Are you curious what a Hair & Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) test will tell you?
The following is a sample of our analysis and recommendations based on the results from one person’s HTMA. This person immediately showed signs of improvement and signs of fertility returned within a couple months of following our recommendations. Please keep in mind that this is only one sample from one person’s lab results. Yours can look a lot similar or very different, aren’t you curious?
Please note that to maintain client confidentiality, the above photo is not the results for the following analysis and recommendations but is a sample provided by Trace Elements Inc.
Find out more on HTMA + Nutritional Balancing
Sample Analysis & Recommendations
Understanding Your Results
Ratios
Metabolic Ratio (High) Your calcium to phosphorus ratio is 13.55, which is above optimal (2.63). This indicates an overall slow metabolism, parasympathetic dominance (stuck in freeze mode), and sluggish thyroid and adrenal function.
Vitality Ratio (High) Sodium and potassium are both stimulatory minerals and are indicative of one’s overall strength in vitality. Your sodium to potassium ratio is considered high according to the lab results but in your case high is better than low because of your slow metabolism. This high ratio indicates your overall vitality or vital force is quite strong. Please see below for individual mineral imbalances of sodium and potassium.
Thyroid Ratio (High) The ideal ratio for calcium to potassium is 4 and you are at 121.3. Anything over 32 is considered a severely sluggish thyroid. The higher the number the more sluggish the thyroid is! This is further confirmed by your low potassium levels, which is exactly at 2 and is right at the cuff between low and normal potassium levels.
Calcium and potassium are antagonistic minerals and they need to be balanced in order for the thyroid to function properly. We need calcium in the correct amount to keep both the calcitonin and parathyroid hormones in check. Most people have a high ratio because people tend to have extremely high calcium and very low potassium, as in your case. We need potassium to keep calcium in check but it is very hard to get the recommended amount of potassium each day- we need about 4700mg a day. Please see below recommendations for obtaining more potassium in your diet.
**Please note, this does not always correlate with thyroid blood tests (TSH, T3, T4, etc) because hair analysis is a tissue test. Often blood tests will be normal (or say the opposite of what the hair test says) but hair analysis is very accurate for this purpose of measuring calcium and potassium.
Hormone Ratio (Low) Zinc and copper are indicative of one’s hormonal function because zinc is needed for progesterone and testosterone while copper is needed for estrogen balance. The ideal zinc to copper ratio is 8 and anything under 8 (you measured at 2.55) points to a possible copper build up which is further confirmed by the high results of copper as an individual element in your lab results. High copper indicates sluggish liver, gallstones and dysfunction in the female reproductive system due to estrogen dominance.
Adrenal Ratio (Low): Your sodium to magnesium ratio is far below the ideal level, ideally one would be measuring at 4 and you are at 0.32. This means that your adrenals are extremely under-active and need constant support. Adrenals are important for regulating our stress hormones and blood pressure. Adrenal fatigue is correlated to mood disorders (anxiety, depression, apathy, insomnia) digestive dysfunction, immune system dysfunction, weak libido, and overall metabolic dysfunction.
Individual Mineral Levels (Only imbalances will be discussed).
Calcium (High): Your Calcium levels are high and indicating too much calcium in most tissues in the body when 99% of calcium should be stored in the bone. High levels of calcium can lead to many symptoms; muscle pain, spasms, fibromyalgia (usually calcium deposits in muscle tissue) apathy, depression, sluggish and slow metabolism. Sodium and Potassium help to keep calcium in bones.
Magnesium (High): Too much magnesium can lead to sluggish energy, depression and lower adrenal function. Magnesium and sodium are antagonistic and as you can see below you could use more Sodium to balance out the high levels of magnesium.
