How HTMA is a game-changer when trying to conceive!

I'm always talking about getting a hair tissue mineral analysis so I thought it would be fun to do a case study so you can see just how much you can learn from one!

I think the more data and information you have the better plan you can make as you begin healing and trying to conceive. 

Everyone is different and has different needs.  

While the nutrition foundations I teach and reducing stressors will help EVERYONE…

it is helpful to know what minerals might be low or imbalanced so you can replenish those accordingly.

Minerals are the SPARK PLUGS of your body. These are crucial to kick off enzyme reactions and processes throughout your entire body. They are also directly related to specific functions in our body including metabolism, thyroid, adrenals, hormone production, immune health and blood sugar. 

In this blog - we’ll take a look at one client's metabolic type (mine), the individual mineral levels, heavy metals/mineral ratios and recommendations based on what is shown in the HTMA.

As seen in the graphic above, the ideal place is closest to the smiley face.

A slow metabolic rate means you are in a para sympathetic state.

Approximately 80% of the population are slow oxidizers. Being in a parasympathetic state is sedative and produces a reduction in metabolism. This contributes to a pear-shaped body structure and a tendency to carry weight in the hips, thighs, and butt.

 On the other end, if you are a fast oxidizer you are in a sympathetic dominant state. 

This client (me) was a Slow 1.

Helpful practices for all slow oxidizers is to lower fat intake to a moderate range. Fat slows absorption and digestion of your food and when you are a slow metabolizer your body is already slow at this process and uses a lot of energy to do it. So if you limit your fats it can be easier on your body to digest. A healthy range I try to have my slow metabolic clients in is a 50-70g range. With lowering fat usually means we need to make up the calories with other macros. 

I like my clients to up their carbs and make sure their protein is around the 130-150g range. Fill in the rest of your calories with healthy carbs. Another thing about carbs and slow oxidizers is they tend to have gut issues from slow movement of food and poor break down of food. Consuming more fruit, fruit juices, honey, and root veggies serves these clients much better than super starchy carbs which again are more difficult to break down. This isn't saying you can never eat starchy carbs like potatoes, rice, grains, etc its just we want to help our body conserve energy not use it all up just to break down our food. 

Whenever we are wanting to improve your metabolic rate we need to think about the ratio of calcium to phosphorus. The calcium to phosphorus ratio indicates the autonomic state (sympathetic or parasympathetic) and the metabolic state of the body. Calcium is controlled by the parasympathetic branch (rest and digest) and phosphorus is controlled by the sympathetic branch (fight or flight).The higher calcium gets above phosphorus, the slower the metabolism or the more parasympathetic someone is because calcium is controlled by the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system.

So ideally, we want all the minerals to be within the white parameters. Many of these minerals for this client are out of range mostly being too low. 

So this clients calcium is within range although a bit on the lower side. Magnesium is outside of the reference range. We burn through magnesium when we are stressed and our body needs it for over 3700 enzyme reactions in the body.

Recommendation #1:

I would recommend a magnesium supplement for this client only because getting magnesium through the diet can be difficult. I recommend magnesium glycinate or magnesium bicarbonate as a supplement and then also including epsom salt baths and magnesium topicals like lotion or spray. 

Slow oxidizers tend to have lower sodium and potassium and they use these when stressed, whereas a fast oxidizer would usually burn through magnesium and calcium more. This clients sodium is within range but their potassium is low. We want to really prioritize getting that potassium up because potassium helps to get thyroid hormone and glucose into the cell for use and this person has issues with both of those areas. Potassium is also a crucial electrolyte and helps to regulate blood pressure and ph in the body. 

Recommendation #2:

Increase potassium foods: potatoes, aloe vera juice, cream of tartar, coconut water, bananas, dried apricots, cooked leafy greens. I'm going to recommend this client have 2 adrenal cocktails everyday.  

Next we notice elevated copper which is common in those that are slow metabolizers. When copper is elevated it means that it is unbound. Copper needs proteins to help it move around the body- without being loaded into these proteins copper becomes unregulated and can't get where it needs to go. So that is definitely something we will want to work on since high copper can contribute to dysregulated iron, we need copper for healthy eggs, hormone balance, we need copper for thyroid hormone conversion and for making our energy. The easiest way to support healthy copper levels is to increase Vitamin A foods and Vitamin C foods. 

