The Power of HTMA Testing
If you struggle with chronic symptoms but have been told your blood labs are “normal,” you should know blood testing is homeostatic + does not reflect the stored tissue levels of minerals + metals at a cellular level in Your God designed body. This is why hair mineral analysis testing can be a game changer. In this article we will be discussing the power of HTMA testing.
Your blood is constantly compensating to reach balance, and it does this by:
Excreting minerals (urine, stool, sweat).
Storing minerals (into tissues + organs).
Depleting minerals from other locations (example: calcium will rob from the bone to increase blood levels).
This means that most deficiencies and toxicities are not seen through the blood and often, by the time they do show up, they have been happening for years. Yet blood testing + “normal ranges” are often solely relied upon, leaving many people struggling for years.
This does not mean blood is not useful. Blood is incredibly useful, but reading it appropriately is an art and pairing it with a test like HTMA testing (Hair Mineral Analysis Testing) and working with someone who has actual clinical experience, can be invaluable. Why hair? I like the way Dr. David Watts puts it:
“Hair is formed in the dermis from a cluster of matrix cells that make up the follicle. During the growth phase, metabolic activity is greatly increased, exposing the hair to the internal metabolic environment. This includes the extracellular fluids, circulating blood, and lymph. As the hair reaches the surface of the skin, its outer layers harden, locking in the metabolic products accumulated during the period of hair formation.” - Dr. David Watts
An HTMA test can be an incredible resource for assessing underlying nutrient deficiencies + patterns. I personally find value in it because it aligns with our stress response. You may be aware of the sympathetic nervous system + parasympathetic nervous system.
But did you know each state of stress produces a unique mineral pattern that you can take a closer look at + develop a plan accordingly by looking at an HTMA with blood labs?
Here are is one example of a woman
with a slow metabolic pattern,
who is parasympathetic dominant:
Here is a Glimpse of Her Emotionally + Physically:
This woman feels burnt out, reports struggling with emotional numbness, major anxiety, chronic fatigue + constipation. She was told she has early thyroid dysfunction, but her levels “were not high enough to treat” + pre-diabetes. She thought she had “hormone imbalances,” but her labs were normal. She is also struggling with chronic yeast infections.
What insight does this HTMA give? Through the conventional eye, her symptoms often seem unrelated.
Through a holistic eye + viewing the body as a whole + leveraging an HTMA test, her symptoms are deeply related and make complete sense in light of her unique mineral pattern.
Through this HTMA we can she is struggling with copper toxicity + imbalanced nutrient ratios (in my opinion this should always be compared to blood labs). Her calcium + potassium ratio is also imbalanced which leads to chronic fatigue + hypothyroid symptoms. Her sodium + potassium ratio is imbalanced which indicates she is experiencing stress leading her into burn out.
As she lives in a chronic state of burn out, here is an example of what can happen: her body burns through magnesium which causes an imbalance between calcium + magnesium, leading to blood sugar imbalances. Over time glucose imbalances lead to high insulin. Insulin is a fat storage hormone and often causes increased belly fat. Increased belly fat increases estrogen.
High estrogen promotes higher retention of copper in the body through increased synthesis of ceruloplasmin( the primary copper containing protein in the blood). This can worsen anxiety because it converts dopamine into norepinephrine + epinephrine. High levels of bio unavailable copper also impact yeast overgrowth in the body. Which explains the anxiety + chronic yeast infections.
Time spent with client + a deeper look into her history reveals she has had a history of a copper IUD use (known culprit of copper toxicity), and a long history of a vegan diet (also known culprit of copper toxicity deficiency). These symptoms worsened after she experienced a triggering life event. This is important to note because...
A vegan diet can lead to a diet low in b vitamins + retinol which impacts the livers detoxification ability, which impairs the bodies ability to detox copper. This can be worsened by chronic stress as it depletes magnesium + suppresses stomach acid (both which are essential for optimal detox). This liver also has to deal with increased stress hormones, elevated glucose, + estrogen, often leading to congestion + further retention of copper, keeping her in a cycle. This can be worsened if she decides to take a random supplement off that promises to “balance her hormones” but contains high amounts of synthetic copper.
Do you see how much can be missed in a 15- 30 minute appointment focused on normal blood lab value ranges, isolating the body into parts, + failing to take into consideration the mind, body, + mineral connection?
So the million dollar question: “wow this is overwhelming, where does this woman even start?”
This is where viewing the body as a whole system comes into play. Leveraging HTMA testing with blood labs is essential, but relief does not happen by going on a bunch of expensive supplements or fancy detox protocols. That can often lead to more issues in the long run. Ive seen many people hurt by being detoxed by well intentioned practitioners before their bodies were in a state of handing it.
Relief happens by supporting the body as a whole, in layers, and helping it slowly shift back into homeostasis by honoring its natural biological laws. Relief happens with patience and understanding that the body did not get this way over night.
The body is God designed, and focusing on your unique mineral blueprint using HTMA testing and creating a tailored plan to fit your needs can be truly life changing.
Curious about how to view the body as a whole + shift your care towards it?
Check out the Aligned + Renewed Collective which contains tons of resources by yours truly and new content is added on a monthly basis.
This collective exists to help educate, inspire, and empower you to care for your God designed body. At Refined Wellness, we intertwine conventional + holistic healthcare with Biblical spirituality for an effective, Christ centered approach toward healing. Join now for monthly access! You may cancel at anytime.