Sodium (Low): The ideal sodium level is 24 and you are at 6. Low levels of sodium are correlated to anxiety, allergies, fatigue, dizziness, weakness, vertigo, faintness, depression and low blood pressure. Sodium is the first mineral we burn and waste and is burned very quickly by the adrenals. We can burn up to 30,000 mgs a day with adrenal stress. Vigorous high impact exercise can also burn through our adrenal stores of sodium. Once sodium is burned it must be replaced. Only refined salt causes health problems but there are many benefits to regularly consuming unrefined salts.
Potassium (Low): Your potassium is measuring at 1.5 when the ideal potassium level is 10. Potassium is needed to keep thyroid hormones within the cells and so low potassium most often correlates to hypothyroid symptoms. We need potassium for proper function of cells, muscle contraction, carbohydrate metabolism, nerve impulses, energy metabolism, and to balance hypertension. We could lose potassium with stress and detoxing, especially with copper dumping which may an issue for you since you have high levels of copper. A potassium deficiency can be associated with extreme exhaustion, insomnia, irregular heartbeat, low cortisol, constipation and low blood sugar when waking. Potassium is a difficult mineral to get and Vitamin A is needed to retain it. See recommendations for obtaining adequate amounts of potassium and Vitamin A.
Copper (High): Your copper is high and can be due to several factors that a blood test can help us better understand. (A blood test is recommended but not required. If you are interested in requesting from your physician that s/he orders blood labs for copper let me know and I will tell you which one’s we need). High copper indicates copper build up in the tissues. High levels of unbound copper is often due to low bio-available copper, which indicates a dysfunction in the liver where binding proteins required for the utilization of copper are not being adequately produced. The excess build up of copper in tissues can also lead to copper dumping, where the tissues every once and awhile will release copper into the blood stream in an attempt to release the excess.
The most common symptoms associated with excess copper are anxiety, paranoia, racing mind, racing heart, chocolate cravings, infertility and/or female hormonal issues. Copper imbalances can pass from mother to child during pregnancy and I suspect that Jacob may also have excess copper that will be healed by healing his liver.
Because copper requires both the adrenals and liver to become bioavailable, it is important that we heal the liver and adrenals first before attempting to balance your copper levels. Attempting a copper detox or trying to balance copper without correcting the dysfunction in your liver and adrenals can cause further problems by adding stress to the two glands and bringing them more fatigue. Please see below recommendations for healing your liver and adrenals.
Zinc (High): Though your zinc is high it is just barely over the reference range and is probably imbalanced due to its relationship with copper. Zinc and copper are antagonistic
Recommendations
Please note that this is a lot less than what is usually suggested, I can’t give away all my secrets for free! 🙂
Metabolic Health Because your calcium and metabolic ratio are high indicating a slow metabolism it is important to increase your intake of potassium, calcium’s antagonist. Potassium is a difficult mineral to get but here are some great ways to increase potassium in your diet.
1) Dietary Guidelines, Recommendations & Info (This would be a linked folder).
2) Here are a list of potassium rich foods and a potassium bone broth. Please try to aim for 3000mgs of Potassium daily. You will also be getting in some potassium from your daily adrenal cocktails below.
3) Vitamin A-Mulsion: Vitamin A is needed to retain potassium in the cell.
*You do not need to attempt to reduce calcium in your diet, it’s the most abundant mineral and nearly impossible to avoid.
**More was suggested here but has been removed to entice your curiosity. 🙂
Liver Health The excess copper in your system indicates that your liver does not have enough bile to flush the copper out. As mentioned above, it is best to first work on optimizing your liver function before attempting to balance copper with supplementation or dieting. Though the excess copper and high zinc also explain your post-menopausal symptoms, it is best that we first work on your liver and adrenals before attempting to sort out your hormonal system. Often times, once the liver and adrenals are functioning properly—your copper and zinc become balanced and hormonal system begins to self-regulate and heal.
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Organic Dandelion root (not leaf or flower) tea. 3 cups daily (hot or cold). You are free to get the already made tea bags or make your own at home. I will often make a big decoction at the beginning of the week and store it in the fridge. (Decoction: Boil roots in a covered pot for 45 minutes). If you are still nursing, dandelion root is contraindicated, so you could use this as an alternative to get the bitters in needed to move your bile.
