Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA)

What is Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA)?

• HTMA is a safe and non-invasive pathology test.
• It measures the levels and comparative ratios of nutrient and toxic minerals found in hair.
• HTMA is regarded by many doctors, naturopaths and nutritional therapists as one of the most valuable screening tools available in everyday and preventative health care.

Why test for minerals?

• Minerals are essential for growth, healing, vitality and wellbeing.
• They provide structural support in bones and teeth, and they maintain the body's pH and water balance, nerve activity, muscle contractions, energy production and enzyme reactions.
• They are the basic ‘spark plugs' of life
• Ideally we should get all the minerals we need from a balanced diet.
• Unfortunately today this is rarely possible.
• Modern farming techniques, fertilisers and depleted soils reduce the mineral content of foods.
• Environmental pollutants, chemical food additives and stressful lifestyles also have a detrimental effect on our nutritional status.
• Many health conditions are aggravated by mineral imbalances and toxic metal excesses, including cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, migraines, learning difficulties and hyperactivity in children, to name just a few

Benefits of HTMA

• Safe, scientific, non-invasive pathology test.
• Reliable data on more than 35 nutrient and toxic minerals, and over 25 important mineral ratios.
• Valuable health information often not revealed in standard blood and urine tests.
• Discovery of nutrient mineral imbalances or toxic mineral excesses that may be affecting your health.
• Personalised patient and doctor interpretive test reports that assess your current mineral status, highlight areas of concern and recommend dietary changes and supplements for improved health and wellbeing.
  

How is the hair sample taken?

• The hair should be clean, well rinsed, untreated and uncoloured.
• Using clean, stainless steel scissors cut small amounts of hair from the back of the head.
• Cut the hair as close to the scalp as possible. If the hair is less than 4cm in length, keep all of it for testing.
• If it is longer, cut off and keep the 4cm that was growing closest to the scalp. Place hair in the hair sample envelope provided.

How much hair?

• The laboratory requires 0.5gm (500mg) or about one (heaped) tablespoon of hair for testing.

What kind of hair?

• Head hair from the back of the head is recommended for testing. Freshly grown hair cut from close to the scalp reflects the body's most recent metabolic activity.
• If head hair is not available, beard or pubic hair can be used. If there is no hair, clean fingernail clippings can be tested.
• These alternative tissue samples can be used to monitor toxic mineral levels, but may not always provide nutrient mineral data that is as reliable as head hair.
• Do not mix different types of tissue samples, eg. do not mix head hair with pubic hair

Can I send my hair if it is dyed?

• If hair is treated and coloured, wait six to eight weeks and take the sample from the freshly grown (i.e. untreated) hair.
• Any hair treatment or colour, natural or otherwise, can potentially lead to less accurate results for some elements tested.

How long will it take to receive my results?

• It will take approximately 7 - 10 working days to receive your results.
• They will be sent to the address supplied on the request form.
• If your practitioner has requested the test, the results will be posted directly to the practitioner.
  
• The practitioner will receive two copies of the results. At your follow up appointment to discuss the HTMA results, they should give you one copy to take home