The hair tissue mineral analysis test (HTMA) was the only test I took to heal. Because it gives an overall picture of hormonal, metabolic, immune and nervous system health as well as digestive health. But even though they say that health starts in the gut, it is influenced by all the other systems of the body. And understanding the overall snapshot of energy and health is vital for healing the gut.
While pathogen killing is popular these days, but it doesn’t address the reason (root cause) why these pathogens are there in the first place.
The HTMA test has been instrumental in helping me address big gaps in my client’s healing process.
It is hard to improve with killing protocols alone when the nervous system, immune system, blood sugar, the adrenals, thyroid and detox is impaired.
And if you don’t have the cellular energy to heal (the HTMA measure that) you won’t be getting better until that is addressed. Minerals are the building blocks of cellular health and mineral ratios from the HTMA show how the body’s systems are functioning on a cellular level. I think functional medicine is wonderful but it often doesn’t ask the question “does the body have the energy to heal?”
The HTMA not only tells us if there’s enough energy but points us to what needs to be addressed first.
Mineral ratios measure thyroid, immune system, adrenal, hormonal, blood sugar and nervous system function. And this accounts for how much stress the system is under. You may not feel stressed but the body is stressed.
This explains why healing is stalling.
The HTMA shows how much stress the body has been under, for how long and the effect the stress has had on these systems above.
Stool tests like the GI Map tells use what’s going on in the gut and the HTMA test tells us why.
If we find h. pylori we need to figure out why your body let it overgrow and cause problems. Kill h. pylori won’t address the reason it is there in the first place (most likely immune and adrenal stress). Same with SIBO, which is likely caused by nervous system disruption to motility.
If you want to get rid of SIBO or h. pylori for good, you need to understand what is going on in your body as a whole. That is why I have been teaching people about the HTMA test. So that much deeper and longer lasting healing is possible.
Below I explain how the HTMA measures stress, energy and resilience in your body.
What minerals do for us and significant ratios
- A lack of magnesium, potassium and sodium is a sign of burn out. Too much potassium and sodium indicates inflammation.
- The adrenals and thyroid help regulate blood sugar, energy and inflammation. Adrenals need enough potassium, sodium and magnesium, selenium to function well. A lack of these basic minerals means your adrenals will struggle.
- Minerals help with detox, pushing heavy metals and other toxins out of our cells.
- Minerals are essential to the nervous system, helping nerve fire.
- Your body needs minerals to create stomach acid.
- The thyroid runs your metabolism and needs, selenium, zinc and iodine to function well.
Significant ratios
The ratio of minerals provide the following information:
The vitality ratio (Na/K) is also called the life and death ratio, the stress ratio or the inflammation ratio. This tells us how much energy the body has to heal. When this too high or too low it means the body is not ready for healing. This ratio measure sodium to potassium which are key minerals for adrenal function.
The autonomic nervous system ratio (Ca/P) This ratio of calcium and phosphorus measures metabolic speed. When the body is depleted and under stress it slows down to conserve energy. This can cause motility issues, fatigue, brain fog, depression, constipation, insomnia and joint pain if metabolism is too slow.
This ratio tells us if the nervous system is in sympathetic mode (burns through energy too fast) causing diarrhea, irritability, anxiety, high blood sugar, racing mind, emotional sensitivity and type A behavior. Or in parasympathetic mode, stuck in freeze mode, sluggish and struggling to produce energy .
The thyroid ratio (ca/K) is measured by calcium and potassium and can often predict thyroid dysfunction before it shows up on thyroid blood tests. It tells us if the thyroid is functioning too fast or slow, throwing off metabolism. The test also tells us if there’s a deficiency of iodine, selenium or zinc, which stresses the thyroid.
The hormone ratio measures zinc and copper. Copper and zinc balance each other. Excess copper can contribute to estrogen dominance and zinc is linked to testosterone and progesterone.
I wrote about copper imbalance here. It is a root causes for anxiety, adrenal fatigue and gut infections. Copper imbalance can make you feel wired, so relaxing is difficult. This ratio has a huge influence on emotional and mental health.
The adrenal ratio (Na/Mg) measures sodium and magnesium to gauge adrenal function at the cellular level. It tells us if the adrenals are overworking or depleted and what kind of nutrients and support they need. If immunity is low, the adrenals have to be supported before any healing protocol is started. When the immune system is weak, it’s challenging to clear SIBO and h. pylori or other gut overgrowths. Successful healing starts with adrenal health.
The blood sugar ratio looks at the relationship between calcium and magnesium. This is one of the most important ratios on the test because it tells us if blood sugar imbalance is contributing to inflammation and adrenal stress. Balancing blood sugar is one of the most important things you can do for the gut. The effects of current diet and stress on blood sugar is measured by this ratio.
The immune system ratio is measured by iron and copper. And it tells us how vulnerable the body is to viral or bacterial infections and if the immune system is weak and needs support.
What’s your mineral story?
Minerals are food for our cells and tell the story of what our bodies lack for healing. If killing protocols have not worked for you, this is where to start. And if you don’t know if you are burned out, stressed or inflamed (it’s not always obvious) the HTMA will tell you.
If you want an overall picture of your health through the lens of the HTMA, send an e-mail to angelaprivin@yahoo.com (or get in touch through the website sidebar).
Angela Privin is proof that IBS is NOT an incurable disease, but a cry for help from a gut out of balance. When the body AND mind are complaining, it’s an opportunity to examine what’s not working and change it. After solving her own IBS mystery almost two decades ago, Angela became as a health coach to help others. Angela uses root cause medicine protocols personalized to the individual to solve each IBS mystery. Her tools are lab testing, dietary changes, supplementation, subconscious mind work and nervous system rebalancing . Learn more here.