May 6th, 2025 —Written By Tally Atkinson
What does the process look like to do Mineral Balancing using an HTMA Test?
HTMA testing is a way to begin to see and uncover the layers of adaptations or compensations that your body has made all during your life. The further you go into nutritional balancing, the deeper the layers you will uncover. Our bodies adapt to stress by altering themselves moment to moment, day to day to continue to function and stay alive. These adaptations will build up, layer by layer, in the body, requiring more and more energy. So as we age and continue to have to adapt to stress with continued deficiencies, we have less and less energy available for all of our bodily process and activities. The goal of nutritional balancing is to reverse these adaptations, which frees up energy. But the layers must be corrected one layer at a time.
HTMA is just a snapshot of an ever changing, moving picture of the state of our body. It is more cumulative than bloodwork, but it is still an average of 2-3 month period status of our minerals, stress response, and our health. You can get a good look at the trends of the body though, when you run hair tests every few months for a year or more.
The macro-mineral and trace minerals readings are showing the body’s response to stress. Stress causes the mineral values to shift in certain ways (bc we use different minerals during different types of stress and stress responses). The HTMA test will reflect upbringing, heredity, lifestyle, diet, drinking water, attitudes, body chemistry, as well as your health or disease state. It shows an overall picture that is influenced by many factors. It really is quite fascinating to have a test that shows your mineral levels describe to you your personality traits!
Nutritional balancing with an HTMA is not going to be “replacement theory” of minerals showing low on your test. An important principle of hair analysis interpretation is that the levels of the minerals in the hair represent the body's adaptation or response to stress. Once we understand that response, we are in a much better position to know how to alter the diet and how to recommend supplements to bring all the minerals into a better balance.
The Mineral Balancing process looks like this:
**As your body’s biochemistry improves, it should release toxic forms of minerals and heavy metals that are weighing your system down, which will also lead to your body’s ability to get rid of chronic infections that have been stored in your tissues for years.
HTMA is just a snapshot of an ever changing, moving picture of the state of our body. It is more cumulative than bloodwork, but it is still an average of 2-3 month period status of our minerals, stress response, and our health. You can get a good look at the trends of the body though, when you run hair tests every few months for a year or more.
The macro-mineral and trace minerals readings are showing the body’s response to stress. Stress causes the mineral values to shift in certain ways (bc we use different minerals during different types of stress and stress responses). The HTMA test will reflect upbringing, heredity, lifestyle, diet, drinking water, attitudes, body chemistry, as well as your health or disease state. It shows an overall picture that is influenced by many factors. It really is quite fascinating to have a test that shows your mineral levels describe to you your personality traits!
Nutritional balancing with an HTMA is not going to be “replacement theory” of minerals showing low on your test. An important principle of hair analysis interpretation is that the levels of the minerals in the hair represent the body's adaptation or response to stress. Once we understand that response, we are in a much better position to know how to alter the diet and how to recommend supplements to bring all the minerals into a better balance.
The Mineral Balancing process looks like this:
- Take a hair sample for an HTMA test at a specific lab.
- Work with a qualified practitioner to develop a MB program to is specific to your oxidation rate, mineral absolute values, and your mineral ratios.
- After 3-4 months you do an HTMA retest! Send in a new hair sample to hopefully see how much progress you have made the last few months.
- Your focus diet-wise will be on nutrient dense foods (mainly veggies and proteins) to help best restore your oxidation rate.
- To further your progress, use specific detox therapies to support your body releasing the things it is needing to.
- Repeat and remain consistent until your oxidation rate is balanced.
**As your body’s biochemistry improves, it should release toxic forms of minerals and heavy metals that are weighing your system down, which will also lead to your body’s ability to get rid of chronic infections that have been stored in your tissues for years.
Interested in trying out an HMTA and Mineral Balancing for yourself? Head to my services page and request a 30 min free consultation for more information.
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