Over-Nutrition & Nutrient Deficiencies Are Worth Thinking About
Are you stressed? Do you have trouble sleeping or maintaining energy throughout the day? Could your immune system use a boost? Are you experiencing premature aging? Do you question if important vitamins and minerals are missing from your current diet? If you are answering yes to any of these questions, you may have nutrient deficiencies that are affecting your body in a less than pleasant way.
You are not alone! A large percentage of people in the United States have nutrient deficiencies (estimates range between 66-90%). The modern food system is lacking in vital vitamins and minerals due to soil depletion, processed foods, new forms of food preparation, and restrictive diets make it harder for humans to get the vitamins and minerals they need without daily supplementation.
Plus, every human is different – so it is not always ‘enough’ to take a multi-vitamin and call it a day. Your metabolic type, gender, age, medications, and genetic factors all play important roles in your personal mineral profile. Additionally, your diet, amount of exercise and sometimes the type of job you have can even influence nutrient levels and heavy metals in your system. Diving deeper into the differences from person to person, it is even possible for some to have too much of a certain mineral. Too much of certain minerals can affect your body just as negatively as having too little of something your body needs.
This is where a Mineral Hair Analysis test comes in…
A mineral hair analysis test is superior to a blood test and/or urine test to find your personal mineral levels because it includes data from over a long period of time. Blood tests will capture the moment, showing potential spikes from foods recently consumed and your urine is only capturing what your body is excreting, leaving little trace of minerals being absorbed by your body. Over the last 30 years, researchers have performed many studies proving the benefits of a hair test versus other types of testing. It all boils down to finding long-term, reliable, easy-to-collect data on your bodies mineral profile.
The hair on your scalp contains every mineral and heavy metal that is in your body. It also shows mineral ratios, metabolic type and can predict how the minerals are interacting with vitamins – giving insight to how your body is functioning overall. Hair tests are popular among those feeling unwell but are just as useful for those who feel generally healthy day to day. It gives the person taking the test the opportunity to better understand how to treat their body, what foods to feed it, supplements to take and even provides recommendations on what to avoid.
Preparing to take the test
It is encouraged to have clean hair that is not permed, dyed or bleached as that can skew your results. With that said, if you are using medicated shampoos or other hair treatments it will not affect all mineral levels so you can still benefit from taking the test. You may see spikes in specific minerals like zinc or selenium, but the fact you are using a hair treatment will be considered when your results are compiled.
The most important factor when providing your sample is to make sure it is large enough to be tested! A tablespoon of hair from closest to the skin is the perfect amount. If you are concerned about obtaining the sample yourself, you could try asking your hair stylist the next time you are in for a touch up.
Your Results Are In!
When you receive your results from the mineral hair analysis test it is nearly impossible not to learn something! Your mineral profile, as stated a couple times previously will provide insight to a lot of your body’s processes allowing you to learn the best way to maintain it. For example, your metabolism is not necessarily based off your weight as some would assume. It is greatly affected by your adrenal, thyroid and parathyroid functions. Certain minerals will speed up or slow down your metabolism.
You also may be surprised to find out that your body is retaining minerals that you do not consume often, this can happen if you have overactive adrenals. Other information you will discover is your mineral ratios, toxicity (if prevalent) and vitamin deficiencies.
Recommendations for supplementation or a change in diet will come from the information obtained in your hair test. Since the test will show how minerals are interacting with each other in your body the recommendations will be extremely personalized to YOUR needs. Do not be surprised if you find that you have mineral imbalances and do not feel ‘imbalanced’ – depending on how long these imbalances have existed in your system, you may or may not experience symptoms. If this is the case, you are getting a head start to a very healthy future!
When you receive your recommendations and are planning to follow the supplement plan suggested to you it is important to keep a few things in mind:
- Select high quality supplements for maximum absorption
- Do not accept substitute supplements such as aspartates, citrates, picolinates, gluconates etc.
- Take the supplements at least every other day
- Take a follow-up hair test 3-6 months after regular supplementation to determine your progress
Overall, knowing your mineral levels will give you an extremely detailed picture of how your body is responding to the foods you consume, physical activity you perform and other environmental factors in your life. The more you know about how your body is functioning, the better you can be at keeping it healthy and happy. Like they say, knowledge is power!