A hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) simply stated, is a screening test that measures the mineral content of your hair. However, a hair tissue mineral analysis is much more than a test for minerals.
Mineral Blueprint Providing a mineral blueprint of one's biochemistry, a hair tissue mineral analysis can provide pertinent information about one's metabolic rate, energy levels, and stage of stress. A hair tissue mineral analysis performed by Analytical Research Labs, Inc., is a screening test for the level of 20 minerals and toxic metals in a sample of hair. It is a tissue mineral biopsy that is non-invasive, relatively inexpensive and extremely accurate. Our laboratory uses only the most advanced and sophisticated instrumentation available today, the Perkin Elmer ICP-MS nexION 2000B Mass Spectrometer to assess mineral levels in parts per million or parts per billion. A hair tissue mineral analysis is considered a standard test used around the world for the biological monitoring of trace elements and toxic metals in humans and animals species. The same technology is used for soil testing and testing of rock samples to detect mineral levels. Hair, like all other body tissues, contains minerals that are deposited as the hair grows. Although the hair is dead, the minerals remain as the hair continues to grow out. A sample of hair cut close to the scalp provides information about the mineral activity in the hair that took place over the past three to four months, depending on the rate of hair growth. Why is Our Hair Analysis Unique? Several factors combine to make our hair tissue mineral analysis the best in the industry! We are one of only two laboratories that do not wash the hair at the laboratory. Washing hair samples at the laboratory has been shown to erratically wash out the water-soluble elements. This creates much less accurate results. In a 2001 study in the Journal of the AMA (Seidel, S. et al., Assessment of Commercial Laboratories Performing Hair Mineral Analysis, JAMA, 285(1) Jan 3:67-72.) the two laboratories that did not wash the hair, of which we were one, showed superb reliability. We use technologically advanced testing instruments, including the Perkin Elmer Elan 9000 ICP Mass Spectrometer. We are proud of our laboratory quality control procedures. These include known controls which are tested at the beginning, middle and end of every batch of hair samples to insure the accuracy of the results. We automatically retest any reading that is out of a normally expected range, provided sufficient hair is available for a second sample. Test results are printed on an easy-to-read graph, unlike many of the other laboratories. This is a great benefit for both practitioners and their clients as well. The printed graph includes the mineral results, major mineral ratios and the oxidation type. We offer the only complete individualized test interpretation by the method developed by the late Dr. Paul C. Eck, our founder. This is unique as it includes information related to one's metabolic rate, energy levels, autonomic balance, a personal dietary supplement program, basic diet recommendations and other information that can be inferred from the test results. We offer the only personalized transition dietary plan based entirely upon the results of one's hair tissue mineral analysis. This report includes three transition diets, menu plans and a wealth of information covering food preparation, eating habits, changing one's habits, cooking, shopping and other valuable information. |
What We Do - Saliva Hormone Testing
We focus on highly precise and clinically relevant adrenal function and sex hormone tests and panels. Perhaps our best known panel, the Adrenal Stress Index (ASI) was the first routine clinical saliva test for cortisol over a 24-hour period. Our Female Hormone Panel (FHP) maps hormones through an entire cycle with 11 saliva samples. Stool Testing In the past several years, significant investments in microbiology were made so that our Gastrointestinal Health Panels are extremely comprehensive to help guide your treatment to resolution. Specialty Panels Additional panels for bone health and yeast culture are also offered for specific patient needs. Fast, Accurate, Detailed Results Strict internal standards, awards, and accreditations like the Joint Commission, to ensure that every patient sample is handled with the utmost care and priority to deliver accurate, insightful results that providers can use to pinpoint underlying indications of patient symptoms. Personal, Professional Service We are invested in personal service for our providers, which starts when you call. We are always available by phone, and you’ll be greeted by a live person during business hours who is trained in the administration of our tests and will help you as efficiently as possible. We want you to be free to focus on treating your patients. Diagnostic Excellence From the time we first introduced saliva cortisol testing to routine practice in 1989, DiagnosTechs has pursued the limits of noninvasive testing through research and development. Our providers appreciate the personal care and attention we deliver Saliva hormone testing allows the measurement of unbound, available hormone, and because saliva sample collection is non-invasive, samples can be collected throughout the day. This way, we are able to capture variance of hormones over time, so that providers can view a chronobiological sequence of hormone levels and treat their patients according to their natural hormone variations. These tenets are applied to a wide range of adrenal and sex hormones where results are bundled together in one of our test panels. Accuracy, Detail, Clinical Expertise Our laboratory, research, and development staff are led by professionals who are dedicated to constant refinement and validation of existing tests as well as proving new tests that will be offered in the future. Similarly, our medical department is made up of physicians who have all worked in private practice. Our medical staff is available for complimentary consultations. Technology We are always looking for new technology that will improve our testing capabilities. Currently, our clinical and research laboratories are equipped with gas and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS) for sensitive and exact molecular identification, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry for quick and comprehensive identification of microorganisms, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS) for trace level analysis of heavy metals and other clinically relevant elements. Learn more about our technology, visit our technology page. |