Nutrient & Toxic Elements - Hair

Hair has a long history of successful use in detecting chronic exposure to toxic heavy metals in humans and animal models because hair concentrates heavy metals several hundred fold above concentrations found in blood. When any of the toxic heavy metals are elevated in hair, there is reason to investigate the origin of exposure. High levels in hair may reflect early chronic exposure before other signs and symptoms appear.

Metametrix nutrient analysis features:

• Testing with the latest advances in technology (ICP/MS), which can guide therapy by pinpointing imbalances of these important substances.
• A cost-effective approach for monitoring nutrient and toxic elements.

Test name(s)

0020 - Nutrient and Toxic Elements*

Description

Hair is unique in its ability to concentrate divalent cations because of the high amount of sulfur amino acids that act as strong binding sites. Toxic heavy metals and essential trace elements are found in hair in levels many times higher than those found in any other tissue. This characteristic makes hair testing a sensitive way to detect body status of many trace elements.

Method

ICP/MS

Turnaround time

14-17 days, 16 days average

Analytes

HIGHLY TOXIC ELEMENTS
Aluminum
Arsenic
Cadmium
Lead
Mercury
Thallium

POTENTIALLY TOXIC ELEMENTS
Antimony
Barium
Beryllium
Bismuth
Cerium
Indium
Tellurium
Tin
Titanium
Tungsten
Uranium

NUTRIENT ELEMENTS
Calcium
Chromium
Cobalt
Copper
Iron
Magnesium
Manganese
Molybdenum
Phosphorus
Potassium
Selenium
Sodium
Vanadium
Zinc

ELEMENTS OF UNKNOWN HUMAN REQUIREMENT
Boron
Lithium
Nickel
Strontium
Zirconium

* Not available in New York

Specimen Collection Instructions

• Elements-Hair-KI.pdf

Sample Reports Example of how test results will be reported, including reference ranges and graphs indicating high and low percentiles of each analyte.

• Elements-Hair-SR.pdf

Interpretive Guides Information on individual analytes and possible patterns that may be indicated on your test results. Further supplement recommendations, diet modifications, and other treatment options may also be included to help guide your treatment.

• Elements-Hair-IG.pdf

Patient Briefs

• Elements-Hair-PB.pdf

If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, download it here.

Articles

• President's Cancer Panel: Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk - With the growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer, the public is becoming increasingly aware of the unacceptable burden of cancer resulting from environmental and occupational exposures that could have been prevented through appropriate national action.
• Choosing the Best Specimen for Element Testing - There is no single best specimen for simultaneous, optimal status assessment of essential elements and toxic heavy metals. For each element there are merits and limitations of the specimens commonly tested.

Books

• Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine - Your evidence-based resource for the biochemical basis of chronic illness. A must-have desk reference for laboratory testing associated with nutritional and metabolic medicine.

Podcasts

• Toxic Metal Assessment in Children with ASD - Listen to this discussion with Julie Matthews and David Traver, MD on the complicated topic of toxic metal assessment in children with ASD.

Presentations

• Evaluating Environmental Effects on the Body's Biochemistry and Cancer - This presentation explores the impact of environmental toxins on the body's metabolism. There are over 80,000 chemicals on the market that we are exposed to, with the added insult of combined exposures being more toxic to the body. Metametrix testing is explored and various analytes are explained as markers for toxicity.
• IFM: The New Paradigm of Medicine - This PowerPoint presentation was developed by the Institute for Functional Medicine. It provides a concise explanation of the new paradigm of medicine that focuses on underlying causes of disease and treatment from that level rather treating symptoms alone, the approach often taken by modern medicine.
• Laboratory Markers of Toxins and Detoxification - PowerPoint presentation on the detection of toxic burden in the body.