HTMA Glossary

Understanding the terminology used in hair tissue mineral analysis helps you make sense of your results. Definitions are educational: some terms describe concepts used by some practitioners rather than established physiology, and hair results do not diagnose disease, deficiency or toxicity.

ABCDEFHIMNOPRSTZ

A

Adrenal Ratio (practitioner term)
A name some practitioners give the Na/Mg ratio (sodium to magnesium). It is calculated from two hair measurements and is not a test of adrenal function. See Na/Mg Ratio.
Aluminum (Al)
A metal found in antiperspirants, cookware, antacids, food additives and water treatment, with no known biological function. It is reported among the toxic metals on hair reports; its health effects at everyday exposure levels are debated.
Arsenic (As)
A toxic metalloid found in some well water, rice and some pesticides; inorganic arsenic is a known human carcinogen. A hair arsenic result is not a diagnosis of poisoning. Suspected exposure needs medical assessment, usually including urine testing ordered by a licensed healthcare professional.

B

Blood Sugar Ratio (practitioner term)
A name some practitioners give the Ca/Mg ratio (calcium to magnesium). It is calculated from two hair measurements and is not a test of blood sugar or insulin function, which are assessed with blood tests. See Ca/Mg Ratio.

C

Ca/K Ratio — Calcium to Potassium
Hair calcium divided by hair potassium. Some practitioners call it the "thyroid ratio"; it does not measure thyroid hormones or diagnose thyroid disease.
Ca/Mg Ratio — Calcium to Magnesium
Hair calcium divided by hair magnesium. Some practitioners call it the "blood sugar ratio"; it is not a test of blood sugar or insulin function.
Cadmium (Cd)
A toxic metal primarily from cigarette smoke, but also found in shellfish and some vegetables. Accumulates in kidneys and can cause renal damage.
Calcium (Ca)
Major mineral involved in bone health, muscle contraction, and nerve function. Hair calcium does not measure bone density or blood calcium. Some practitioners read high hair calcium as reflecting how calcium is handled rather than intake; that interpretation is not established.
Chelation
A medical treatment that uses prescription binding agents to remove certain metals from the body, used for confirmed metal poisoning. It carries serious risks and is prescribed and supervised by a licensed physician. It should not be self-directed or started on the basis of a hair test.
Copper (Cu)
Essential mineral involved in energy production, connective tissue, and neurotransmitter synthesis. Zinc and copper compete for absorption. Some practitioners associate high hair copper with anxiety or hormonal symptoms; that link is not established.

D

Detoxification
The body's processes for neutralizing and eliminating substances, carried out mainly by the liver and kidneys. Commercial "detox" products and protocols are not a substitute for medical assessment of suspected toxic exposure.

E

Essential Minerals
Minerals required for normal body function. Includes calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc, copper, iron, manganese, chromium, selenium, and others.

F

Fast Metabolizer/Oxidizer
A term from "metabolic typing", a concept used by some practitioners, for a hair pattern with lower Ca/Mg (calcium to magnesium) and higher Na/K (sodium to potassium). It is not an established measure of metabolic rate, and traits sometimes attributed to it, such as anxiety, are not established effects of the pattern.

H

Heavy Metals
A loose term for metals and metalloids of concern for toxicity, such as lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic; aluminum is often grouped with them.
HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis)
A laboratory test that measures the concentration of selected elements — nutrient minerals and toxic metals — in the hair specimen you submit, reported against the laboratory's reference intervals. Hair reflects elements incorporated into hair as it grew (scalp-near hair roughly covers the past few months of growth) and can be affected by external contamination, hair treatments and collection conditions. HTMA does not diagnose disease, deficiency or toxicity, and does not measure whole-body mineral stores.

I

ICP-MS
Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, a laboratory technique for measuring trace elements at low concentrations. Trace Elements, Inc. states that it uses ICP-Mass Spectrometry for hair analysis. Measurement quality does not validate every health interpretation of the results.
Iron (Fe)
Essential mineral for oxygen transport and energy production. Hair iron levels don't directly correlate with blood iron or ferritin stores.

M

Magnesium (Mg)
Essential mineral involved in 300+ enzymatic reactions. Crucial for energy, muscle relaxation, and nervous system function.
Mercury (Hg)
Highly toxic metal from dental amalgams, fish consumption, and environmental exposure. Affects neurological function.
Metabolic Type
A concept used by some practitioners that classifies people as "fast" or "slow" oxidizers from hair mineral patterns. It is not established physiology or a measure of metabolic rate, and it should not be used on its own to choose diets or supplements.
Mineral Ratio
A value calculated by dividing one measured element by another, labelled by element — for example Ca/Mg (calcium to magnesium), Ca/K (calcium to potassium), Na/K (sodium to potassium), Na/Mg (sodium to magnesium) and Zn/Cu (zinc to copper). Some practitioners use ratios to describe patterns; they are not tests of thyroid, adrenal, hormone or blood-sugar function.

N

Na/K Ratio — Sodium to Potassium
Hair sodium divided by hair potassium. Some practitioners link it to stress patterns; it is not a test of adrenal function or stress hormones.
Na/Mg Ratio — Sodium to Magnesium
Hair sodium divided by hair magnesium. Some practitioners call it the "adrenal ratio"; it is not a test of adrenal function.
Nutritional Minerals
See Essential Minerals. Minerals required from diet for normal physiological function.

O

Oxidation Rate
In "metabolic typing", a concept used by some practitioners, a rate inferred from hair mineral patterns and said to describe how quickly the body converts food to energy. It is not an established measurement of metabolism, and HTMA does not measure it.

P

Potassium (K)
Essential mineral involved in muscle function, nerve transmission, and fluid balance. Works with sodium to regulate cell function.
PPM (Parts Per Million)
Unit of measurement used in HTMA results. Equivalent to mg/kg or μg/g.

R

Reference Range (Reference Interval)
The range the laboratory reports alongside each measured element for its hair method. It is not an "optimal" level or health target: a result outside it is not a diagnosis of deficiency or toxicity, and a result inside it does not mean a level is "safe".

S

Selenium (Se)
Essential trace mineral important for thyroid function, immune health, and antioxidant defense.
Slow Metabolizer/Oxidizer
A term from "metabolic typing", a concept used by some practitioners, for a hair pattern with higher Ca/Mg (calcium to magnesium) and lower Na/K (sodium to potassium). It is not an established measure of metabolic rate, and traits sometimes attributed to it, such as fatigue or weight gain, are not established effects of the pattern.
Sodium (Na)
Essential mineral involved in fluid balance and nerve transmission; blood sodium is regulated in part by adrenal hormones. Hair sodium is a specimen measurement, not a measure of adrenal activity.

T

Thyroid Ratio (practitioner term)
A name some practitioners give the Ca/K ratio (calcium to potassium). It does not measure thyroid hormones (TSH, T3, T4) or diagnose thyroid disease. See Ca/K Ratio.
Toxic Metals
Metals and metalloids with no known biological benefit that can be harmful, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic and aluminum. A hair result is not a diagnosis of poisoning; suspected exposure needs medical assessment.

Z

Zinc (Zn)
Essential mineral important for immune function, wound healing, hormone production, and brain function. Zinc and copper compete for absorption; high zinc intake over time can cause copper deficiency.
Zn/Cu Ratio — Zinc to Copper
Hair zinc divided by hair copper. Some practitioners use a reference point of about 8:1; that is a practitioner convention, not an established health target.

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