毛髮組織礦物質分析 (HTMA)

HTMA是一種精確的分析技術，利用毛髮以檢定身體的有毒金屬及礦物質含量，從而反映出飲食、環境、壓力及有毒物質對身體的長遠影響。HTMA早已獲世界衛生組織、美國環境保護處及國際上眾多研究人員確認為檢驗體內重金屬積聚的精確技術，為一個讓人們看見體內新陳代謝的窗口。

頭髮是人體其中一種擁有快速新陳代謝的組織，頭髮與毛囊是透過血液和淋巴液獲取養份的，由於頭髮組織中含有許多硫化的蛋白質，血液或淋巴液中的有毒金屬和礦物質會被這些硫化蛋白質鎖住，因此頭髮中的金屬含量比血液高出數十至數百倍不等。舉例說，頭髮中的水銀含量比例高出大約300倍。HTMA能準確地找出身體中那種的礦物質超出或低於正常水平，那些身體機能不平衡，和那類有毒金屬積聚在身體內。

由於荷爾蒙能影響礦物質的新陳代謝，HTMA能幫助醫務人員找出病人之新陳代謝模式。Trace Elements Inc. 化驗所主席Dr. David Watts和他的研究隊伍從超過30萬個頭髮分析結果中找到了不同的礦物模式與身體功能的關係，從而歸納出8種不同的新陳代謝類型。這8種類型主要把新陳代謝的速度分類為快或慢；而身體所受壓力程度和持續時間，即為形成屬於那一種的新陳代謝類型成因。

HTMA有助你和醫生評估健康狀況和有毒金屬的積聚量，亦可用作為診斷工具。對醫生來說，當一般醫學化驗不能就某疾病或症狀找出具結論性的結果時，HTMA能幫助你找出該疾病或症狀是否由有毒金屬或礦物質不平衡所致。一般人應最少每年進行一次HTMA以監察身體有毒金屬之積聚情況。

為何使用頭髮作為分析樣本：

雖然血液和血清化驗能反映某些在身體運行著的物質或元素之水平，但這些數據不能正確地反映細胞內之水平；此外血清中之礦物質水平可以受到許多不同因素影響而出現很大波動；這些因素包括血液樣本之抽取方法，樣本在何時抽取，病人的情緒，樣本抽取前所進食過之食物等等，而尿液樣本化驗只能反映排出身體的物質水平，並非身體所吸收之含量。

以下例子解釋了使用頭髮作為分析樣本的優點：

1) 抽血前吃過香蕉可以令血液中的鉀含量上升，但如果在第二天再進行一次抽血化驗，血液中的鉀含量可能已返回正常水平或更低。

2) 透過抽血化驗所得到的結果，並非身體鈣質水平的實質狀況；鈣質從骨質中流失現象，可能是在血液被驗出鈣質水平有明顯改變之前已發生。

3) 頭髮含礦量分析可以比血液化驗更早地反映出缺乏鐵質狀態及其症狀。

4) 血液化驗只適合於診斷急性的重金屬中毒，以鉛為例，中毒後三至四十天可能已不能透過血液化驗診斷出來，原因是身體的自我保護機制會把鉛從血液運到肝臟，骨骼，牙齒和頭髮，以便解毒，貯存和排泄。

5) 世界衛生組織在1990年出版的環境健康基準指出尿液樣本分析並不適用於檢查有機水銀之積聚量(海鮮所含有的水銀主要是有機水銀)，而頭髮是檢查此有毒金屬之主要樣本。

使用毛髮分析之好處：

1) 毛髮樣本可以在簡單和沒有痛楚的環境下以沒有侵害性的方式搜集樣本。

2) 身體的自我平衡機制通常迅速地影響血液中的礦物質和微量元素水平，由於毛髮不易受自我平衡機制所影響，因此它是一個比較可靠的指標去反映營養狀況或營養失衡的現象。

3) 頭髮中的礦物質及有毒金屬含量比身體其他組織高出至少十至數百倍。

4) 頭髮中的礦物質，微量元數及有毒金屬含量主要反映慢性或長時間之攝取量，能提供一個由過去到最近的營養狀況紀錄，對於流行病學及營養學有很大幫助。

5) 世界衛生組織及美國環境保護署皆確認頭髮為檢驗體內重金屬積聚量之適當樣本。

為何要檢驗體內的有毒金屬和礦物質：

礦物質在維持正常的新陳代謝過程中，擔當著重要的角色。礦物質在身體中的功能包括：作為骨骼和牙齒的基本結構，協助神經訊息傳遞，肌肉收縮，酵素及荷爾蒙(如胰島素)的製造和維持身體的酸鹼度平衡。研究亦確認了礦物質在維持正常的免疫力，延緩老化及預防退化性疾病等層面上有著重要的任務。

