LIFESTYLE FACTORS REVEALED ON HAIR MINERAL ANALYSES

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

© September 2012, L.D. Wilson Consultants, Inc.

 

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.  It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

 

Many people think that hair tissue mineral analysis is useful mainly for toxic metals, or simply to assess nutrient deficiencies, or even mainly for assessing the oxidation rate.  However, it is much more than this.

This article addresses the important area of lifestyle modification, based upon indicators revealed on a hair mineral analysis.  Inappropriate lifestyles are an important reason why some people become ill or fail to get well on all types of healing regimens. 

 

FAST OR SLOW OXIDATION

 

            Fast oxidation indicates in most cases that a personÕs adrenal and thyroid glands are overactive at the cellular level.  This can be due to mainly physical factors, or it can have to do with a personÕs lifestyle and attitudes.

What to do. As a rule, fast oxidizers need to slow down, calm down and relax more.  Any therapies, dietary changes (such as less coffee or other stimulants) or lifestyle changes that will accomplish this are well worth the effort.  These might include relaxation exercises, deep breathing, gentle exercise only, more sleep and rest, and perhaps other methods such as yoga, tai chi, meditation or other ways to slow down and relax more.  They may need to change their attitudes so they are not so oriented toward confronting and fighting with others.

            Children.  Young children up to about the age of 3 to 10 are fast oxidizers.  However, even many young children need plenty of rest and they are easily overstimulated by excessive television, music, other noise, computer games or other ways.  Of course, children should also avoid stimulants such as caffeinated soda pop, coffee, tea, chocolate or other any other stimulants, including over-the-counter drugs.  This is most important to help control fast oxidation in a child.

            Stress reduction is also important for many children today.  Often parents put pressure on children to excel in school, excel at sports or in other ways.  Some fast oxidizing children even need much less interaction with peers in school or other settings.  They are hypersensitive to others or to their environment, and do not fare well in crowded or noisy situations in particular.

For example, some children may learn much better in a one-on-one setting rather than a classroom full of other children.  This may be difficult if the child is in a babysitting center or childcare setting where he or she must be with others.  However, it is an important consideration in some resistant cases of fast oxidation.

 

            Slow oxidation is more of an exhaustion stage of stress.  The body is often worn out much more than with fast oxidation.  the glands tend to be underactive.  Physical factors are always part of the problem.  However, certain lifestyle patterns and attitudes are often involved as well.

What to do. Many slow oxidizers are still excessively active.  However, their body chemistry has, in general, Ôburned outÕ so they are not able to experience the thrills or feeling that the fast oxidizer feels much of the time.  They need to slow down in many cases, and it can be as difficult for them to do this as it is for fast oxidizers.

Slow oxidizers suffer from more complex autonomic nervous system imbalances than fast oxidizers in many cases.  Their fight-or-flight nervous system, as is discussed below, is often ÔstuckÕ in an active position.  This can make slowing down even more difficult for slow oxidizers.

Some slow oxidizers are chronically depressed and need to work on changing this attitude and approach to life.  Some with a high calcium level discussed below are actively running away from life, even if they donÕt realize it.  This needs to change in some cases or their mineral balance will not improve very much.

 

A CALCIUM SHELL (calcium above 165 mg% in women, or about 155 mg% in men)

 

            This pattern indicates that a person is withdrawing from life and often running away hard.  It is not a healthy pattern, and is associated with lowered awareness to some degree, and often with improper lifestyles such as staying up too late, working too hard, worrying too much, feeling very alone and unloved, depression and other problems related to oneÕs lifestyle and attitudes.

            What to do. These people need a nutritional balancing program to help correct their body chemistry, as do most people.  However, in some cases, they also really need to slow down, rest more, and watch their attitudes and approach to life to see that they do not just run away and hide at some level.  Many of these people are spiritually-oriented and may have difficulty coping with life.  Strengthening their body chemistry helps a lot, and working with their attitudes and lifestyle can help a lot as well.

 

A POTASSIUM LEVEL OF 4 MG OR LESS (SYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE)

 

Sympathetic dominance tends to indicate that a person is overusing the sympathetic nervous system, also known as the fight-or-flight system.  This is becoming more and more common on hair mineral tests. 

            Other sympathetic dominance indicators, though less critical, are an elevated sodium/potassium ratio and perhaps a high calcium/potassium ratio when seen with the first indicator above, the low potassium level.

            What to do. These individuals, like the fast oxidizers, need to slow down tremendously.  They are Òburning themselves outÓ and will not get well fast at all if they do not change their lifestyle and often their thinking patterns to reflect a more peaceful and more gentle and loving approach to their lives.  They need to help their bodies get out of the fight-or-flight mentality. 

            Unlike the fast oxidizers, these individuals are quite exhausted.  Yet they continue to run around or worry excessively, further wearing out the body and the mind.  They often need to slow down physically in some cases, and/or mentally.

For example, they may need to think slower, walk slower, talk slower, eat slower and in general learn to relax and rest more.  They may need to engage in more spiritual reading or other pursuits that uplift, inspire, relax and reassure themselves that all is well and one need not be in fight-or-flight as much of the time.

