and copper 2.5. Chapter 20 of Eileen Durfee’s book, Spinal Fitness, ties these minerals to the body’s structural work: calcium to bone, magnesium to muscle relaxation and ATP metabolism, sodium and potassium to fluid balance and nerve conduction, and zinc to tissue repair and protein synthesis.
Number type 2: toxic metal levels
The report gives toxic metals against TEI’s upper limits: mercury below 0.10 mg%, cadmium below 0.04, lead below 0.5, aluminum below 1.0 and arsenic below 0.020. TEI also judges each metal against the nutrient mineral that opposes it. Its minimum calcium-to-lead ratio is 84 to 1, and TEI states, “A ratio below 84:1 would indicate a potential toxicity of lead, even if the lead is within an acceptable level.” The other minimums include zinc-to-cadmium 500 to 1 and zinc-to-mercury 200 to 1.
Number type 3: ratios, read as a range
TEI states that the relationship between nutrients matters more than any single level. The center reads each core ratio as a range spanning TEI and Analytical Research Labs (ARL): calcium-to-potassium 4 to 4.2, sodium-to-potassium 2.4 to 2.5, calcium-to-phosphorus 2.5 to 2.6, sodium-to-magnesium 4 to 4.17, calcium-to-magnesium 6.67 to 7, and zinc-to-copper 8 on both. The book names the calcium-to-potassium ratio the thyroid ratio and the sodium-to-magnesium ratio the adrenal ratio, and reads a value away from the ideal as a trend: a calcium-to-potassium ratio of 4 to 8, for example, suggests a mild sluggish thyroid trend with an estimated 10 to 25% energy loss in that interpretive model.
What the measurement covers
The book defines HTMA as a long-range mineral-pattern assessment that evaluates mineral balance and toxic metal patterns through a hair sample. TEI’s summary of the purpose: “Diet is what is consumed, but nutrition is what is retained and utilized by the body.” The hair records what the body retained and excreted into growing hair over 2 to 3 months, which is why a single chart is read as a pattern and a retest is read for direction. The book adds that a ratio may look temporarily worse on a retest while the body is mobilizing stored toxins.
Testing in Kennewick
The HTMA Profile 2 is $270, processed by Trace Elements, Inc. The sample can be taken at the center or collected at home with guidance. Spinal Fitness Health and Wellness Center is at 214 E. Albany Ave, Building E101, Kennewick, WA 99336, serving Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Benton City and Walla Walla; call or text 509-670-9713, evenings and weekends included. Members use their door code for 24/7 access once training is finished. On Thursday, November 12, from 2 to 6 PM, the free session for new visitors is the BioCharger NG, up to 30 minutes. Eileen Durfee founded the center, has worked in the health field since 2010, and is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer.
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This article is for educational purposes only.
