What does the hair analysis test for?
It screens for toxic element exposure (mercury, lead, cadmium, aluminum, arsenic, copper, etc) and essential element balance (zinc, manganese, chromium, selenium, etc). The hair analysis is a wonderful screening tool, provided the test is performed by a reliable laboratory on properly collected, non-colored hair. Hair must be collected from the first 1 inch of the scalp at the nape of the neck. The laboratory we use first washes the hair with a special EDTA solution to remove any external contaminants before it is analyzed using a special piece of equipment called an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS for short) that costs several million dollars. The patterns of the elements in the test are very unique, which is good evidence of how unique our individual needs are for trace elements. Toxic element exposure effects everyone, through the hair sample the need for further testing on blood or urine can be determined. This is how nutritional-based treatment programs can be
