Minerals – the Vital Force of your body
What healing means ? In simple words, healing means achieving the balance in the body, mind and spirit. One way of achieving that balance is through balancing the minerals in our body. They are vital for the well-being of our body, playing many roles, including regulating hormones. But, minerals are often forgotten, unfortunately at the expense of our health. Many people are not aware of this.
The best way to measure minerals in our body is to directly measure them in the body tissues or cells, and not in the blood or urine. Why? The answer is because the cells are the main site of metabolism.
The hair tissue is dead and the minerals are stored inside. Mineral imbalances show up much sooner in the hair than in the blood. This is because the blood is maintained at the expense of the tissues. Therefore, this means that minerals are pulled out of the tissues to maintain their levels in the blood.
Hair analysis is considered a screening test. It is a test designed to provide a lot of information rapidly and inexpensively. Unfortunately, screening tests are often undervalued in health care.
How is the hair test performed?
Few snips of hair are cut close to the scalp. To run the hair tests the laboratories would need approximately a tablespoon of hair. The ends over three to four millimeters long are cut and thrown away, because these would give an old reading.
The test provides a reading of the minerals deposited in the cells and interstitial spaces of the hair over a period of two to three months.
What do all the values of minerals and toxic elements on a hair analysis report mean? How are they interpreted?
If a mineral level is elevated in the hair, does it mean it is also high in our body? Or it has been excreted through the hair, lost through the hair, or simply stored in the hair?
Dr. Paul Eck was a pioneer in hair mineral testing. Over years of research, Dr. Eck incorporated the stress theory of disease, metabolic typing, natural healing theory and modern biology to help interpret the test.
In the body, the hair analysis test can provide information about:
- energy level
- immune system
- carbohydrate tolerance
- emotional balance
- glandular activity.
Mineral testing can also help with recommending nutritional supplements and diets, after interpreting the hair analysis results.
An unbalanced Calcium-to-Magnesium ratio is associated with carbohydrate intolerance, often caused by a diet that is too rich in carbohydrates.
Very high Calcium and Magnesium levels combined with very low Sodium and Potassium levels are associated with a sluggish metabolic rate or oxidation rate (oxidation refers to the burning of food). Slow oxidation is associated with reduced adrenal glandular activity at the cellular level. Weak adrenals may contribute to low blood pressure, low energy, allergies, chronic low blood sugar, and an excessively alkaline body chemistry that increases susceptibility to yeast infections. The adrenal hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, help prevent allergies and raise the levels of blood sugar and blood pressure.
High Calcium and Magnesium levels mean that these minerals are lost through the hair. The phenomena is called biologically unavailable calcium. In these cases, calcium precipitates into the tissues, instead of remaining in the blood. This can cause a combination of symptoms of calcium excess such as joint stiffness, and calcium deficiency such as leg cramps, irritability and later in life, osteoporosis.
The ‘Calcium Shell’. A very high tissue calcium level is associated with feelings of depression. Calcium stabilizes cell membranes and increases the voltage required for nerve cells to fire. It literally depresses the functioning of the nervous system. When calcium is over 200 mg% (milligrams per 100 grams), it is called a ‘calcium shell’ pattern. It is associated with psychological withdrawal, and at times a lack of awareness. Often these individuals are very sensitive to stress, overwhelmed by stress, or not proficient at coping with stress.
Zinc and Copper. Adequate tissue zinc is important for the immune system, for digestion and for the repair of all body tissues. Zinc also has a calming effect on the central nervous system.
Copper antagonizes or interferes with zinc. Elevated tissue Copper is associated with a tendency for seizures and infections. Copper imbalance can also affect the thyroid gland, the nervous system, the skin and other body systems. Many children today have high tissue copper levels due to weak adrenal glands or passed on to them from parents with elevated copper.
Hidden Copper Imbalance. A high hair Calcium with a low hair Potassium is associated with a Copper imbalance. This is so even if the hair Copper level is in the normal range. Copper imbalance is associated with acne and pre-menstrual tension. In fact, the symptoms of copper imbalance are identical to the symptoms of pre-menstrual tension. The copper level tends to correlate with the level of estrogen in the body. Copper imbalance tends to accentuate the emotions, and can contribute to depression, mood swings and irritability.
Cadmium antagonizes or interferes with Zinc.
Cadmium is found in smoke from cigarettes, junk food and tap water. Children today are often born with high levels of toxic metals due to the eating and living habits of their parents and even grandparents.
Aluminium toxicity is a common finding on hair mineral tests. Aluminium is widely distributed in the environment. Common sources include food cooked in aluminium cookware, beverages from aluminium cans, antiperspirants and antacids. Aluminium is also added to table salt, drinking water, and baking powders. Peppermint and spearmint tea, and to some degree regular tea, are high in aluminium. Aluminium toxicity is associated with memory loss, dementia and possibly learning disorders in children.
Nickel toxicity is less common. Sources include hydrogenated oils found in margarine, commercial peanut butters and vegetable shortening. In adults, dental materials and occupational exposure to metals may also raise the Nickel level.
Low Sodium and Potassium. The adrenal hormone aldosterone retains sodium in the body. Low hair Sodium is associated with low energy, and with deficient gastric hydrochloric acid that may impair protein digestion. A low sodium to potassium ratio indicates fatigue and weak adrenal function.
Low Phosphorus. Phosphorus is a component of protein. A low level often means that protein synthesis is inadequate. This may be due to a diet deficient in high-quality protein, impaired protein digestion or absorption, or a Zinc deficiency. Zinc is needed for digestive enzyme formation and for protein synthesis. Low hair Phosphorus may be associated with impaired digestion, an irritable colon, insufficient omega-3 fatty acids, and often vegetarian diets. While some people are healthy on vegetarian diets, many do not feel well on these diets.
References
- Toxic Trace Metals in Mammalian and Human Hair and Nails, EPA-600 4.049, August 1979, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research and Development. This is a review of 400 studies on hair analysis and toxic metals.
- Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis, L. Wilson, L.D. Wilson Consultants, Inc., Prescott, AZ, 1992, 1998. A newly revised text discusses the theory, interpretation and clinical application of tissue mineral analysis.
3. Trace Elements, Hair Analysis and Nutrition by R.A. Passwater and E. Cranton, Keats Publishing, New Canaan, CT, 1983. This is an older textbook, and mainly theoretical.
4. Analytical Research Laboratories, P.O. Box 37964, Phoenix, Arizona 85069, USA; Phone: (602) 995-1580. [An excellent laboratory with bulletins, seminar tapes, articles and books on mineral analysis].
5. The world wide web has many hair analysis sites. There are different approaches to the subject, and very different levels of expertise and experience.
6.Trace Element Hair Analysis and Nutrition; Richard A. Passwater PhD, Elmer M. Cranton MD, Keats Publ. 1983
7. The Calcium Factor; Robert R. Barefoot, Carl J. Reich, MD, Deonna Enterprizes Publ 1998
8. Minerals and Your Health; Dr. Len Mervyn, Keats Publ. 1984 6 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration; W. Price, Keats Publ. 1938
9. Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements; Michael T. Murray ND, Prima Publishing 1996
10. Trace Elements in Human and Animal Nutrition 4th Ed.; Underwood, E.J., Academic Press 1977
11. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 3d ed.; P.A. Balch CNC, J.A. Balch M.D., Avery Publ. 2000
12. The New Nutrition, Dr. Michael Colgan, Apple Publishing 1995
13. Cell Therapy: A new dimension of medicine; Franz Schmid, OTT Publishers 1983