If you have a disease or illness that has not responded to conventional treatment, you may wish to explore other possibilities and hair analysis is an excellent place to start. As the name suggests, it is hair testing and is sometimes referred to as Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis.

If you are suffering from ‘unexplained’ health problems such as headaches, backaches, weakness or tremors, Hair Mineral Analysis (also known as HMA) may help you to get to the bottom of it. If you can answer ‘yes’ to five or more of these questions an HMA may provide information which, if acted upon, could benefit your health.

• Do you live in a city, or exercise/walk by a busy road?
• Do you spend more than two hours a week in traffic?
• Do you smoke more than five cigarettes a day?
• Do you live or work in a smoky atmosphere?
• Do you buy foods exposed to exhaust fumes (i.e. on display at a road-side stall)?
• Do you generally eat non-organic produce?
• Do you drink more than 1 unit of alcohol per day?
• Do you spend a lot of time in front of a TV or VDU?
• Are you exposed to pollutants in your job (e.g. printing) or hobby (gardening)?
• Do you have two or more amalgam dental fillings?
• Do you usually drink unfiltered tap water?
• Are you just feeling under par without knowing why?

A useful diagnostic tool anyone can benefit from is a Hair Mineral Analysis, or HMA. Hair contains all the minerals present in the body and, in most cases, reflects the quantity of these elements in your tissues. Analysis provides a wealth of information on how efficiently your body is working and its nutritional status over a period of time.

How does the test work? Taking a hair sample is simple, non-invasive and pain free. It is dispatched to a lab in the USA that specializes only in hair analysis. On arrival the hair is prepared for testing and acids are added to break it down, separating out the elements contained in the hair protein. After ‘digestion’ the remaining mineral salts are put into solution and analyzed by sensitive and specialized instruments. The results are then presented in a personalized report containing: levels of 38 minerals, interactions between them, explanations of how these affect health, metabolic type, details of foods to increase or decrease, and a tailored supplement programme designed to improve mineral balance. It often gives clients answers they have sought for years.

The test and report costs just £50 and gives pages and pages of information that you can use for the rest of your life. There are cheaper services, I have evaluated several; on the worst I waited eight weeks for its return then received just one sheet of paper giving levels of 19 minerals. No explanations, no interactions, no graphs, no analysis. You get what you pay for.

In the past twenty years there have been over 1000 references in peer-reviewed journals, supporting the reliability of the HMA, but perhaps of more interest are the following case histories.

Case history 1: J.C. presented with symptoms of fatigue, lethargy, joint aches and excessive hair loss (at age 25). His hair mercury was markedly high. Following treatment his hair levels of mercury decreased to a much more acceptable level and his symptoms improved significantly. The toxicity source was never identified.

Case history 2: C.T. became mentally ill and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He was also alcoholic and consuming large quantities of drugs. An HMA revealed four times the acceptable levels of lead in his hair and also elevated levels of cadmium, mercury and copper. Following therapy and supplementation his condition improved dramatically, he lost his cravings for alcohol and his symptoms of mental illness reverted to normal, with no further need for psychoactive drugs.

Case history 3: L.S., a housewife in her early 40s, had been feeling tired for months. Her doctor had run all the standard tests and could find no problems. Finally she had an HMA which showed she had high levels of lead that were causing her tiredness. Relief came easily, she was feeling better in two weeks and the tired feeling vanished within a month. L.S. had been breathing excess lead from a car exhaust. How much lead are you breathing in from car exhausts – jogging or queuing in heavy traffic? How much cadmium have you accumulated from passive (or active!) smoking at the office and the pub? Is the mercury in your fillings stable, or is the vapour slowly poisoning you?

Are just toxic minerals examined? No – the HMA will examine the status of the essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium and a whole host of others. Modern food processing methods strip nutrients from food. Did you know that a massive 98% of chromium is stripped from flour in the refining process. Not heard of chromium? It is an essential part of the ‘Glucose Tolerance Factor’ which controls blood sugar, stimulates burning of food for energy, controls blood cholesterol levels, reduces blood fat levels and suppresses hunger symptoms. Modern farming methods have also depleted the mineral content of soil, and addition of some fertilisers can make minerals unavailable to plants. If sodium (in table salt), calcium (in dairy products) and phosphorous (in fizzy drinks) are present in excess in your diet, these can upset the natural mineral ratios. Is fluoride in your water supply depressing your calcium absorption? The graphs in an HMA will reveal all. Why not find out?

