A year ago I started running the hair tissue mineral analysis test on my clients. And it has been a game changer. I am always looking for ways to help clients better and with this test I can go deeper into the most important root causes of gut issues, without knowing a client well.
The GI Map stool test let us know what is going on in someone’s biome. It spots hidden infections that were missed by standard medical tests that are low in sensitivity. We look at digestion, pathogenic overgrowth, beneficial bacteria, liver function, gluten tolerance and local inflammation to the colon. The SIBO breath test looks at bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine.
Both these test tell us what is going on in the intestines, but not what caused these issues. The problem with running these tests and addressing what we find with killing protocols is that it’s hard to keep it from coming back if the reason it’s there is still present.
That is how I learned to address gut bugs and dysfunction but it left so many holes in understand the person from a stress, lifestyle and nervous system perspective. And these are the things that cause gut issues. And of course gut issues then increase stress and people live in a vicious cycle.
Many of my clients have told me that they are not generally stressed but the biggest stressor in their life is their gut. What I have learned it that people tend to not recognize and underreport the state of stress and depletion they are in.
We live in a society that is all about pushing through. So we use positive thinking, caffeine, pushing through and sugar/carbs to power us through life. If we pause for a minute we might just crash and then we will feel completely hopeless and powerless.
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is caused by low stomach acid and poor motility. Both these root causes can be impacted by a nervous system in fight, flight or freeze mode. And when we are in freeze or flight we don’t take time to really notice and feel into our body’s stress levels.
The HTMA allows me to look deep inside a person’s lifestyle and psychology to see if they are depleted, crashing or pushing beyond their limits and capacity.
Minerals tell the story of how someone is living. They burn through with stress and their unique patterns tell me where my clients are in the stress cycle. So this cuts through the stress denial and repression and opens up a compassionate conversation about what needs to change.
I can’t tell you how many people are doing things that don’t serve them, without even realizing it. They think that they are doing all the things and don’t understand why it’s not working but they are blind to the things that are holding them back from healing.
Mineral patterns start the conversation that brings more awareness. If you are one of those rare people who really wants to know what is going on with them without wanting only for the status quo to continue and find a quick fix, then HTMA testing is for you.
It was the only test I took that brought me out of digestive hell and gave me my life and health confidence back. It changed the course of my life and I eventually became a health coach, teaching people how to heal on the deepest level possible.
Not just quick fixes that come back and become a life-long frustration. I have been healthy for 20 years, with digestive complaints. It’s a testament to the power of healing with the HTMA.
Here are three important things to know about minerals and the body.
- Minerals power the adrenals, thyroid and our mitochondria. So they give us the energy to heal.
- They also help us detox, pushing heavy metals and other toxins out of the shell.
- They help us regulate our metabolism (motility) and support nervous system function which is key for healing the gut.
So say your tests reveal you have h.pylori, SIBO, yeast overgrowth, parasites or a combination of these. And you launch into antimicrobial protocols that don’t work. You get scared and frustrated and try different combinations of diets and protocols. When nothing seems to work we get more freaked out, try harder or give up, thinking that there must be something very wrong with our body.
If the body doesn’t have the energy to heal or detox or regulate, then no protocol will work. It’s like putting a tired horse in a race. It won’t win. Give the horse some food and rest and it may stand a chance. It’s not the horse (your body) that’s the problem, it simply doesn’t have what it needs to run/heal.
Replacing minerals is one way to support the body to heal better and improve energy. Of course addressing basics like stress, rest, movement, mindset, diet and toxicity can also help. And the HTMA test points us in the right direction of where we should focus our self care efforts.
The 4 primary minerals calcium, magnesium, sodium & potassium tell us the story of depletion, inflammation and stress in the body. And the mineral ratios tell us about the health of crucial body systems.
What mineral ratios tell us
The vitality ratio 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. If this is low or high it would serve well to set the body up for healing before starting an antimicrobial protocol. This ratio measure sodium to potassium which are key minerals for the adrenals.
The autonomic nervous system ratio is calcium and phosphorus. It also measures metabolic speed. When the body is depleted and under stress it slows things down to conserve energy. This may cause motility issues and fatigue, brain fog, depression, constipation, insomnia and joint pain if it is high/slow. If it is low/fast it means the body is in sympathetic mode and burns through energy too fast. This can cause diarrhea, irritability, anxiety, high blood sugar, racing mind, emotional sensitivity and type A behavior.
The thyroid ratio is measured by calcium and potassium and can often predict thyroid dysfunction before it shows up on thyroid tests. It shows levels of slow or fast thyroid function on a cellular level and indicates if certain deficiencies can be the cause (iodine or selenium).
The hormone ratio measures zinc and copper. Excess copper can contribute to estrogen dominance and lack of zinc can increase hormonal imbalance as it is the counterbalance for copper. Zinc is linked to testosterone and progesterone. I wrote about copper imbalance here. It was one of my root causes for anxiety, adrenal fatigue and gut infections. Copper can make you feel wired, so relaxing is difficult. You may feel tired but struggle to rest or go to bed at a decent hour. An imbalance here could be a reason why emotional and mental health are shaky.
The adrenal ratio is one of the best indicators of adrenal function at the cellular level. And if it has what it needs to function well? If this is very low, work needs to be done before treating hard to clear conditions like SIBO and h. pylori. This is measure by the ratio between sodium and magnesium.
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. I can’t stress enough the importance of balancing blood sugar. I know many people with digestive issues eat a lot of white rice because it is easy to digest. But the effects of diet and stress on blood sugar needs to be measured and closely examined to create the best healing outcomes.
The immune system ratio is measured by iron and copper. And it tells us how vulnerable the body is to viral or bacterial infection.
Understanding the status of your body’s metabolic, energy producing and nervous system health is key to creating the right healing strategy that may be a bit of a long game but will also produce the longest lasting results.
If you get anything out of this post, I hope it’s realizing that gut tests simply point to the end results of how your body is functioning. H. pylori may be the result of depleted adrenals, a stressed nervous system and immune vulnerability. Treating the h. pylori alone may not produce the results you want if your adrenals, nervous system and immune system are still struggling.
Having a bigger picture of what your body is doing can save so much time, money, wasted effort and disappointment. It is important to measure and support healing systems before launching into a time consuming and expensive protocol.
If you are interested in ordering a hair tissue mineral analysis test email angelaprivin@yahoo.com or get in touch through the sidebar on my website.
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.