"We Show You What You're Made Of"

 
 
                                  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why are minerals so important to restoring health and wellbeing?

Well, it’s basically what we’re made of.  We are 65% Oxygen, 18.5% Carbon, 9.5% Hydrogen and about 3% Nitrogen. That makes up roughly 96%. The remaining percentage are the trace elements that run our metabolism. Human life is completely dependent on these trace elements.

What is the benefit of a hair analysis over other methods of testing?

The hair is a medium, just like the saliva, urine or blood. There are two quotes directly from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The first is: “The milk, urine, saliva and sweat measure the component that is absorbed, but excreted. The blood measures the component that is absorbed and temporarily circulated before excretion and/or storage. The hair, nails and teeth are tissues in which trace minerals are sequestered and/or stored”.   The second quote is: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined hair to be an accurate method of biological study stating that “the hair is a tissue in which trace minerals are sequestered and/or stored, and human hair can be used effectively for monitoring trace minerals and toxic metals.”  So basically, using the hair is a non-invasive way to get a look inside a person’s metabolism and see what parts are good and what parts are in need of repair.

What information are you looking for when you do a hair analysis?

We are looking at the actual levels of the trace elements that run our metabolism. We are also looking for heavy metals that are stored and could be causing disruption to normal metabolic functions. Third, we are looking at the ratios of the minerals.

The test results are broken into three parts.  The first section shows nutrient minerals.  What kind of information do you get from that section?

These are the elements that we absolutely need in order to function properly. We are looking at the actual levels of each element. Whether they are depleted meaning you don’t have enough, or if your body has stored too much. Too much of a good thing is still too much and can actually cause big problems with your metabolism and organ function. In this section, the elements should be at the 100% level. Not over or under. No one is actually going to have exactly the perfect level of every single element, but the goal is to get them as close as possible and hold them there.

The middle section of the report lists toxic metals.  What is the process for releasing toxic metals while balancing nutritional minerals?

While no toxic metals would be best, everyone is going to have at least a trace amount of some of these metals. It becomes an issue when the quantity reaches a symptomatic level meaning the known symptoms of that metal have become evident and it is now considered disruptive to other functions. The metals are actually toxic at any level, but at the point that a metal toxicity becomes “symptomatic” is when it is considered to be toxic. On our graph, this is the 100% line. Anything under the 100% line is not great but not considered toxic either. Once it exceeds the 100% line, it’s toxic and the known symptoms will start to be evident.

The third section on the report shows significant ratios of various minerals.  Why are the ratios important to know?

This would be the relationship of a given trace element to another. These ratios are very important because they tell us just how extreme a problem or disease trend is. Hair analysis does not diagnose disease, but it will tell what direction you are headed in. Everyone who has diabetes for instance has a certain set of ratios and fits a certain pattern. Hair analysis cannot definitively say if you are diabetic right now, but if you fit the pattern, it’s a strong likelihood that if you don’t make some metabolic changes, that will be the outcome. Are the ratios just a little out of bounds or is the problem much more serious.  Is the trend toward diabetes small or are the red flags flying. The ratios also help us to know how to put together a supplement program that will be effective, not too much or too little.

Overall patterns or trends are emphasized in the report.  How are those trends determined and what do they tell you?

Again, this is taking into consideration the levels of the minerals and metals as well as the ratios.  The actual levels in the first part of the report give us the ratios. The ratios give us the trends. The metals give us the potential disease and disruption. For instance, a person could have a very poor memory due to a lack of magnesium, meaning the actual level of magnesium is too low. They could also have a very poor memory due to high Calcium to Magnesium ratio. In this case the magnesium level could be perfectly normal, but because they have too much stored calcium, the ratio or relationship of calcium to magnesium is too great. This would be a relative magnesium deficiency. Thirdly, they could have a very poor memory due to either one or both of these reasons plus aluminum toxicity. This is the disease or disruption part. If you were only lacking magnesium it would be a relatively small problem and easy to correct. If you have high calcium to magnesium ratio the problem is a little more serious but still relatively easy to correct. If you throw aluminum into the mix the issue becomes much more severe and the process to correct it becomes multi-faceted. This is where it goes from a poor memory to Attention Deficit Disorder. If the toxicity is very high, it becomes Alzheimer’s disease. This is what we get from the ratios.

What factors do you consider when determining how to balance a person’s minerals when they are out of balance?

This depends on whether they have amounts that are too high or too low, or both. If a person has a toxic amount of any of the nutrient minerals or heavy metals, those have to be chelated out first. You can’t do anything to raise deficient levels in the face of toxicity.  If they are simply deficient, it’s just a matter of knowing what element to raise first and how. Replacement therapy does not work. You can’t just take more of something that you are low in because it will have an effect on something else. The metabolism works synergistically. Cause and effect, equal or greater reaction. There is a science to bringing up deficient levels in an equalizing manor. 

Sometimes the numbers for toxic metals on the second test go up rather than down.  Can you explain why those results are not necessarily bad news?

Remember, the hair is an excretory channel and if you are on a program to be chelating out or eliminating an element, it will show in the hair. The number will be greater because you are getting rid of it and that is usually what we are looking for. It does not mean that you are more toxic, it means that the element is being eliminated or forced out. This is why regular testing is important while you are on a program designed to eliminate toxicities. 

Can mineral Balancing be helpful if a person is very fatigued?  Why would imbalanced minerals cause fatigue?