To sum up: Obviously an HMA is no substitute for diagnosis by a medical practitioner, but if conventional investigations have failed to find a reason, or suggest a treatment for your problem, HMA represents an invaluable and cost effective next step. To order a test, please send £5 non-refundable deposit to cover the cost of sending out the kit. Balance of £45 payable when you return your hair sample. Cheques should be made payable to: Nutrition 4 All, and posted to Dept (HMA/SC), 34 Kynaston Wood, Harrow, HA3 6UA

Uses of Chlorella

Readers with an interest in heavy metal toxicity will be interested to learn about Chlorella, a supplement I have been researching after using it myself for many years.

The chemical load from environmental toxins is so much higher in the modern world, that we are in danger of overloading our body’s natural detox mechanisms; so more and more people ask about detox remedies and supplements for supporting the body’s natural detoxification organs.

I am currently researching an ebook on the specific ways Chlorella can help in this area. It will be of interest to those of my readers who have had a Hair Analysis to check for heavy metal toxicity. As I research my ebook and study this fascinating supplement the more uses I discover.  When the ebook is ready for general release I will make it available as free information here, so keep checking back.

To introduce Chlorella to my readers,  I have arranged for my supplier to give a very special Chlorella discount of 25%.  Anyone who would like to try Chlorella should enter a coupon code N4ALL25 at the checkout, to receive 25% discount off the published prices.  This code is valid until 31st October 2009 when you visit my supplier’s online store.

First, you will probably want to read a little more about Chlorella, and why you might choose to use it. The nutritional profile and health benefits are on my supplier’s website, where you can also watch a short video to learn more. Especially, watch out for the wealth of scientific studies in support of its use for detoxification for a wide range of health conditions linked to our modern lifestyle.  Check out these Chlorella user testimonials.

If you have found Chlorella helpful as part of your detox regime (or for any other health condition) please post your story here to encourage others.

Like no other time in history, we have food additives, preservatives and artificial flavorings and colorings pervading the products in our supermarkets. Fruits and vegetables, supposed to be healthy nutritious foods are sprayed and treated with ripening agents and waxed to make them appear attractive to the eye.

And to make matters worse, our food chain is full of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, fumigants and fertilizers laced with heavy metals, all of which are dangerous to humans.

Toxic minerals and harmful chemicals such as these are everywhere; in our homes, in our water and in the air we breathe.

To check your exposure to toxic metals, a hair analysis is a useful home-test. You can download more information here.

Although hair analysis is an excellent tool for finding out many things, it cannot detect food sensitivities, only a tendency towards them.

For a better approach to food sensitivities, download this free information on food intolerance.

Unable to compete with Amazon’s prices and delivery service for the food intolerance kit, here’s a link from which you can order it (at the bottom of the page).

The quality and quantity of information varies from one Hair Analysis provider to the next. I tried a slightly cheaper company than the one I now use (which is the one my college recommended us to use). The cheaper report took far longer to arrive and didn’t contain anywhere near as much information as you’ll see in the example from my current company.

This is the official line just because it saves clients being concerned about the results.

In research it has only ever been hydrogen peroxide (i.e. bleaching agents) and lead (i.e. blackening agents) that have been found to distort results – also selenium sulphide found in some lightening shampoos. However, we suggest a cautious approach just in case the manufacturers have changed the format of the dye. Your hairdresser should be able to advise on the ingredients in the dye

The client is asked to inform us of the hair colouring used. We don’t compensate for the colouring but note it so that if we get a really “wild card” result we will try and check the ingredients .

In a nut-shell, Dr Watts usually says that it is fine to go ahead and test, but if the client is concerned wait six weeks!

Depending on the type of hair-dye used, you may wish to go ahead right away or wait for a little while. .

The answer is most certainly yes!

I need you to send me the hair sample by post to my UK address and I can deliver the results to you by email.

Payment of the deposit and delivery of the instructions can be taken by purchasing the ebook on my Hair Mineral Analysis website.

The balance outstanding can be sent to me in several ways, at the same time as you send in your hair sample:

• Sterling cheque to my UK address
• I will raise an invoice that can be paid by Paypal by anyone with an email address. It’s fast, free and secure
• I can accept a US dollar cheque sent to my UK address

We have helped clients in many countries using email and Paypal, so don’t let geographical worries deter you.

• Fatigue
• Lethargy
• Hair loss
• Mineral toxicity
• Excess lead

Read about these case studies here.