Are you experiencing any of the following?

Low energy, brain fog, mood swings, difficulty sleeping, hair loss, thyroid imbalance, weight gain, headaches, joint pain, skin issues, anxiety, depression, infertility, insulin resistance, hormone imbalance, digestive issues etc., and unsure of what’s causing your symptoms?

Test, don’t guess.

Have you been trying to DIY your health? Taking supplements because you’ve heard they’re good for you but not really seeing results? Or maybe you have symptoms and you’re not sure where to start to address them. Getting testing done can make all the difference. Additionally, there is a huge variation in the quality of supplements available on the market. Many supplements are made with fillers and ingredients that aren’t in very bioavailable forms, meaning your body isn’t absorbing as much of them as you’d like. And one-size-fits-all multivitamins may contain nutrients that you don’t need. Minerals all interact with each other so taking more than you need of a particular nutrient can have negative impacts on other nutrients. Testing allows us to hone in on your specific needs and cut out any supplements that are either not helping or potentially causing more harm than good. 

Mineral balance and gut health are key, foundational pieces to overall health. I find that many symptoms can be traced back to an imbalance of minerals, presence of heavy metals and gut dysbiosis. By addressing these things, many symptoms can improve across the board. Testing is what allows us to know exactly what’s going on in your body and take a custom, targeted approach.

 
What can a HTMA test tell you?


Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis, or HTMA, is a lab test that measures the mineral content of the body over the last 3-4 months as well as the presence of any heavy metals. It can be used as a preventative screening tool that helps get to the root cause of many chronic conditions.

Have you had bloodwork done only to be told that everything is fine, even though you don't feel fine? By measuring what is being deposited in soft tissue (hair) over time, the HTMA test is able to identify imbalances that don't show up on standard blood tests.

The ratios between the individual minerals provide a LOT of information about different body systems. Based on the test results, we can gain a better understanding of mineral/nutrient deficiencies, metal toxicity, your metabolic rate (fast or slow), adrenal and thyroid function, hormonal imbalances, nervous system imbalances, inflammation, energy levels, liver function, blood sugar imbalances, digestive function and if any infections or viruses are present.

Why are minerals important?

Minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, boron, selenium etc. are foundational to a healthy metabolism and healthy body.

Minerals are like the sparkplugs of the body. They are needed for literally thousands of enzymatic functions, for things like: detoxification, digestion, energy production, hormone balance and so much more. When minerals are low or out of balance, your body doesn’t have what it needs to perform these functions and a number of body systems may have difficulty functioning optimally. There is oftentimes a cascade effect, leading to more and more deficiency and dysfunction within the body. You may end up with a number of vague, seemingly unrelated symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, poor digestion, skin issues, infertility, insomnia, poor detoxification - and not know what the cause is.

Why address minerals first? If your minerals are out of balance, other modalities are unlikely to work very effectively as the body won’t have what it needs to be able to properly digest food, detoxify toxins, regulate blood sugar etc.

When the minerals are brought into balance and the body is given what it needs to function, symptoms can start to improve across the board. This method gets to the root of bodily dysfunction and is able to address a variety of symptoms in a nonspecific manner. Rather than addressing each symptom individually, we dig deeper and address what may be causing the symptoms in the first place. 

 
Heavy Metals

Heavy metal toxicity can be an underlying cause for many symptoms. Heavy metals are toxic by nature and can even be very carcinogenic. Unfortunately, it is more common than not to see heavy metal accumulation on an HTMA test. Many people are exposed to heavy metals and toxins without realizing it through unfiltered water, pollution, pesticides, chemicals in cookware, paint and building materials etc., and these metals and toxins can accumulate and have difficulty leaving the body without specific support. The good news is, mineral balancing acts as a gentle detox. So, by supporting your mineral levels, you will start to gently detoxify metals and toxins that may have been stored in your body for a long time.

We always want to focus on remineralizing first to get the body into a strong enough state for a more targeted detox protocol, if it's needed. This is why retesting is so vital. We may need to first focus on remineralization, then if your second test shows improvement in your mineral levels, we can implement a more specific detox protocol if necessary. 

Depending on what your test results reveal, I will create a customized protocol for you to address imbalances and/or to detoxify heavy metals. These foundational changes can really move the needle in improving your health at the root cause level.

What can a GI-Map test tell you?

The GI-Map is a stool test that identifies the presence of:

• Gut flora: The balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut

• Pathogens: Bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause inflammation

• H. pylori: A bacteria that can cause stomach issues

• Yeast and fungi: Such as Candida

• Digestive enzyme and stomach acid levels: How well your body absorbs nutrients and digests food

• Gut inflammation: Signs of inflammation in your gut

• Gut immune response: How well your gut responds to threats

Identifying exactly what’s going on in the digestive system allows us to take a targeted approach to address it at the foundational level. This may include a protocol to restore good gut bacteria, eradicate bad bacteria, parasites and/or yeast and/or repair the intestinal lining to heal leaky gut.

Combining mineral balancing, heavy metal detox and gut healing is the most comprehensive, root-cause approach to health I have found.

Why 12 months?

This work can take time – the body doesn’t become imbalanced overnight and it can take some time to correct these imbalances. Also, the process of detoxing shouldn't be rushed or there's a likelihood of feeling worse due to detox sickness. If your body isn't prepared to detox - either because it’s lacking essential nutrients or the detox pathways aren’t functioning optimally, or if you try detoxing too quickly, your body can become flooded with toxins leading to symptoms like headache, brain fog, body aches, fatigue and nausea. Taking 12 months to make foundational changes, incorporating re-tests, updated protocols and allowing time for the protocols to work helps ensure lasting results. 

Health is a lifelong journey. Correcting imbalances and instilling healthy habits will go a long way in restoring and extending good health. These changes can take some time to integrate. I believe that ongoing support, education and accountability are key pieces of this.

During this program, you will develop tools to live a holistic and healthy lifestyle + a customized plan based on your symptoms, history and test results to actually get sustainable results.