- Hair analysis is useful as a screening tool for heavy metals. For nutrient minerals it is not as reliable as it is often made out to be. It correctly reports levels of some minerals, but not others.
- Blood serum testing accurately measures the body stores of some minerals but not others. Serum magnesium is an example of a serum blood test that yields less than useful information. Serum magnesium levels only begin to drop after body stores have been substantially reduced.
- Red blood cell (RBC) mineral levels are often offered as a package where many minerals, both toxic and nutritional, are tested for at one time. The importance of using a RBC membrane test is that essential minerals perform their physiologic action inside the cell and on the surface of the cell membrane. Routine laboratory testing measures only the amount of mineral present in the plasma or serum. That type of testing is thought to be generally inaccurate, if not inadequate. The RBC mineral test is considered to be much more accurate and represents a good assessment of cumulative nutritional adequacy.
Testing laboratories are suggested on our links page.
Test Mineral Status can help with the following
Magnesium Requirement
See the condition Magnesium Requirement and its link to magnesium testing or the treatment Test Magnesium Levels.
Molybdenum Need
Molybdenum is one of the nutrients checked when testing for red blood cell minerals. Low levels in a hair analysis is only a possible indicator of molybdenum deficiency. Seeour links page for laboratories like GSDL that can test for this mineral.
Female Hair Loss
See the link between Female Hair Loss and Manganese Requirement.
Key
| May do some good |
| Likely to help |
| Highly recommended |
Glossary
Mineral
Plays a vital role in regulating many body functions. They act as catalysts in nerve response, muscle contraction and the metabolism of nutrients in foods. They regulate electrolyte balance and hormonal production, and they strengthen skeletal structures.
Hair Analysis
A painless and easy way to test for levels of toxic and essential minerals. A small amount of hair is taken from the nape of the neck and the mineral content of the hair is determined. A computerized analysis reveals the person's condition for the last three months.
Serum
The cell-free fluid of the bloodstream. It appears in a test tube after the blood clots and is often used in expressions relating to the levels of certain compounds in the blood stream.
Magnesium
An essential mineral. The chief function of magnesium is to activate certain enzymes, especially those related to carbohydrate metabolism. Another role is to maintain the electrical potential across nerve and muscle membranes. It is essential for proper heartbeat and nerve transmission. Magnesium controls many cellular functions. It is involved in protein formation, DNA production and function and in the storage and release of energy in ATP. Magnesium is closely related to calcium and phosphorus in body function. The average adult body contains approximately one ounce of magnesium. It is the fifth mineral in abundance within the body--behind calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. Although about 70 percent of the body's magnesium is contained in the teeth and bones, its most important functions are carried out by the remainder which is present in the cells of the soft tissues and in the fluid surrounding those cells.
Red Blood Cell
Any of the hemoglobin-containing cells that carry oxygen to the tissues and are responsible for the red color of blood.