There are many reasons a person would have fatigue and again this is why we look at the actual levels of the minerals and metals as well as the ratios. They could simply be depleted of nutrient minerals like sodium and potassium which would be a relatively easy fix, they could have too much of something like calcium which if out of balance will cause your Adrenal, Thyroid and parathyroid to not operate correctly, or they could have a heavy metal toxicity like mercury which causes fatigue.  Or they could have all of the above. The hair analysis gives us a scientific place to start rather than guessing and their progress can be measured by subsequent analysis.

How do indigestion and constipation relate to mineral imbalances?

The answer is really another question, Why? Do they have constipation due to a lack of something or due to an overage of something? Is it heavy metal toxicity or a mineral imbalance? Are they lacking magnesium or has a heavy metal killed off all of the natural bacteria in the digestive system. All of these are answered by a properly read hair analysis.

Can people who are coping with depression, bipolar disorder and other emotional problems be helped with mineral balancing?

Almost always the answer is yes. Although, in some cases the problem may get worse before it gets better. Most people that are suffering from these disorders have a metabolic reason for it, and usually it’s more than one. It’s basically a chain reaction and putting everything back in order will solve it, but it has to be done in steps, according to each person’s metabolic make-up. Is the depression caused by a lack of something or too much of something and is there a metal involved. Again, if it’s just an imbalance, it’s relatively easy to fix and changes rapidly. If it is due to a heavy metal, that will have to be removed before the depression will really go away and when the metal is coming out, the problem may get worse for a bit. Although knowing why you have it and that there is a way to fix it usually helps people get through the process.  

How do PMS, menopausal symptoms and other related female hormonal issues relate to imbalanced minerals?

All of your hormone production is reliant on your minerals being at the right levels. Too little and you don’t produce enough, too much and you over produce. If you normalize the levels, the problems and the related symptoms will go away. 

How long does it take for a person to adjust their mineral balance and get to feeling better?

Well, no two people are exactly alike but it really depends on two things: The results of the person’s hair analysis and how accurately they follow their program. Once a supplement program has been put together, the more accurately and consistently they follow it will really determine how fast their progress is. This is also why it is important to re-test the hair at regular intervals. We need to make changes to the supplement program as changes in the test results occur.

Should I take other nutritional supplements while they are on the Perfect Balance program?

There are many other supplements that are very good. We always try to make the supplement program as small as possible so people are more likely to take them regularly. We would always prefer to know what a person is already taking so that if there is a conflict between what they already take and what we recommend we can alert them so they aren’t spinning their wheels taking something that will inhibit their progress as far as their mineral balancing is concerned. There is a time and place for everything, but not everything can be taken at once. Some things that seem very simple like vitamin c or vitamin e can cause a real problem in some cases as it has an effect on the absorption of other minerals and directly effects sodium which can effect energy levels, hypertension and depression, just to name a few. If a person has supplements they would like to take we can usually work them in, but we need that information in order to be able to do it correctly.

Why do I have to take the product “Support” to bowel tolerance, and what does that mean?

The product caller Support is a blend of several kinds of magnesium and vitamin D-3. Magnesium is absolutely critical to human life and most people are quite deficient. Magnesium is what your metabolism would naturally use to detoxify most heavy metals, as well as control your blood sugar, and get calcium into your bones for strength. We have people just starting out on a program taking Support to bowel tolerance because when you reach that point, it means that your cells have become completely saturated with magnesium. This is the maximum amount that your body is going to accept and use at any given time. When you take in this high level of magnesium for an extended period of time, your cells begin to sweep out the things that don’t belong such as heavy metals, excess bio-unavailable calcium, etc. We have people taking this high level of magnesium until the second hair analysis is performed and then make any changes necessary at that point. This is really the cornerstone of the supplement program. In most cases it is the only way a person is going to be able to make any progress at all, much less in a short period of time.

How long do I have to take the supplements?

Really, this is up to you. Most people have a hair analysis done because they want to get better or get over something that is wrong with their metabolism. We have people that stay with the program only until they feel better, some stay with the supplement program until all of the issues have been resolved, regardless of how well they feel and some people stay on their programs indefinitely. Once they have done all of the work to get well, they want to keep it that way. There are also people that just don’t like to take vitamins and can’t stick with it. Really, it’s up to you.

Why do some people feel worse after they start?

Each analysis is specific to that person. If a person has a really damaged metabolism or severe toxicity, they may not feel better right away and they may even feel worse in the beginning. As the body starts to clear out heavy metals for instance, your energy levels are affected, your sensitivity to light and sound can be affected, you can have headaches, stomach aches, etc. As time goes by you will gradually feel better and we always do our best to do two things: First, we explain this to you if you are at risk of feeling poorly when you start the supplement program and second, we design your supplement program to overcome any of the issues as best we can. Supporting your adrenal and thyroid, keeping your hormone production stable, etc.  With feedback from the person, we can usually make adjustments in order to make it easier to get through any difficult times.

What if I have softened water?

If you use a water softener, it can skew the sodium and/or potassium levels that are read in the analysis. This is because when you wash your hair, the sodium or potassium salts that are softening the water get deposited on the hair shaft. Since your hair sample gets digested into a liquid sample at the lab, the salts will show up as if it were from inside your body. If you have softened water, rinse your hair with clear water for a few days before you cut the sample after you have washed it. This will give us a much more accurate sodium and potassium reading, so your supplement program will thus be more accurate.