Diagnostic guide
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
A hair sample test for minerals and metals, with known reliability limits
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Evidence status: emerging or disputed. Results from different labs varied more than 10-fold in a 2001 JAMA study. Confirm any finding with a validated blood or urine test.
Cost
$162
Turnaround
10–14 business days
Ordering path
Trace Elements (TEI)
Results flow
Upload + interpret in Gabriel
Local access
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What this test reports
What this test reports
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) measures mineral content and ratios in a small hair sample. Practitioners use it as a look back over about 3 months at mineral status, stress patterns, metabolic rate, and metal exposure.
Reliability is the main question. In a 2001 JAMA study, one healthy person's split hair sample sent to six US labs gave results that differed more than 10-fold for 12 minerals, the labs' normal ranges disagreed, and their supplement advice conflicted; the authors advised against using hair analysis to assess nutrition or exposure.
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
Some integrative practitioners use HTMA to look at mineral ratios, such as zinc to copper or calcium to magnesium, and read them as signs of hormone or stress patterns. Because results vary so much between labs, confirm any finding with a blood test (such as zinc, copper, magnesium or ferritin) or, for metals, a validated blood or urine test before changing supplements. Upload your report and Gabriel explains it in plain words.
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) in hair grown over 2-3 months. It is meant to reflect longer-term status than a blood test, but results vary a lot between labs, so confirm any finding with validated blood or urine testing.
It's debated. In a 2001 JAMA study, six US labs analyzing one split hair sample reported results that differed more than 10-fold for 12 minerals, disagreed on normal ranges and gave conflicting supplement advice, and the authors advised against using it to assess exposure. Hair treatments, shampoos, and environmental contamination can also affect results. Use it, if at all, as one data point and confirm findings with validated blood or 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.