I run more hair tissue mineral analyses than any other doctor I know. We get incredible results using this test.
But I consistently hear the same four objections from patients and practitioners:
1. “Heavy metals are often low in the hair, but high in the body”
This is true — and this is exactly why having a skilled HTMA practitioner matters.
When I see extremely low metal levels, I don’t think “great, no toxicity.” I think “red flag – this patient is so exhausted they can’t excrete metals into hair.”
As we get patients better with mineral balancing, their hair mineral levels should rise as their symptoms improve. This isn’t a limitation of the test. It’s a feature.
2. “Many heavy metals aren’t excreted in hair”
Also true, but irrelevant to whether HTMA is useful.
We don’t primarily use HTMA to determine what toxic metals someone has. We use it to personalize someone’s nutritional supplementation regimen. Once they’re on the right protocol, their toxic metal levels eventually rise – or they don’t. Either way, patients report significant improvement.
We treat patients, not numbers.
3. “Pollutants like glyphosate don’t show up in HTMA”
True, but largely irrelevant. Blood and urine testing easily miss these too.
Here’s what I’ve found: when the body’s minerals are in balance, the body naturally excretes toxins. Patients on mineral balancing report passing things that look like parasites, dark cloudy urine, offensive-smelling urine.
That’s not the minerals they’re taking. It’s toxins being expelled from cells and tissues.
4. “HTMA can’t tell us about methylation or inflammation”
If you know how to properly interpret HTMA, you can infer methylation status and correct for it. Everything we do in mineral balancing is designed to correct underlying methylation defects and inflammation.
We typically see inflammatory markers decline 50-100% over six to twelve months on our protocols.
The truth: A great practitioner can do more with less. You don’t need all the testing under the sun to get great results.