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BioRay Liver Life Where to buy? I can get this for you for the market price + free shipping. Just let me know when to order it and where to send it to. Dose: Follow instructions on label.
**More was suggested here but has been removed to entice your curiosity. 🙂
Adrenal Health Your adrenals are severely taxed and extremely sluggish. They need a lot of love. Once your adrenals heal, you find many other symptoms and problems will disappear as well (like anxiety, gall bladder problems, hormonal problems, etc). Luckily, the minerals needed for healthy functioning adrenals are easier to balance than copper, it’s really just a matter of giving your body enough sodium and potassium and less magnesium. Thus, if you are taking any magnesium supplements please stop. Magnesium is an antagonist to sodium and sodium is needed for potassium. So your high magnesium levels are putting extra stress on your adrenals by depleting your sodium and consequently your potassium as well. Please add the following to your daily plan. Balancing out your adrenals will also help to balance your liver and metabolic function.
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Adrenal Cocktails: this could be your winning ticket for your adrenals. Please add 2000mgs of Vitamin C to whichever cocktail you choose to make and have it twice a day around 10am and 2pm. Here are a few cocktail options:
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Nettle Infusions: Drinking 2-4 cups daily for at least 6 weeks is an easy way to deliver nutrients to the body. You can definitely do them for longer than 6 weeks though! You can mix things up and add some more infusions to your rotation as well.
Nettles nourish the adrenals, liver and kidneys. Nettles are also perfect for pregnant and nursing woman suffering from adrenal fatigue because they are used for boosting milk supply and anemia. Many herbalists say that nettle infusions are better than multivitamins. The infusions are full of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, sulfur, boron, and trace minerals.
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calcium (1000 mg per quart of infusion)
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magnesium (300 mg per quart of infusion)
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potassium (600 mg per quart of infusion)
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zinc (1.5 mg per quart of infusion)
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selenium (.7 mg per quart of infusion)
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iron (1.5 mg per quart of infusion)
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manganese (2.6 mg per quart of infusion)
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plus chromium, cobalt, phosphorus, copper, sulphur, silicon, and tin.
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Nettle is super-charged with vitamins:
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Vitamin A from {beta carotene}(5000 IU per quart of infusion)
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Vitamin B complex, especially thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate
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Plus Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K ”
To make infusions: Steep one ounce (about one cup) of dried nettles in a quart of hot water for at least 4 hours- leaving it overnight is perfect. Strain the herbs and store the liquid in the fridge. Some reuse the herbs to make another quart or 2. Mason jars are perfect for making these infusions.
When it comes to everything on our plan, just do your best. Start one thing at a time, give a few days in between starting new things, and start slowly. If you feel like you are having a reaction to anything, take a break for at least 3-4 days and then try again at a lower dose. As we give our bodies the tools it needs to heal, we can have detox reactions, even if it is just increasing nutrients. It is always best to go “turtle speed” so we don’t stress the body out. Learning to tap into your intuition and instinct can be helpful on this journey as well- it usually gets easier as time goes on.
Retesting is best every 3-4 months, or at least no longer than 6 months. Retesting on time is the best way to ensure that you’re healing is on track and that you aren’t wasting time and money on things you no longer need. Retesting ensures that we’re either on the right track still and do not need to deviate too much from what we are doing, OR it could actually be that things have shifted so significantly that it would be time to change everything around.
I’ve also seen in just 3-4 months where the minerals get significantly better and then we can move onto the next stages of healing depending on what the person is going through- usually more detox support for things like EBV, parasites, heavy metals, etc. Retesting gives us the best insight on how strong a person is getting in the process and when we can start introducing more into the healing program. We do offer a retest price for those that have tested with us in the last 6 months as well.
**More was suggested here but has been removed to entice your curiosity. 🙂
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