HAIR TISSUE MINERAL ANALYSIS

InterClinical Laboratories is the leading service provider of Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) Pathology in Australia. We provide reliable and comprehensive clinical data in our HTMA reporting.

What is Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA)?

HTMA is a safe and non-invasive pathology test. It measures the levels and comparative ratios of nutrient and toxic minerals found in hair.

HTMA is regarded by many doctors, naturopaths and nutritional therapists as one of the most valuable screening tools available in everyday and preventative health care.

Why test for minerals?

Minerals are essential for growth, healing, vitality and wellbeing. They provide structural support in bones and teeth, and they maintain the body's pH and water balance, nerve activity, muscle contractions, energy production and enzyme reactions. They are the basic ‘spark plugs' of life.

Ideally we should get all the minerals we need from a balanced diet. Unfortunately today this is rarely possible. Modern farming techniques, fertilisers and depleted soils reduce the mineral content of foods. Environmental pollutants, chemical food additives and stressful lifestyles also have a detrimental effect on our nutritional status.

Many health conditions are aggravated by mineral imbalances and toxic metal excesses, including cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, migraines, learning difficulties and hyperactivity in children, to name just a few.

Consequently, we need to test and monitor our nutritional status more than ever.

Benefits of HTMA

• Safe, scientific, non-invasive pathology test.
• Reliable data on more than 35 nutrient and toxic minerals, and over 25 important mineral ratios.
• Valuable health information often not revealed in standard blood and urine tests.
• Discovery of nutrient mineral imbalances or toxic mineral excesses that may be affecting your health.
• Personalised patient and doctor interpretive test reports that assess your current mineral status, highlight areas of concern and recommend dietary changes and supplements for improved health and wellbeing.

Our Laboratory

Click here for more information about our laboratory facilities and the stringent quality control measures in place to ensure our reports contain the most precise and reliable test data available.

HOW TO TAKE A HAIR SAMPLE

Instructions

1. Cut hair with clean stainless steel scissors. Thinning scissors can be used on short hair.
2. Cut small amounts of hair from the nape of the neck and/or several other locations on the back of the scalp. Cut hair as close to the scalp as possible.
3. If the sampled hair is less than 4cm long, keep all of it for testing. If the hair is longer than this, cut off and keep the 4cm of hair that was growing closest to the scalp (discard the excess).
4. The hair needs to be clean, well-rinsed, untreated and uncoloured. If hair is treated or coloured, wait six to eight weeks and take a sample from the freshly grown untreated hair.
5. Place the hair sample in the envelope provided, or in a clean, clearly labelled envelope or sachet.

How much hair?

The laboratory requires 0.5gm (500mg) or about one (heaped) tablespoon of hair for testing.

What kind of hair?

Head hair from the back of the head is recommended for testing. Freshly grown hair cut from close to the scalp reflects the body's most recent metabolic activity.

If head hair is not available, beard or pubic hair can be used. If there is no hair, clean fingernail clippings can be tested. These alternative tissue samples can be used to monitor toxic mineral levels, but may not always provide nutrient mineral data that is as reliable as head hair.

Do not mix different types of tissue samples, eg. do not mix head hair with pubic hair.

OUR HTMA SERVICE

Minerals tested

Nutritional minerals	Toxic minerals	Additional minerals
Boron  Calcium  Chromium  Cobalt  Copper  Iron  Magnesium  Manganese  Molybdenum  Phosphorus  Potassium  Selenium  Sodium  Sulfur  Zinc	Aluminium  Arsenic  Beryllium  Cadmium  Lead  Mercury  Uranium	Barium  Bismuth  Germanium  Lithium  Nickel  Platinum  Rubidium  Strontium  Thallium  Tin  Titanium  Tungsten  Vanadium  Zirconium