Mineral / Heavy Metal Test
Heavy metals toxicity caused by increasing levels of pollution and use of chemicals in industry is a growing threat to our health and development of our children. High levels of toxic metals deposited in body tissues and subsequently in the brain, may cause significant developmental and neurological damage.
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Why Hair?
Extensive research has established that scalp hair element levels are related to human systemic levels. As such, a heavy metal hair test is ideal for checking current/acute exposure to toxic metals. Unlike blood, hair element levels are not regulated by homeostatic mechanisms. Thus, deviations in hair element levels often appear prior to overt symptoms and can thereby be a valuable preliminary tool for predicting the development of physiological abnormalities. With respect to its contained elements, hair is essentially an excretory tissue rather than a functional tissue. Hair element analysis provides important information which, in conjunction with symptoms and other laboratory values, can assist with the early detection of physiological disorders associated with aberrations in essential and toxic element metabolism. |
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As protein is synthesised in the hair follicle, elements are incorporated permanently into the hair with no further exchange or equilibration with other tissues. Scalp hair is easy to sample, and because it grows an average of one to two cm per month, it contains a “temporal record” of element metabolism and exposure to toxic elements.
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This test is useful for:
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Why Urine?
Urine, being an excretory tissue like hair, offers a great method of detecting metabolic ‘wasting’ of various electrolytes and cofactor elements due to toxicity (see toxic elements tested on second page of the report), nutrient deficiencies elsewhere in the body, or general organ/gland dysfunction such as the liver/kidneys and as a result of genetics, lifestyle, diet or environment. Beyond general insight into the current metabolism of toxic and essential elements in the body (and therefore body sufficiency need) – including specific trace elements such as copper and chromium, the urine elements test helps to monitor the efficacy / efficiency of any dietary, environmental or supplemental changes / regimes. |
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Urine toxic and essential elements analysis is an invaluable tool for the assessment of chronic/retention of toxic metals in the body and the status of essential nutrient elements. Toxic metals do not have any useful physiological function, adversely affect virtually every organ system and disrupt the homeostasis and utilisation of the nutrient elements. Analysis of the levels of toxic metals in urine offers a valuable insight into the current metabolic burden of these metals in the body, and must be accompanied with assessments of kidney function in order to make informed choices surrounding the need for a toxic metal detoxification program. Chronic low-level exposure to toxic metals is far more common than large acute exposures, and can result in significant obstructions to optimum cell and body functions from their retention in the body. A substantial body burden of toxic metals can thus be associated with a vast array of vague, intermittent adverse health effects and chronic disease.
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This test is useful for:
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Doctor's Data
Since 1972, Doctor’s Data, Inc. has performed over four million hair elements tests for physicians and other health care providers, accumulating what is probably the largest database regarding this procedure.
Since 1972, Doctor’s Data, Inc. has performed over four million hair elements tests for physicians and other health care providers, accumulating what is probably the largest database regarding this procedure.