Recommendation #3: 

Vitamin A - cod liver oil & beef liver 

Vitamin C- citrus fruits, bell peppers, fruit juice (Adrenal cocktails)

2 Raw carrot salads a days (high copper is correlated with high estrogen- these will help to detox the high estrogen which can help to rebalance hormones)

The last area I am going to look at on these individual minerals is iron and zinc. (Although on a full client workup I would also look at the other minerals as well- but for the sake of not making these email too too long- I'll cut those out) Zinc is within range but on the lower end. I never recommend supplementing zinc on its own but increasing zinc foods would be helpful. 

As far as iron, even though it looks low on the chart, there are many other indicators that there is a bit of iron overload happening and that the iron is just hidden inside organs and tissues. 1) Copper is elevated which means iron is not being recycled easily, 2) Iron, manganese and aluminum are called the 3 amigos because they are usually found together. If one of those is high they are usually all high. Even though we aren't talking about the heavy metals section of the test the aluminum reading was on the higher end.  3) Iron is the easiest mineral to intake because it is fortified into so many foods. Most people have some level of iron overload as opposed to anemia". 

Recommendation #4: 

Get more Vitamin A: cod liver oil and beef liver 

Get more copper: shellfish, citrus fruits, white fish, liver, mushrooms, crab/lobster, sweet potato

As you can see, this simple test gives you a TON of information that blood tests often won't pick up on. This is due to the fact that a hair test is a tissue test so its telling you what's happening within your cells. 

 I often hear people say, well they tested my sodium, potassium, and other minerals on my metabolic panel or basic bloodwork. But the truth is, some minerals like potassium and magnesium are intracellular which means 99% of it is found within the cell not floating around in your blood. So a blood test is not an accurate measure for these. 

Also like we saw with this test, high unbound copper or hidden iron will not show up on a blood test either. 

I recommend ALL of my clients and course students to do the HTMA and the ones who do get the fastest results and are pregnant the quickest!

 Here's a few of them below…

NOW - Let’s Talk Mineral Ratios

Significant Ratios

Mineral Ratios provide the most useful information in determining nutritional deficiencies and excesses. Analyzing the ratios provides significantly more information about the body than looking at each mineral level alone. The ratios represent homeostatic balances and can be indicative of disease trends (not diagnostic, but associated based on research). Ratios can also be predictive of future metabolic dysfunctions or hidden metabolic dysfunctions. They are also used to chart progress on re-test reports.

#1 // Calcium to Phosphorus (Ca/P)

“Autonomic Balance Ratio”

Range: 1.6 - 3.6

Optimal: 2.6

This clients result was 4.91

This result is suggestive of being in a state of parasympathetic dominance.

The higher calcium gets above phosphorus, the slower the metabolism or the more parasympathetic someone is because calcium is controlled by the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system.

Being in a parasympathetic state is sedative and produces a reduction in metabolism. This contributes to a pear-shaped body structure and a tendency to carry weight in the hips, thighs, and butt.

#2 // Sodium to Potassium (Na/K)

“Stress Ratio”

Range: 1.4 - 3.4

Optimal: 2.6

The sodium to potassium ratio is one of the most important ratios to evaluate because there is a sodium/potassium pump that controls movement in and out of the cell on every single cell membrane in the body. Nothing exits or gets into the cell without the use of the sodium/ potassium pump.

This ratio tells us about the electrical potential of the cells, kidney, liver, and adrenal function. Sodium is linked to aldosterone and potassium is linked to cortisone.

This client's result was 2.83 which is in within the reference range. 

#3 // Calcium to Potassium (Ca/K)

“Thyroid Ratio”

Range: 2.2 - 6.2

Optimal: 4.2

The thyroid gland is one of the major glands that regulates metabolic rate in the body. Thyroid hormone controls calcium in the body via the production of calcitonin. The higher the calcium, the lower the thyroid gland activity. Potassium is associated with sensitivity of the tissues to thyroid hormone. When potassium is low, thyroid hormone is poorly utilized. 

