Hair analysis and testing for toxins...

I came across a thread on a forum just now, in which some guy claims that he started smoking some cheap bootleg cigarettes and his hair started falling out. Some posters chimed in to tell him that it was likely due to unregulated levels of arsenic found in these cigs.

This got me thinking about those hair analysis tests, whereby they take a strand of hair and test it for toxic substances. So i figured that, if toxic metals and so forth are found inside strands of hair, then they must be entering hair growing cells where hair is formed from keratin. So when these toxic substances diffuse into these cells, then they must be causing an auto-immune reaction within them, no?

I know many of you guys have spoken about mercury fillings in the past and how you were 100% certain that they were causing your hair to fall out... well, you might well be correct, seeing as metals are in fact found in strands of hair.

I'm not an expert on this subject... just started reading into it, in fact, but I think there might be something in this, and not just limiting this to metals either, but a variety of toxic substances.

"Toxic metals are those minerals that have no known function in the human body and which are harmful. This is not an absolute definition, as any mineral may become toxic, and some toxic metals may have functions we have not yet discovered.

Toxic metals are ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. However, another important source is toxic metals passed through the placenta from mother to child during gestation. These can remain in the body for a lifetime.

Once absorbed, toxic metals find their way into the bloodstream. As soon as this occurs, the body attempts to get rid of them through the normal elimination channels - the kidneys, the bile and the skin. The body also attempts to minimize toxic metal damage by sequestering or storing them away in fatty tissues, hair and other non-essential tissues [metal binding sites]

Damage from toxic metals may occur due to their physical properties, their chemical properties or even electromagnetic interference. They often interfere with the absorption and metabolism of essential minerals and they displace vital minerals in enzyme binding sites. This can inhibit or completely disable the affected enzymes."

For further reading:

http://www.arltma.com/Newsletters/ToxicMetalsNews.htm

Mercury in hair as an indicator of total body burden

Hair is known to concentrate mercury, and in general the concentration of mercury in hair is proportional to and many times higher than its concentration in the blood. The variation of the mercury concentration in human head hair was used to follow the history of poisoning in people who ingested grain treated with methylmercury. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was used for mercury determination. The initial rising slope of mercury concentration along the hair was proportional to the daily intake of methylmercury per kg of body weight. The ratio of the concentration of methylmercury in human head hair to the average body concentration was found to be about 137. By using this ratio and measuring mercury concentration in hair, the total body burden can be calculated. In the patients studied, the peak body burden ranged from 0.8 to 4.4 mg/kg in cases showing mild symptoms, from 1.5 to 6 mg/kg in cases with moderate symptoms, and from 3 to 12 mg/kg in cases with severe symptoms. The curve of the variation in mercury concentrations along the hair was also used to calculate the biological half-life of methylmercury in man. Forty-eight cases were studied and it was found that the frequency curve (population distribution curve) was grouped into two distinct regions. In about 90% of the population the biological half-life of methylmercury was 35-100 days, and 10% showed high values of 110-120 days.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2366395/

Nice.

I've been researching this a lot and seems like a very underused diagnostic tool ... but the caveat being you have to use someone who fully understands it as there's a lot of hacks out there. I'm using Dr Garret Smith's service

https://www.facebook.com/DrGarrettSmith?fref=ts

I liked what he had to say the topic

http://180radio.com/180degreehealth-13-mineral-ratios-dr-garrett-smith/

http://180radio.com/180degreehealth-3-hair-mineral-analysis-vs-rbti/

I get my results next month, I'm a bit nervous in anticipation to see what crap I've been accumulating and what mineral imbalances I have, but seems like a superb way to quantifiably improve health

This bit "They often interfere with the absorption and metabolism of essential minerals and they displace vital minerals in enzyme binding sites."

Smith's philosophy is to first ensure adequate intake of all the essential minerals as they can displace the toxic ones. This makes sense to me (think silica > aluminium, zinc > mercury etc.)

(BTW. Sweating eliminates nearly every toxin I looked for ... metals, plastics, pesticides etc. also a very underrated thing -- though you do also excrete healthy minerals, so needs to be factored too)

Thanks Columbo. I never particularly considered metal toxicity as a factor in my hair loss because I never had mercury fillings. But since looking at how metals can contaminate our systems in various ways, it now makes me reconsider. I was brought up in a home where my folks smoked (I used to smoke also), and it made me wonder if passive smoking (from an early age) may have caused an accumulation of metals in my system over many years?

And this was quite interesting to read:

"Ingestion of food packaged in various types of metal cans on a long-term basis may lead to heavy metal poisoning, according to a study made public yesterday by a Kaohsiung physician.

Dr. Cheng Hung-yi pointed out that in a 19-month study among some 220 local residents, he was surprised to find that as many as 11 percent of them suffered from heavy metal poisoning without even knowing it.

Cheng said nearly all of the patients diagnosed with this particular type of poisoning did not know they had the illness since symptoms at the early stage are not normally obvious.

However, as the toxic metal traces continued to build up in the system, patients would begin to experience symptoms such as headaches, lethargy, hair loss or digestive tract problems, Cheng added."

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/news/2001/04/07/9623/Too-much.htm

It is interesting how metal poisoning is linked to baldness, and it would make sense seeing as they diffuse into the hair growing cells... yet another spoke in the wheel, it would seem.

P.S. it would be good if you could keep us informed of your hair analysis results next month.

Also, I was looking inside the kettle, and at the bottom of it I saw lots of small metallic chippings which had broken away from the heating element. The heating element inside the kettle is usually made of nichrome (80% nickel and 20% chrome), so I'm wondering if this is what these metallic chippings are and if I have been unknowingly absorbing them into my system every time I have been drinking tea? I've stopped drinking tea over the past weeks, but, prior to this, I'd been drinking around 10 or more cups per day for years.

Xenon wrote:Also, I was looking inside the kettle, and at the bottom of it I saw lots of small metallic chippings which had broken away from the heating element. The heating element inside the kettle is usually made of nichrome (80% nickel and 20% chrome), so I'm wondering if this is what these metallic chippings are and if I have been unknowingly absorbing them into my system every time I have been drinking tea? I've stopped drinking tea over the past weeks, but, prior to this, I'd been drinking around 10 or more cups per day for years.

Get one of these bad boys:

http://www.trendglas-jena.com/en/trendglas-household-glass/kitchen-and-helpers/water-kettle.php

Though, also worth bearing in mind:

http://suppversity.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/commercially-available-teas-not.html

Honestly, it's frustrating just how pervasive toxins are nowadays. Arsenic in rice, mercury in fish etc. Kind of why I like the "get plenty of vital minerals" philosophy to act as antagonists to the toxic ones.

I've had tow hair mineral tests done in the past year. Both showed an elevated mercury level. One in the 70th percentile, one in the 80th. I was shocked the first time because I have no mercury fillings. The second time it went up so I did further research. There is thought that mercury from seafood is much more dangerous than some think, and that may be how it got into my system. I eat lots of seafood. I have other symptoms of mercury toxicity. Had some other metals elevated as well, but this seems to be the worst.

Some people think that high hair mercury may be good because it means your system is processing it. I haven't heard that from a doctor though, just something I read in my research.

There's also information out there about the levels and ratios of good minerals in hair tests. My ratios are all messed up and the symptoms of the poor ratios I have are all my issues. (sleep issues, energy levels, +more).

It's interesting. Still trying to learn. I haven't done anything as a result of my tests yet except eat less seafood. Going to retest in a few months.