Our days seem filled with a million choices to make when it comes to health and healing. Buy this, eat that, don’t drink this! Save here, spend there, and double your savings when you buy three! Do you even know what your body needs more or less of? Test don’t guess. Sure, the basics are generally beneficial for most people. We all know that Vitamin D is important, but do you know your level? We know that Vitamin C is beneficial, but not for those who have high oxalates in the liver. Do you know how much glyphosate is in your system? I simply cannot stress this enough- we are all so unique. Lifestyle, stress, genetics, sleep, diet – all play a role…
Have you done at home labs review to now your minerals and heavy metals. ? What are you supplementing with and why?
Of course, diet and supplements play a role, yet can you guess the biggest underlying cause of mineral imbalances for most people? If you guessed stress, you’re correct. Who isn’t stressed these days? My coaching practice for over 17 years has allowed me to bear intimate witness to the suffering that you are feeling on all levels. Not just as a coach, but as a working woman and mother in today’s world. Living well and preventing burnout is a choice I intentionally make every single day.
The Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis lab test provides detailed education and information to clients, and they are simply fascinated when the results come back. Hair samples are the most accurate way to see the mineral content in your body. (The lab uses a Perkin Elmer ICP-MS nexION 2000B Mass Spectrometer to assess mineral levels in parts per million or parts per billion.) The process is recognized as the gold standard worldwide and is also used for soil testing and testing of rock samples to detect mineral levels.
No! A blood draw from your PCP is not where you go for this!
As the hair grows, and yes, it’s “dead”, the minerals remain. A few strands of hair snipped from the scalp from various places on the head will contain about 3-4 months of data. The data will reveal mineral deficiencies and toxicities, and heavy metal toxicities.
The lab we use does not wash the hair when it arrives, although when you snip your sample, your hair should be clean without products in it. Women ask all the time if it’s ok to use dyed hair. I get it because I use color in my hair too! It is best to wait 4-6 weeks if possible after coloring hair. The sample requires about 1.5 inches of hair snipped from the scalp.
Some of the biggest imbalances I see are related to calcium and magnesium, and zinc and copper. When people see elevated results on a test, they usually interpret that as they have too much of that mineral, but that’s not usually the case. Minerals work together and when we increase or decrease one, there is a counter effect on another. Elevated copper results can come from copper pans, pipes, and IUDs. Copper toxicity is very real and can lead to anxiety, schizophrenia, acne, allergies, and alopecia, just to name a few. So, in a case like this, it’s best to evaluate the root cause of elevated copper, and usually, it is also connected to a zinc deficiency. Raising zinc levels can help lower the copper in this individual. But how do you know unless you test?
Our test also looks for heavy metals such as aluminum, mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium. People who work around chemicals, flame retardants, or smoke are at risk. I always encourage clients to immediately pitch their deodorant if it has aluminum in it. Heavy metals are cumulative and build up in your tissues. (Even from the deodorant you used in the 1980’s!) Quite often, depending on the results, a heavy metal detox is required. It’s an 8-week very specific supplement regimen that helps the body to purge of these metals. Sushi and tuna eaters? There is a good chance you have elevated mercury. I see it all the time! There’s a phrase, pick your poison, but there is also a phrase, knowledge is power. Some prefer to turn a blind eye, and for those who want to know, I’m your gal! Let’s get you balanced!
Everybody is unique, yet everyone is under some sort of stressing this crazy world! As an Integrative Practitioner, If I could help people understand two things, it would be that managing stress is just as important as what you eat. Stress leads to illness, and your body runs through minerals like crazy when you are under chronic emotional pressure. The other is that detoxification is the opposite end of the same stick as eating well and exercising. Learning the stages of detox and how to open the body’s pathways to allow for toxins to be released is critical to reducing your odds of becoming sick. Wellness is what you put in, AND what you let out.
If you really want to know what’s going on inside your body, test don’t guess! Stay tuned for more blogs as we discuss other at-home lab tests that can finally help you come into balance, and feel your best! Grab a spot on my calendar to begin your next healthier chapter. Schedule your at-home labs review to know your minerals and heavy metals.