礦物質與維他命在身體中共存於一個很精密的平衡狀態，而這個平衡狀態是會受到各種內分泌，器官的影響。只要明白這種互相影響的關係便能理解營養素是如何運用，舉例說，缺乏維他命C可以令過量的銅積存於體內；情況嚴重者可出現銅中毒，並增加鐵，硒和鉀的流失。相反地，過量攝取維他命C可引致身體缺乏銅和積存過多的鐵。

費用Fee：每次$1,500 HKD

Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA)

A unique window on metabolic activity HTMA is a precise analytical test that assays the mineral composition of the hair, providing a sensitive indicator of the long-term effects of diet, environment, stress and toxic metal exposure.

As one of the body's most metabolically active tissues, hair is exposed to blood, lymph and intracellular fluids. As the cluster of matrix cells, which form a hair follicle, reach the surface of the skin the outer layers harden locking in the trace elements that accumulated during growth and providing, in effect, a biochemical blueprint. Clinical studies and a wealth of scientific literature have shown that when sampled and analysed correctly, hair analysis can give an accurate indication of nutrient mineral excesses, deficiencies, biochemical imbalances and toxic metal accumulation.

Since hormonal activity is well known to affect the metabolic utilization of certain trace nutrients, HTMA is now used widely by medical practitioners to aid in specifying a patient's metabolic type. The correlation of over 300,000 tissue mineral patterns with specific physical and biochemical characteristics has enabled Dr Watts and his team at Trace Elements to identify eight distinct metabolic categories. These are fast and slow metabolic types each with their four sub-types, which are associated with the various stages of stress, whether acute or chronic in nature.

HTMA reveals cellular metabolic activity unattainable through most other tests. It is a screening tool applicable to both assessments of health status and toxic metal accumulation, while also serving as an invaluable diagnostic aid. If a patient is suffering from an illness or syndrome which cannot be identified through routine clinical tests, hair analysis can help to pin point a possible metabolic disturbance and help the clinician choose the appropriate course of treatment. At the very least, hair analysis should be used once a year to evaluate toxic metal exposure and accumulation.

Why Use Hair?

Although blood and serum give an insight into the transport of certain elements around the body, they are not accurate indicators of the actual storage of elements within the cells. Monitoring trace elements in urine can only measure components which are being excreted, not absorbed. Serum concentrations may fluctuate with the manner in which the sample is taken, emotional changes, the time of day the blood is drawn, or foods eaten prior to taking the sample.

For example;

Eating bananas before a blood test will cause a rise in blood potassium, but blood re-tested the following day may show blood potassium to be normal or even low.

Similarly, calcium levels assessed by a blood test do not truly reflect mineral status in the body and calcium loss from the bones can be quite advanced before significant changes in blood calcium levels are detected.

Iron deficiency symptoms can be present in hair long before low levels are seen in serum.

Thirty to forty days following an acute exposure, elevated serum levels of lead may be undetectable. This is due to the body's removing the lead from serum as a protective measure and depositing them into tissues such as the liver, bones, teeth and hair.

Benefits of HTMA

Hair samples can be collected easily and painlessly using non-invasive techniques.

Hair is less susceptible to the homeostatic mechanisms that quickly affect trace element levels in the blood. It is therefore a more reliable indicator of nutritional status or imbalance.

Concentrations of most elements in the hair are up to ten times higher than levels found in blood and other tissues.

Trace element levels found in hair tissue represent time-weighted exposure (providing a record of past and present nutritional status) making it more useful for epidemiological and nutritional studies.

Hair is the tissue of choice for determining toxic metal exposure by the US Environmental Protection and it is used for this purpose worldwide.

Why test for Minerals?

 Minerals are the spark plugs in the chemistry of life. Their functions range from providing structural support in the formation of bones and teeth, to nerve conduction, muscle contraction, the production of enzyme and hormones such as insulin and the maintenance of the acid-base balance in the body. Research is now recognising their importance in the healthy functioning of the immune system, the fight against ageing and the prevention of chronic degenerative diseases.

Minerals and vitamins co-exist in a delicate balance, which is influenced by the activity of the endocrinal glands. The key to understanding the effect of nutrients is to understand these interrelationships. For example, a deficiency of vitamin C leads to a build up of copper to often toxic levels. Too much copper can cause a deficiency of iron, selenium and potassium. Conversely, excess vitamin C can result in copper deficiency leading to iron retention in the body.