            Children.  Sympathetic dominance is much less common in children, but does occur, at times.  These young adults are overstimulated with school, music, worries and fears, sports and other activities or perhaps boyfriends and girlfriends, or family pressures.  Teens, in particular, need about 10 or more hours of sleep daily, less athletic and academic competition, and often a more relaxed home and school life.

 

A CA/MG RATIO BETWEEN ABOVE ABOUT 13.5 (SPIRITUAL DEFENSIVENESS)

 

            This pattern on an initial hair mineral analysis tends to indicate either:

 

1. One is stuck and defending some aspect of the lifestyle that needs to change.  It could be a job, a relationship, a location, perhaps or something else in the lifestyle.

 

2. One is stuck and defending an attitude that is no longer appropriate or helpful.  A common one is anger, but others might include depression, negativity or others.

 

            This is a newer pattern that was not part of Dr. EckÕs original brilliant research.  The pattern is still being researched to learn more about it, but it seems to hold true most of the time.  It does not hold true on retests as much, because often calcium rises in relation to magnesium on retests as the body eliminates some biounavailable or metastatic calcium during a nutritional balancing program.

            What to do. When you see this pattern on an initial hair analysis, ask the patient if there is something in their life such as a job, location, thought pattern or difficult relationships that may not be optimal and that could be interfering with their health.  This is all too often the case.

            By bringing this to the patientÕs attention, it can help the person to make new choices that are more health-producing.  This is the value of this pattern to the clinician and the patient.

Children.  A difficult situation arises many times when this pattern shows up in young children.  We interpret the pattern in these cases to mean that the child is having difficulty in school or with parents, or with a sibling or some other friend or relative.  Of course, this is harder to correct in a child, as children have less control over their lives.  However, one can point out to the parents when the pattern is revealed on the childÕs hair tissue mineral analysis.  It may help a parent to make changes in the childÕs lifestyle or school situation that will greatly enhance the healing process.

 

A SODIUM/POTASSIUM RATIO LESS THAN 2.5:1

 

            This is called a sodium/potassium inversion.  It indicates a person is often harboring negative emotions and/or the person is under a lot of chronic stress and is beginning to feel overwhelmed.  In some cases, the person is Òbeating his head against a wall instead of walking through the doorÓ.  These are all possible with this chronic adrenal stress pattern.

            This pattern, unlike those above, also may have little to do with lifestyle and be mainly due to chronic infections, diabetes or hypoglycemia, tissue breakdown or catabolism, or some other mainly physical health condition.  However, often an attitude or lifestyle tendency is involved.

            What to do. People with this pattern, especially if it is chronic, may improve simply with the diet and supplement regimen.  However, at times these people need to rest more, relax more, change their point of view or attitude, give up resentment and hostility or frustration, and take a more positive attitude.

 

FOUR LOWS PATTERN

 

            This pattern, when seen on an initial hair mineral analysis, indicates a person is somehow Òspinning his wheels in a ditch and getting nowhereÓ.  It can also indicate a type of psychological or lifestyle ÒcollapseÓ going on in a personÕs life.  It is a serious chronic stress pattern that must be changed, as it can develop into serious illnesses.  The person is also, perhaps secretly, often quite negative, cynical and depressed underneath, although it may not obvious.  Most are very good people, hard-working and quite driven or even compulsive at times.  They can be quite hard on themselves and on others, as well.  They may have a rather stoic quality about them, at times.

        What to do.  Those with a four lows pattern need a lot more rest and relaxation.  Also, they need to love themselves more, and often they need to take much better care of themselves.  Often one needs to work less and to be more gentle with oneself and with others.

            Children. This pattern is less common in children.  When it does occur, it is usually because a parent is in the pattern and the child literally picks up the mannerisms and attitudes of the parent.  Very rarely, the pattern is more about physical imbalances that a child was born with.  The children need the same lifestyle changes as the adults, with more rest, relaxation, and more positive input so that the child feels more self-love and self-admiration.

 

FOUR HIGHS PATTERN WITH AN ELEVATED SODIUM/POTASSIUM RATIO (WORKAHOLIC PATTERN)

 

            As the name implies, this pattern is common in people who just work a lot, often to escape feelings of depression or just to keep themselves going so they donÕt feel how tired they really are. Some of these people are delicate, spiritually speaking, and do not want to come out of four highs and perhaps Òcrash landÓ in slow oxidation, a place where they would have to feel more sad, depressed, lonely, perhaps or other negative feelings.

            What they need. A nutritional balancing will help somewhat to rebalance the body.  However, this is almost completely a lifestyle imbalance.  The person must realize that working so much is not healthful and is not taking care of their deeper needs for more rest, often more spirituality and more love of self.

 

OTHER IMPORTANT PATTERNS AND LIFESTYLE

 

            In fact, most of the patterns on a hair mineral analysis, including all of the basic ratios, and many others, can have to do with lifestyle in some situations.  The ones listed above are the most obvious ones, but in fact all hair analysis patterns can have a lifestyle-related component with them.

 

 

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