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INTEGRATIVE NUTRITION • FUNCTIONAL TESTING • NELSON, BC
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
(HTMA)
A non-invasive functional test that reveals your mineral status, metabolic rate, adrenal and thyroid patterns, heavy metal burden, and how your body is actually functioning — over the past 3 months.
FATIGUE
ANXIETY
ADRENAL
THYROID
SLEEP
HEAVY METALS
WHAT IS HTMA?
A window into your body's mineral world
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis is a functional lab test that measures the mineral and heavy metal content stored in your hair, giving a detailed snapshot of your body's mineral status, metabolic function, and toxic element burden over a 3-month period.
Unlike blood tests, which reflect what is circulating in your blood at one moment in time, HTMA reveals what is actually being stored and used at the cellular level. Minerals don't just float in your blood, they are deposited into tissues, where they direct enzyme activity, hormone function, nervous system regulation, and energy production.
The test was developed and refined by researchers including Dr. Paul Eck and Dr. David Watts, whose decades of work established the clinical reference ranges and mineral ratio patterns used in functional practice today. Analysis is performed by Trace Elements Inc. (TEI) — one of the most respected HTMA laboratories in North America.
Why hair — not blood?
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Blood mineral levels are tightly regulated — your body will pull minerals from bone and tissue to keep serum levels normal, even when you're depleted
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Hair reflects tissue storage over 3 months — not just what was circulating on the day of the test
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Heavy metals accumulate in tissues, not blood — HTMA catches chronic exposure that blood tests miss
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No needles, no fasting, no clinic visit — a small hair sample collected at home
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Reveals mineral ratios and relationships that individual levels alone cannot show
THE TESTING PROCESS
How HTMA works from sample to protocol
Hair sample collection
A small sample of hair — approximately 1 tablespoon — is cut from the nape of the neck, as close to the scalp as possible. The first 3–4cm of growth reflects the most recent 3 months of mineral activity.
01 • SAMPLE
TEI labratory processing
The sample is sent to Trace Elements Inc. (TEI) — a specialist HTMA laboratory. The hair is washed, digested, and analysed using mass spectrometry to measure 35+ minerals and toxic elements at precise concentrations.
02 • LAB ANALYSIS
Clinical pattern reading
Raw numbers alone mean very little. The clinical value of HTMA comes from reading mineral ratios, oxidation type, metabolic patterns, and toxic element relationships — which requires practitioner-level interpretation.
03 • INTERPRETATION
Personalized mineral protocol
A customised 3–6 month nutritional, herbal, and supplement protocol is built directly from your results. A follow-up test at 3 months tracks progress and guides the next phase of support.
04 • PROTOCOL
WHAT HTMA MEASURES
The mineral groups and key ratios
HTMA measures 35+ minerals and toxic elements, organised into functional groups. The relationships between minerals — the ratios — are often more clinically significant than the individual levels.
MINERAL GROUPS MEASURED BY HTMA
ELECTROLYTES
Cellular energy + hydration
Sodium (Na)
Potassium (K)
Magnesium (Mg)
Calcium (Ca)
Phosphorus (P)
STRUCTURAL
Enzyme + hormone cofactors
Iron (Fe)
Copper (Cu)
Zinc (Zn)
Manganese (Mn)
Chromium (Cr)
TRACE ELEMENTS
Thyroid, immune, antioxidant
Selenium (Se)
Iodine (I)
Molybdenum (Mo)
Boron (B)
Lithium (Li)
TOXIC ELEMENTS
heavy metal burden
Lead (Pb)
Mercury (Hg)
Cadmium (Cd)
Arsenic (As)
Aluminium (Al)
KEY MINERAL RATIOS — WHAT THEY REVEAL
Ca/K
THYROID RATIO
Reflects thyroid hormone activity at the cellular level — independent of TSH or T4
Na/Mg
ADRENAL RATIO
Indicates adrenal gland activity and the body's ability to respond to physiological stress
Ca/Mg
BLOOD SUGAR RATIO
Associated with blood sugar regulation, insulin sensitivity, and cardiovascular tension
Zn/Cu
IMMUNE + MOOD RATIO
Copper-zinc balance linked to immune function, mood regulation, and oestrogen metabolism
WHAT HTMA REVEALS
Symptoms and the mineral patterns behind them
Every symptom has a biochemical context. HTMA maps the mineral imbalances most commonly associated with the patterns you're experiencing — so the protocol addresses the mechanism, not just the symptom.
Fatigue and low energy
Magnesium
Iron
Copper
Na/K Ratio
Cellular energy production requires magnesium, copper, and iron as cofactors. A low Na/K ratio is one of the most common patterns in chronic exhaustion — it reflects depleted adrenal output and cellular burnout.
