Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
A 3-month window into your mineral status and heavy metal burden
What Gabriel reads for
Essential minerals (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc, copper, iron)
Toxic heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum)
Mineral ratios (Ca/Mg, Na/K, Ca/K — adrenal and thyroid indicators)
Cost
$150–$250
Turnaround
10–14 business days
Ordering path
Trace Elements (TEI)
Results flow
Upload + interpret in Gabriel
What this test reveals
What this test reveals
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) measures mineral content and ratios in a small hair sample, providing a 3-month retrospective window into your cellular mineral status, adrenal function, metabolic rate, and heavy metal accumulation.
Unlike blood tests that show what's circulating today, hair analysis reveals what your body has been storing and eliminating over months. Mineral ratios — not just individual levels — tell the story of your metabolic type, stress patterns, and whether your body is in a state of burnout or balance.
People usually reach for this kind of diagnostic when they want a clearer read on essential minerals (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc, copper, iron), toxic heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum), mineral ratios (ca/mg, na/k, ca/k — adrenal and thyroid indicators), especially when symptoms or prior testing still leave blind spots.
Once results are back, you can upload them into Gabriel to connect the findings to symptoms, protocols, and next-step testing instead of leaving them as a static report.
Commonly relevant for: Adrenal Fatigue, Hashimotos Thyroiditis, Chronic Fatigue Fibromyalgia.
Gabriel difference
Why this becomes more useful inside Gabriel
Mineral imbalances are foundational to nearly every chronic health condition, yet conventional medicine rarely tests beyond serum calcium and iron. HTMA reveals the deeper story: zinc-copper imbalance driving hormone chaos, high calcium-magnesium ratio indicating adrenal burnout, or hidden mercury toxicity that blood tests miss entirely. Gabriel uses HTMA data to design targeted mineral repletion protocols that restore cellular energy and hormonal balance.
Gabriel interprets results through a functional, root-cause lens: optimal ranges, pattern recognition across multiple diagnostics, and what the findings actually mean for action rather than just classification.
That means this test can feed directly into protocols, practitioner matching, food strategy, and follow-up testing instead of ending as a one-off PDF or lab portal result.
What to expect
What to expect from ordering to results
01
Order
Order directly through Trace Elements (TEI) or ask Gabriel whether there is a better path first.
02
Complete
You'll cut a small sample of hair from the back of your head (closest to the scalp) using the provided instructions. Place it in the envelope and mail it to the lab.
03
Interpret
Upload the results to Gabriel for pattern recognition, protocol suggestions, and next-step guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Questions people usually ask before ordering
HTMA measures levels of nutritional minerals (calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, etc.) and toxic metals (lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, aluminum) accumulated over 2-3 months. Unlike blood tests that show a moment in time, hair reflects longer-term mineral status and toxic metal exposure.
It's debated. HTMA is well-validated for detecting toxic metal exposure (used in forensic science and occupational health). For nutritional minerals, interpretation is more nuanced. Hair treatments, shampoos, and environmental contamination can affect results. Best used as one data point alongside blood and urine testing.
About 1 tablespoon of hair is cut close to the scalp from the back of the head. Only the first 1-1.5 inches closest to the scalp are analyzed (representing the most recent 2-3 months of growth). If head hair is unavailable, body hair can substitute.
Typically $75-150 through labs like Trace Elements, Analytical Research Labs, or Doctor's Data. It's one of the most affordable functional tests available. Insurance does not cover it.
Not sure which test belongs in your workup?
Tell Gabriel your symptoms, goals, and what you have already tried. You will get a more useful answer than a generic test catalog can give you.