Hair Analysis- a waste of your moneyIntroduction Hair analysis has been commercially available since the 1970's. A small sample of a person's hair is sent to a laboratory for measurement of its mineral content. It is claimed that by measuring trace element and mineral concentrations in the hair that a persons overall health and nutrition status can be determined. Some performing hair analysis have even claimed to be able to diagnose disease conditions. Labs performing hair analysis typically test for multiple elements. Legitimate uses for hair analysis Hair analysis, when used by a proper analytic laboratory, can detect the presence of certain toxic heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and others that should not be present under normal circumstances. It is not useful in correlating concentrations present in the hair with concentrations present in the body. Hair analysis may have limited use when studying differences in heavy metal concentrations or certain minerals between population groups as a whole. Problems with hair analysis Multielemental hair analysis uses a single test to determine values for many minerals simultaneously. This sort of test is used by chiropractors, physicians performing chelation therapy, "nutritional consultants", and other "shady" practitioners claiming that hair analysis can help them diagnose a wide variety of diseases. These "practitioners" then recommend supplements.
False Claims According to the author of the above study most of the reports contained computerized interpretations that were voluminous and potentially frightening to patients. The nine labs that included supplement advice in their reports suggested them every time, but the types and amounts varied widely from report to report and from lab to lab. Many of the items recommended strange mixtures of vitamins, minerals, nonessential food substances, enzymes, and extracts of animal organs. One report diagnosed 23 "possible or probable conditions," including atherosclerosis and kidney failure, and recommended 56 supplement doses per day. Conclusion Multielemental analysis of human hair is not a valid technique for identifying an individual's current bodily excesses or deficiencies of essential or nonessential elements. Nor does it provide a valid basis for recommending vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements [1,2]. Even if hair mineral content is measured with 100% accuracy, it makes no difference because the results are not useful for measuring the body's nutritional status. Acknowledgements Information adapted from:
References
Doctors Corner INternet Group, Inc. 1997-2004
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