Sleep disruption
Calcium
Magnesium
Na/K Ratio
Potassium
Magnesium is essential for GABA production — the inhibitory neurotransmitter that enables deep sleep. Calcium-magnesium imbalance and elevated sodium disrupt the parasympathetic shift needed for rest.
Anxiety and nervous system
Calcium
Zinc
Magnesium
Copper
Excess unbound copper is strongly linked to anxiety, rumination, and nervous system hyperactivation. Low magnesium and calcium impair the inhibitory pathways that regulate the stress response.
Adrenal dysfunction
Na/Mg Ratio
Sodium
Potassium
Vitamin C
The Na/Mg ratio is the primary adrenal indicator on HTMA. Both fast oxidation (high output, wired) and slow oxidation (burnout, flat) patterns are identifiable — and require opposite approaches to support.
Thyroid and hormonal patterns
Ca/K Ratio
Selenium
Iodine
Copper
The Ca/K ratio is considered a functional thyroid indicator — elevated calcium relative to potassium suggests sluggish thyroid activity at the cellular level, even when blood TSH appears normal.
Digestive issues
Magnesium
Zinc
Sodium
Manganese
Zinc is essential for stomach acid production and intestinal lining integrity. Low sodium on HTMA often reflects inadequate hydrochloric acid, affecting protein digestion and downstream mineral absorption.
Heavy metal burden
Mercury
Lead
Cadmium
Arsenic
Aluminum
Toxic elements compete with essential minerals for binding sites — lead displaces calcium, mercury disrupts zinc and selenium, cadmium displaces zinc. HTMA identifies chronic low-level toxic element accumulation that blood tests routinely miss. Heavy metal patterns explain symptoms that have no other apparent cause: brain fog, fatigue, joint pain, chemical sensitivity, and mood disorders.
SELF-SELECTION GUIDE
Is HTMA right for you?
HTMA is a powerful tool — but it's not the right starting point for everyone. Here's how to tell whether it applies to your situation.
HTMA IS LIKELY A GOOD FIT IF YOU...
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Have unexplained fatigue that doesn't improve with sleep or rest
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Experience anxiety, mood instability, or nervous system dysregulation with no clear cause
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Have thyroid symptoms but normal blood work — or are already medicated and still symptomatic
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Struggle with sleep quality, particularly difficulty staying asleep between 2–4am
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Have known or suspected toxic metal exposure — amalgam fillings, occupational exposure, or living near industrial areas
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Have tried multiple supplements without clear results — or feel worse on supplements that should help
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Want a baseline picture of your mineral status before beginning a clinical nutrition protocol
HTMA MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT FIRST STEP IF YOU...
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Are dealing primarily with acute gut symptoms — GI MAP is usually the better starting point
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Have significant food sensitivities as your primary concern — MRT addresses this more directly
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Have recently undergone chemotherapy or radiation — results may not reflect baseline mineral status
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Colour or chemically treat your hair frequently — this can affect the accuracy of certain readings
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE
HTMA vs standard blood testing
Blood tests and HTMA measure different things. They are not competing — they are complementary. But for certain patterns, HTMA reveals what blood tests are structurally unable to show.
Reflects
Cellular mineral storage over 3 months
Best for
Chronic patterns, mineral relationships, heavy metals, metabolic type
Catches
Depletion even when serum levels appear normal
Heavy metals
Detects chronic low-level accumulation in tissues
Sample
Hair — non-invasive, collected at home
Timeframe
3-month tissue history
HTMA - Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
Reflects
Serum levels at one point in time
Best for
Acute deficiencies, organ function markers, inflammatory markers
Limitation
Body maintains serum homeostasis — normal blood levels don't rule out tissue depletion
Heavy metals
Only detects recent or acute exposure
Sample
Blood — requires a clinic visit
Timeframe
Single snapshot in time
Standard blood panel
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The HTMA process with Rewellness
01
Book a clarity call
We have a 20-minute conversation to confirm HTMA is the right starting point for your situation and which package makes the most sense.
02
Receive your test kit
Two test kits are sent to you. You collect a small hair sample at home and mail it directly to the TEI laboratory — no clinic visit required.
03
Results + Protocol
Once results are returned (2–3 weeks), we go through them together. Your personalised 3–6 month mineral protocol is built directly from the patterns in your results.
04
Retest at 3 months
The second kit is used at the 3-month mark. Comparing baseline to retest shows how your mineral patterns have shifted and guides the next phase of support.
HTMA is available as a standalone add-on to any nutritional package
Analyzed by Trace Elements Inc (TEI)
Results interpreted by Emily Enright, CNP, HTMA-P