The Encino Chiropractor to see - Chiropractor Encino

Hair Mineral Analysis Test

Hair mineral analysis is a test which measures the mineral content of your hair. Mineral content of the hair reflects the mineral content of the body’s tissues. If a mineral deficiency or excess exists in the hair, it usually indicates a mineral deficiency or excess within the body, or biounavailability.

Examples: If your hair reveals an elevated calcium level two or three times normal, then your calcium level within the body may be elevated also. If this is the case, a strong tendency exists for arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries due to calcium placques).

If calcium level is low, then a tendency towards osteoporosis (demineralization of bone), increased tendency to bone fractures, dental caries, periodontal disease, muscle cramps etc…

Various mineral imbalances, as revealed by hair analysis frequently lead to metabolic dysfunctions before any symptom can manifest.

Other conditions which may result or be aggravated by a mineral imbalance are:

• Depression
• Headaches
• Hypoglycemia
• Hypertension
• Hyperactivity
• Arthritis
• Hair loss
• Anemia
• Thyroid Disturbance
• Prostate Disorders
• Digestive Disturbances
• Diabetes
• Muscle and Skeletal Disorders
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Skin Rashes
• Emotional Problems
• Allergies

Why Test For Minerals?

Minerals are the “sparkplugs” of life. They are involved in almost all enzyme reactions within the body. Without enzyme activity, life ceases to exist. A trace mineral analysis test is preventive as well as being useful as a screening tool.

Who Needs A Hair Analysis

Anyone who is found ill and no explanation can be found, or when the cause seems to be found but the therapy is not wholly effective. Hair analysis opens up a whole new vista for the solving or your own particular problem by recognizing your biochemical individuality.

Even if you are not experiencing a severe problem, abnormal changes in body chemistry and nutritional deficiencies may result in early, subtle changes in the body such as:

• White spots in fingernail – indicates a possible zinc deficiency.
• Longitudinal ridging in nails – indicating an iron deficiency.
• Brittle hair and nails – calcium and copper imbalance.
• Deep grooves across nails – calcium deficiency
• Stretch marks – zinc deficiency
• Lack of growth – zinc deficiency
• Mood Swings – possible toxic metal accumulation such as lead, mercury or cadmium.

Common Causes of A Mineral Imbalance

• Improper diet – such as excessive intake of refined carbohydrates and sugars, strict vegetarian diets or other exclusive diets.
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• Medications
• Birth Control Pills
• Stress
• Accumulation of toxic metals from the environment, job or hobby.
• Inheritance of mineral patterns from parents.

Hair Analysis is an invaluable screening tool which allows a correct program of diet and supplementation to be designed for each individual’s specific needs. Never before has there been available a metabolic blueprint with such a degree of applicable scientific accuracy.

pH Testing

In the scientific world, pH stands for "potential of Hydrogen." Or, you could be really scientific about it and say that pH represents the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. Instead, we'll just say that, in your body, pH stands for your potential for Health.

pH is the value given to indicate the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. It's a value - an intangible, not a thing. You can't pick it up, use it to buy a jet ski, or dip it in your soup. pH values are to acid and alkaline what temperature degrees are to heat and cold.

The pH scale of values runs from 0 to 14. At the low end, 0 indicates really strong, complete acidity. At the high end, 14 indicates really strong, complete alkalinity. In the middle, pH 7.0 indicates that the substance is neither acid nor alkaline - it's neutral. Very few substances are completely neutral. Most substances test out on either side of neutral. The pH of most substances falls somewhere from very strong to very weak acid or from very weak to very strong alkali. For example, at pH 2.5, vinegar is a strong acid, and at pH 8.0+, baking soda is mildly (that's more than "slightly") alkaline. But we're not concerned with vinegar or baking soda here. We're talking body fluids. We're concerned with the pH of your "internal environment" - the potential for health of the fluids in and around your cells. When we talk about the pH of your body, we mean the pH of the fluids inside and outside your cells.

Monitoring your pH gives you an indication of how well or how hard your body is working to survive your lifestyle. Notice that it is said "it gives you an indication. . . ." The results of your pH tests are indicators of how your body is responding to the foods you eat and to other stresses. The actual acid or alkaline level of your internal environment affects how your body functions. The pH values you get when you test your urine or saliva are indications of how your body is functioning.