When the thyroid ratios are abnormal, the efficiency of energy production in the body decreases. It is like an engine that is turning too slow or too fast - power output declines.

This client's ratio was a 9 which is very high, and correlates with hypothyroid symptoms.

 Too much bio-unavailable calcium decreases cell permeability, making it difficult for thyroid hormone to get into the cell. If you have had blood work done that showed your thyroid was fine but you’re struggling with hypothyroid symptoms, this is the reason why. You have plenty of thyroid hormone in your blood, but it is not able to get into the cell where it is able to be utilized.

Tendencies: Weight gain, cold hands and feet, lack of sweating, fatigue, dry skin, dry hair, tendency towards constipation.

#4 // Zinc to Copper (Zn/Cu)

“Hormone and Energy Regulation Ratio”

Range: 4.0 - 12.0

Optimal: 8

The zinc to copper ratio is a much more effective method of evaluating zinc and copper levels than considering either copper or zinc levels alone. 

This ratio can be indicative of copper deficiency or copper unavailability.

Zinc roughly correlates with progesterone in women and testosterone in men, while copper roughly correlates with estrogen in men and women. 

This client's ratio was 3.71 which is low. 

This can be indicative of copper dominance and possible copper toxicity. It is important to balance the main minerals first before addressing copper imbalance. 

Tendencies: Allergies, asthma, headaches, immune deficiency, female problems, infections, insomnia, liver problems, skin problems such as eczema, acne, hives, psoriasis, skin rashes, psychological problems, behavior problems, emotional instability.

#5 // Sodium to Magnesium (Na/Mg)

“Adrenal Health Ratio”

Range: 2.0 - 6.0

Optimal: 4.0

Aldosterone, a mineralocorticoid adrenal hormone, regulates retention of sodium in the body. In general, the higher the sodium level, the higher the aldosterone level.

This ratio is also a measure of energy output, because the adrenal glands are a major regulator (along with the thyroid gland) of the rate of metabolism.

This client's ratio was 6.07

This sodium to magnesium ratio is very high, which can correlate with adrenal gland dysfunction.

Tendencies: Aggressiveness, impulsiveness, diabetes, hypertension, increased stamina and drive, tendency to inflammation and inflammatory reactions, type A personality.

#6 // Calcium to Magnesium (Ca/Mg)

“Blood Sugar Ratio”

Range: 3.0 - 11.0

Optimal: 7.0

Calcium is required for the release of insulin from the pancreas. Magnesium is necessary for both the action of insulin and the manufacture of insulin. 

This client's ratio was 19.29

This calcium to magnesium ratio is very high, which can indicate tendencies towards low blood sugar.

Tendencies: Low blood sugar, imbalanced glucose metabolism, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, constipation, muscle aches and pains, muscle twitches and spasms, sugar cravings.

#7 // Iron to Copper (Fe/Cu)

“Infection Indication Ratio”

Range: .2 - 1.6

Optimal: .9

The iron to copper ratio indicates if your body tends toward viral infections or bacterial infections.

This client's ratio was  0.11

This iron to copper ratio is very low, which suggests a tendency towards viral infections.

BASED ON THE ABOVE RATIOS…

HERE ARE MY RECOMMENDATIONS:

- Follow nutrition foundations to help keep blood sugar balanced and reduce running on stress hormones.

- Eat upon waking

- Eat every 3-4 hours

- Eat enough calories, protein and carbs

- Eat a protein, carb and fat with each meal and snack

- Eat a bedtime snack

- Include more potassium rich foods: adrenal cocktails, potatoes, coconut water, aloe vera juice, bananas, dried apricots, etc

- Include magnesium supplement: magnesium glycinate OR magnesium bicarbonate

- Reduce any high intensity workouts.

Hopefully this breakdown of my own HTMA as a case study will show you how you can look deeper into your mineral ratios and take action from there. 

HTMA is a great too to help you understand your symptoms and dysfunction better!

If you're interested in learning more about boosting your fertility naturally, watch my free training here.

xx,

Meghan