In my practice the focus for a long time has been on preventative medicine. I pursue long-term functional corrections to illness and longevity issues by blending nutritional supplementation, diet and lifestyle modification, exercise, and stress management. I believe this approach enables the body to evoke its own innate healing responses. It is very important to assess the individual’s nutritional status.
For a long time I have included symptom questionnaires, iridology, computer analysis and blood tests in my practice as means of assessment. I have previously been exposed to Hair Mineral Analysis, but it never really interested me as a means of nutritional assessment. On a recent visit to the USA, I had the privilege and pleasure to spend some time with Dr. John Dinkelmann at the Dinkelmann Health Center in Woodriver, Illinois. John has used Hair Mineral Analysis extensively for the past years and assisted thousands of patients in improving their health by designing personalized nutrition programs tailored to the individuals needs.
I believe that Hair Mineral Analysis is the single most important tool in assessing an individual’s nutritional status.
Here is why:
1. It is a window into the cells.
Nutritional physiology takes place at the cellular level, not within the blood or any other location. What you eat is important but what is of greater importance is what is reaching your body cells. Hair mineral analysis is unique in that it inexpensively provides information directly about cellular activity, which is the main site of nutritional metabolism.
2. It can detect and measure Toxic Metals.
Many metabolic disorders today can be contributed to toxic metals. We often do not realize what serious problem toxic metals are in our modern civilization. Fatigue, infections, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and diabetes have all been associated with toxic metals. While routine blood tests cannot detect chronic heavy metals, hair mineral analysis is one of the few methods approved by the EPA for detecting toxic metals in the body.
3. Understanding emotions.
Biochemical imbalances can contribute to many mental and emotional conditions. There is no other tool that can compare to hair mineral analysis to predict, explain and suggest nutritional solutions for such common complaints as anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, phobias, insomnia, etc.
4. Rebuilding the body’s energy mechanism.
Having and adequate energy level is essential for health. All body activities including healing depend on adequate energy synthesis. Hair mineral analysis can be used to assess the efficiency of the energy system of the body including the glycolysis and citric acid cycles, and to recommend nutrients and foods that will assist in rebuilding the energy system.
5. Determining oxidation types
Dr. George Watson discovered that some people burn food at a more rapid rate than normal, and some at a slower rate. Knowing a person’s oxidation rate can help decide which foods are most needed and which nutrients would be most helpful to restore balance.
6. Identifying trends
One of the most valuable concepts in preventative medicine is to be able to identify trends before they occur, so that we can take actions to avoid them. Many trends can be identified from a properly interpreted tissue mineral analysis.
7. Exact amounts of supplements and proportion of foods.
One problem in designing nutrition programs is determining how much and which nutrients and foods to recommend. Hair mineral analysis offers a way to determine supplemental dosage and proportions of foods with greater accuracy.
8. Assessing Organ, Gland and Tissue Function
Levels and ratios of tissue minerals relate to the activity of specific organs and glands. By calculation ratios on a tissue mineral test, the function of major glands and organs can be assessed, often long before abnormalities appear on x-rays and blood tests.
9. Construction A Picture of One’s Body Chemistry
Though not done by many who claim to understand hair analysis, the correct interpretation of the hair test allows construction of a metabolic picture of the way your body is functioning and the way it is responding to stress. I know of no other simple test that allows for the construction of this metabolic blueprint.
10. Monitoring Progress
A common problem in nutritional therapy is determining if a person is actually improving, especially if some symptoms persist or new symptoms arise. Repeat tissue mineral tests and comparison with previous tests can often provide answers as to whether improvement is occurring, why some symptoms persist, and what to expect in the future.
11. Superiority Over Blood Tests
Blood test will always be valuable to determine cholesterol, hemoglobin levels, and many other parameters. However, blood tests are incapable of providing the information provided by the hair analysis.
There are various reasons for this:
Mineral levels in blood are ten times less than they are in tissues, making measurement difficult.
Blood levels are kept within very narrow limits by the body for various reasons, so that readings vary but little and less information can be gleaned.
Blood tests are subject to daily fluctuation due to foods eaten the previous day, emotional states, etc. Hair analysis will not vary from day to day, and provides a long-term metabolic blueprint. Understanding this difference avoids much confusion and the long-term reading can be used to definite advantage.
While some criticism of the accuracy of tissue mineral testing has been made, procedures exist to make the test as accurate as or more accurate than blood tests. No test is 100% accurate. Tissue mineral analysis by atomic absorption is not new. It has been around for 30 years and is used in every industrial and university chemistry lab. New computer-controlled instruments make excellent reliability possible.
Results of tissue tests can vary because instrumentation and handling procedures differ from lab to lab. This is a problem with some laboratories, however, not with the test.
We only use Analytical Research Labs, in Phoenix Arizona where the quality control procedures and handling of samples are excellent. So if you are serious about your nutritional status and your health, contact us today to have your Hair Mineral Analysis done and to set up an appointment either at our rooms or via Skype or telephone to discuss your report, ratios and dietary and nutritional supplementation recommendations.
I would like to recognize the contribution of Dr. John Dinkelmann, Dr. Lawrence Wilson and Analytical Research Labs for their contribution and the information contained.
drleonduplessis 