When your body is at its pH best, it hums along smoothly and easily. And when your body hums along smoothly and easily, your life has a good chance of doing the same. When your body is at less than its pH best, its hum may turn into an exhausted moan as it works overtime to survive. And when your body is exhausted, you are exhausted.

The pH of your internal environment is a good indicator of how hard your body is working just to survive. The ideal pH for most of the fluids of your internal environment is just above pH 7.0. That's slightly alkaline. Your body functions best when the pH of most of its fluids hovers in the pH 7.0 neighborhood. Your blood must be a slightly alkaline pH 7.35 to pH 7.45 all the time. That's a "must," not an "it-would-be-nice." If the pH of your blood falls much below 7.35 or raises much above 7.45 for more than a few hours, you can't survive. When your pH values are too far below or too high above pH 7.0, your potential for health plummets.

Gastrointestinal Health Test & Panels

1) Regular Gastrointestinal Health Panel

Includes:

• Stool Culture for yeast
• Ova & Parasites
• Bacterial stool pathogens
• Clostridium difficile Antigens
• Gardia Antigen
• Cryptosporidium Antigen
• Ameba Histolytica Ab
• H. pylori Ab
• Chymotrypsin
• Occult Blood
• Fecal pH
• Total intestinal SIgA
• Intestinal Lysozyme
• Alpha Anti-Chymotrpsin
• Gluten Intolerance Test

2) Expanded Gastrointestinal Health Panel

Includes:

• All regular GI Panel test PLUS
• Tapeworm AB, Round Worm Ab, Tissue Worm, Ab, Toxoplasma Ab
• Cow's Milk Intolerance, Soy Intolerance, Egg Intolerance

3) Comprehensive Ova & Parasites Panel

Includes:

• Ova & Parasites (x2), Giardia Antigen, Cryptosporidium Antigen, Ameba detection
• Stool

4) Extended Ova & Parasites Panel

Includes:

• All test from the comprehensive ova & parasite plus H. pylori Ab (saliva)

5) Food intolerance Panel

See what foods you are sensitive to or allergic to.

Thyroid Function Tests & Panels (saliva)

1) Thyroid Panel - Includes:

• Free Tiiodothyronine
• Free Thyroxine
• Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
• Thyroid Ab (TPO)

Bone Health Tests & Panel

1) Bone Health Markers Panel - Includes:

• Vitamin K (Diet Questionnaire)
• Vitamin D
• DPD
• DHEA & DHEA-S
• Estadiol
• Progesterone
• Testosterone
• Cortisol

Yeast Test & Panels (stool)

1) Regular Yeast Panel - Includes:

• Stool culture for yeast
• Yeast Culture, other sources

Hormone Tests & Panels (saliva)

1) Regular Post Menopause Hormones Panel - Includes:

• Estrone
• Estradiol
• Estriol
• Progestrone
• DHEA
• Testosterone

2) Expanded Post Menopause Hormones Panel - Includes:

• All Post Menopause Hormones Panel PLUS

   

  • Luteinizing Hormone
  • Follicle Stimulating Hormone

3) Long Post Menopause Hormones Panel - Includes:

-Send in 2 saliva samples together, get the 6 hormones in post menopause hormone panel done on each

4) Regular Cycling Female Hormones Panel -

• Mapping of cycle with 11 samples - Panel includes:

   

  • Progesterone (x11)
  • Estradiol (x11)
  • Testosterone cycle average
  • DHEA & DHEA-S cycle average

5) Expanded Cycling Female Hormones Panel

• Mapping of cycle with 11 samples - Panel includes
  
  • All Female Hormone Panel Tests PLUS
  • Luteinizing Hormone (x5)
  • Follicle Stimulating Hormone (x5)

6) Regular Male Hormones Panel - Includes:

• Estrone
• Progesterone
• DHEA
• Androstenedione
• Testosterone
• Dihydrotesterone

7) Expanded Male Hormones Panel

• Includes all Male Hormones Panel PLUS
  
  • Luteinizing Hormone
  • Follicle Stimulating Hormone

Adrenal Stress Tests & Panels:

1) Adrenal Stress Index - Includes:

• Cortisol (x4)
• DHEA & DHEA-S
• Total Secretory IgA
• Gluten Ab
• 17-OH Progesterone
• Insulin  (x2)

2) Temporal Free Cortisol Rhythm (4 specimen)

3) DHEA $ DHEA(s) pooled value (2 specimen)

4) Carbohydrate Challenging Test (8 specimen)

• Cortisol (x4)
• Insulin (x4)