Hair samples can give an indication of mineral status and toxic metal accumulation following long term or even acute exposure that cannot be seen through most other tests. This is because hair testing looks at intracellular activity (aka minerals stored in tissues) whereas blood and serum are measuring what is being transported around the body. 

Because our blood is designed to stay in balance (through homeostasis), most blood tests will show “normal” levels of minerals, even if an imbalance is present at a cellular level. This is because our body maintains homeostasis at the expense of our tissues and cells.

Not only are minerals essential to nearly every metabolic process in the body including energy production, hormone creation, growth, development, but they are required to utilize vitamins and enzymes properly. Unlike vitamins, however, minerals cannot be made by the body and must be obtained through our nutrition.

But it’s not enough just to focus on increasing our mineral consumption. In order to function properly, our minerals need to be in proper chemical balance to one another because every mineral has either a synergistic (meaning they help other minerals stay in the body) or antagonistic (meaning they push minerals out of the body) effect on every other mineral in the body.

If our minerals are imbalanced, in excess, or deficient, and this is not addressed, it can cause a chain reaction of imbalances and deficiencies that lead to illness, undernourishment and toxic element accumulation.

Some examples of the importance of minerals in the body as they relate to #momadrenals include:

• Magnesium - is needed for the production of energy and relaxation is rapidly depleted under stress resulting extreme levels of fatigue and high levels of anxiety
• Potassium - is critical for normal nutrient transport into the cell and sensitizing cells to thyroid hormones. A deficiency can result in sluggish thyroid, sluggish metabolism, constipation, fatigue, irregular heartbeats, low blood sugar, and low blood pressure
• Sodium - is regulated by the adrenal glands and influences stomach acid levels. Low sodium can lead to depression, dizziness, fatigue, low blood pressure, and low stomach acid that makes protein digestion difficult
• Zinc - is involved in the production, storage and secretion of insulin to stabilize blood sugar spikes and reduce hypoglycemic-induced anxiety and panic

There are many factors to take into consideration, such as:

• Diet - Improper diet, high intake of refined and processed foods, restrictive diets, alcohol, and excess caffeine can all lead to a mineral imbalance. Even “healthy" diets can be inadequate, depending upon the nutrient content of the soil and the chemical exposure of the foods.
• Stress - Physical or emotional stress can deplete the body of many nutrients while also reducing the capability to absorb and utilize many nutrients.
• Medications - Prescription and over-the-counter medications as well as oral contraceptives, many of which are the “go to” solution for #momadrenals, can deplete the body of critical minerals and/or increase the levels of toxic metals.
• Pollution - Continual lifetime exposure to a variety of toxic metal sources such as cigarette smoke (cadmium), hair dyes (lead), hydrogenated oils (nickel), anti-perspirants (aluminum), dental amalgams (mercury and cadmium), copper and aluminum cookware and lead-based cosmetics (among many others) can contribute to nutrient imbalances and create adverse metabolic effects.
• Nutritional Supplements - Taking incorrect supplements or improper amounts of supplements can produce many vitamin and mineral excesses and/or deficiencies, contributing to an overall nutritional imbalance.
• Inherited Patterns - A predisposition toward certain mineral imbalances, deficiencies and excesses can be inherited from parents.

Unlike blood serum or even dried urine tests that only tell you what is going on at a point in time, HTMA tells you what has been going on in your body at a cellular level for the past 3-5 months (depending on how fast your hair grows). This gives us a much better idea of how things are actually functioning since the results can't be skewed by what is happening at the time of the test.