HAIR ANALYSIS CONCEPTS
By Dr. Lawrence Wilson
© May 2024, LD Wilson Consultants,
Inc.
All information in this article is for
educational purposes only. It is
not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health
condition.
UPDATE on 5/1/24: This is an older article. In the past three months, test results
from Analytical Research Labs are coming in somewhat low. The lab says they donÕt wash the hair,
but the accuracy of the test is not as good.
To properly interpret a hair mineral test requires a set of concepts that are mostly unknown. Here is a list of them, with brief definitions:
Armoring – this is related to the poor
eliminator idea. Armoring occurs
when the level of certain minerals decreases on a retest, and indicates that
the person is now holding on to the mineral and not allowing it to be released
through the hair.
Averaging – a hair reading is an average of the deposition of the mineral over about a three-month period of time.
Compensations and adaptations – all the levels on a hair test can be viewed as compensations and adaptations to stress. This is a rather complex idea concerning the body as one system.
Crashes – This is when a mineral level, or a ratio or a pattern such as the oxidation rate decreases drastically on a retest.
Double patterns – these are patterns on hair mineral charts that repeat themselves either in the first two and the second two macrominerals or the first four macrominerals and the second four minerals.
Patterns can also repeat three or four times, in some cases. (first two, second two, third two and fourth two minerals, for example.)
Efforting – This is a type of movement. Some hair analysis patterns have to do with making an effort, such as the step down pattern.
Explosions – This is similar to a surge, only more extreme.
Flips – this is when either the oxidation rate or a ratio such as the sodium/potassium ratio changes from high to low or low to high.
Holism – a hair reading can and often does reflect not just a personÕs diet or body chemistry, but may reflect on oneÕs lifestyle, thoughts, feelings, past traumas and more.
Levels, Ratios, Basic Patterns, and complex Patterns – This is what is read on a hair test:
- A level is simply the numeric reading of the amount of a mineral.
- A ratio is one level divided by another level.
- A basic pattern is a combination of levels and/or ratios.
- A complex pattern is a combination of levels, and/or ratios and/or basic patterns.
Loss – at times, a mineral level that is high on a hair test indicates a loss or release of that mineral through the hair.
Movement – a hair test reflects not only the state of body chemistry but also how a person is handling challenges and events in oneÕs life.
Poor Eliminator – a very low reading of many of the minerals on the hair analysis does not indicate the mineral is not present. To the contrary, it indicates the level is excessive in the body and the person is not eliminating it at this time.
Quantifying the patterns – this is a way to assess the severity or importance of a pattern. For details, read Quantifying The Patterns.
Retention – at times, a mineral level that is low on a hair test indicates the mineral is being retained in the body tissues.
Spillover – This is related to doubling. It means that, at times, a pattern will spill over onto the second two minerals or elsewhere.
Summation – a hair mineral reading is actually a sum of metabolic events.
Superficial vs Deep – that a hair test can show patterns that are more superficial as well as those that are beneath the surface and more subtle and hidden.
When both a superficial and a deeper pattern exist it indicates emphasis or, if it is present on the second four minerals, it indicates the pattern is present at a deeper level of the body.
Superimposition – a hair test can have more than one pattern present with one superimposed upon another.
Surges – This is when the oxidation rate or sodium/potassium ratio goes up significantly on a retest.
Tetras – This just means a group of four items. The mineral chart is so divided:
The first tetra is calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium.
The second tetra is iron, copper, manganese and zinc.