What is the HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) and why do I love it so much?

The HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) is- just as it sounds- a test that measures the mineral content of hair. Just a small sample of hair from the head actually provides a reflection of the whole body’s mineral status, particularly intracellular (inside the cells) activity- which is difficult to measure via bloodwork. And it shows not just minerals- like sodium, potassium, copper, and magnesium, but heavy metals- like mercury, aluminum, and lead- as well!

Firstly, why minerals?

Minerals are critical for life- they are like the body’s spark plugs. They have a major impact on metabolism and the energy that runs the entire body, especially because they help build and activate enzymes, which are proteins that help speed up chemical reactions in the body. All of our cells need enzymes to work properly.

Minerals- which make up around 4% of the body- are necessary for cellular metabolism, structural support, muscular activity, maintaining pH balance, digestive function, endocrine (hormone) activity, nerve conduction, DNA function, and more. And each one plays important roles and they all work together- no one mineral functions alone.

Ideally, minerals exist in a critical balance in the body. But this balance is easily thrown off, especially over time when not addressed. Dysfunction commonly arises as a result of an abnormal balance between minerals. And not only do minerals work together, they also work with other nutrients in the body. Vitamins in particular are synergistic to minerals and act as coenzymes.

Lastly, heavy metals can place a ton of stress on the body, especially our detoxification systems, and impact our health in so many ways. We’re all exposed to them, but if our bodies are stressed and our mineral reserves depleted, we are less able to effectively deal with them. Once they accumulate, problems arise.

Example HTMA test results shared with client permission

Why do we test the hair?

As hair forms, it’s exposed to our body’s internal environment. Once it reaches the surface of the skin, its outer layers harden and this locks in the metabolic products that accumulated when it initially formed. The body unloads excess minerals and heavy metals in the hair in order to keep them away from vital organs. In other words, hair contains a blueprint- a lasting record of mineral status and nutritional metabolic activity- that occurred over its growth period. The HTMA can show us what’s going on in the body over the last 3-4 months especially.

The HTMA is therefore an extremely effective, non-invasive, and bonus- inexpensive- test to determine mineral imbalances, deficiencies, and excesses. It shows what minerals the body is losing, which it's retaining, plus key relationships. Especially when we look at specific ratios, we can learn so much about the body’s functioning and why someone feels the way they do.

Why not just test the blood?

For one, blood shows just a snapshot of what’s happening right now. And what shows in the blood can shift even day-to-day based on stress, diet, sleep, exercise, and more. Blood is simply not an accurate way to look at mineral levels over time, especially because the body works to maintain homeostasis (balance) and therefore, will pull minerals from the cells in order to keep levels adequate in the blood. Blood is always balancing itself, even at the expense of the cellular reserves!

It’s important to understand that the HTMA is not a diagnostic test.

In fact, I do not do any diagnosis or treatment in my practice. Instead, it’s used as a screening tool, especially because imbalances can occur before symptoms and conditions arise.

In my practice, I use it alongside health and stress history, symptom assessment, and often other labs to help see trends, put puzzle pieces together, and uncover opportunities to more deeply support each person’s unique body and provide the environment for healing.

I use the HTMA as a functional assessment to pinpoint trends, put puzzle pieces together, and uncover opportunities to more deeply support each person’s unique body and provide the environment for healing.

Due to all of the vast information the HTMA can provide, here are some things we can learn from the results:

Nervous system state
Stage of stress (alarm, resistance, exhaustion/burnout)
Metabolic rate
Glandular activity (particularly the adrenal and thyroid)
Energy production
Digestive function
Blood sugar regulation & carb tolerance
Liver/detox function
Oxidative stress & inflammation
Heavy metal presence

And from there, we can create a personalized plan using food, herbs and supplements, lifestyle factors, and more to bring more balance to the body.

Ultimately, so many of us are living with mineral imbalances due to things like soil depletion, nutrient-insufficient diets, chronic stress, pregnancy (especially multiple), synthetic vitamin and mineral supplementation (especially certain forms and in high doses)), foods fortified with synthetic vitamins and minerals, medications like the pill, and more.

Replenishing and rebalancing minerals- while also addressing what’s throwing off your balance- is an important step to healing your body and achieving your most vibrant health.

If you’re interested in running a HTMA and getting more insight into what’s going on in your body, let’s chat! I use numerous functional assessments and labs in my 1:1 practice and love the information these provide, especially the HTMA. Apply to work with me and let’s dig deeper and create a plan to get you back to balance and feeling amazing.