RETESTING
THE HAIR MINERALS
by
Dr. Lawrence Wilson
©
July 2021, LD 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.
Retesting the balance of the minerals in the hair tissue
every 3 to 6 months is a critical part of all development programs. The main reason for this is to keep the
program appropriate or proper.
Otherwise, oneŐs progress often stops and one may feel worse.
A properly designed development program
will slowly uncover deeper layers of biochemical imbalances, toxic metals,
chronic infections and nutrient deficiencies. This changes the hair mineral readings. A new program is often then required to
rebalance the minerals.
A retest is needed to guide the changes
in the diet, the lifestyle and the supplement program to keep the body
chemistry balanced. This is needed
to speed oneŐs development.
Many people believe that foods and
nutritional supplements are harmless and it does not matter what one
takes. This is not true. For example, for a person who has a
fast oxidation rate, B-complex vitamins will often make irritability and
anxiety worse!
An improper diet or supplement program
could also make a person even more depressed, in some cases. If toxic metals are in the process of
being eliminated, one may require different supplements to support the body, a
different detoxification regimen, or lifestyle changes to support the
process. These are just a few
examples of why retesting is so critical for the best results with development.
OTHER
REASONS FOR RETESTING THE HAIR
1.
Safety.
Retests are needed to make sure the healing program is actually improving oneŐs
health. Safety is always the most
important consideration in development science, and we wish it were most
important in all of health care.
2.
Maintaining a high vitality level. We find that when the development program is set up to
balance body chemistry, a personŐs vitality increases dramatically. This is necessary for deep healing and
development. Retesting regularly
is the only way to assess whether the program is appropriate to maximize
vitality and adaptive energy production.
3.
Addressing new stress factors in a personŐs life. Retests allow us to alter a development
program to account for changes in a personŐs life that may affect body
chemistry. This is critical to
assure the highest vitality level and a balanced body
chemistry in the face of stressors of all kinds such as accidents, divorce, and
even a new job or a move.
4.
Insights about puzzling symptoms.
Many symptoms such as fatigue, pain, low blood sugar or others may be
due to temporary changes in body chemistry that will be revealed on a
retest. If one knows what is occurring
at the deepest cellular level, one can take steps to compensate or change the
program, which often relieves these symptoms. Symptoms may be physical, mental and/or emotional.
5. Addressing latent and sub-clinical
health conditions. Most people have
latent health conditions. These
may be chronic infections, tumors, artery disease, tissue weaknesses or other
conditions that are so hidden they are not revealed on standard medical tests. However, they are important if one is
to prevent health problems later in life.
Development
science can and does always address these hidden conditions. Often the only evidence of their
existence is a significant shift on a hair mineral retest after a person has
been on a development program for several months or longer. Using the retest, it is possible to
adjust the development program to assist the body to heal these sub-clinical
and latent conditions.
6.
Cost effectiveness. It is often a
waste of money and effort to remain on a development program that is not
appropriate for oneŐs body chemistry.
In fact, the wrong supplements, for example, can set one back instead of
moving one forward on a healing path.
7.
Reassurance, guidance and feedback for practitioners. Retests provide a lot of reassurance for both Helpers and
clients. If no change occurs at
all on a retest, for example, perhaps the person is not following the diet,
supplements and lifestyle correctly.
Perhaps there is so much psychological or other stress that it is
negating the benefits of the program and must be addressed.
8. Joy
patterns. On retests we look for joy patterns,
also called development patterns.
These tell about a personŐs progress with development. For details, read Joy or Development Patterns.
HOW
MANY RETESTS DOES A PERSON NEED?
We
suggest retesting after 3-4 months after the first hair test and we require
retesting every 6 months while a person is following a development program. If
one does not retest every 6 months, we assume one is not following the program
and that one is no longer a client.
WHEN
TO RETEST SOONER
In
a few situations, it is best to retest after 3 months or no more than 4
months. These situations include
if your previous test revealed:
Patterns
that often change quickly:
- a four lows pattern.
- a four highs pattern.
- a fast oxidation rate in an
adult.
- a borderline pattern, meaning
just barely in or out of four lows, or a borderline oxidation rate, for
example.
Patterns
that need watching:
- a step up pattern
- extremely slow oxidation
- perhaps if the toxic metal levels
were very high.
If
needed for very careful monitoring, one can retest the hair after about 2
months. To do this properly, one
cuts the hair sample very close to the scalp and then cuts off most of the
hair, leaving a sample that is no more than ½ inch or 1 cm long.
HOW
MANY RETESTS ARE NEEDED?
Symptoms often begin to disappear
within a few weeks to months when one follows a development program. However, rebuilding digestion and
releasing traumas and deeper layers of adaptations and compensations takes
longer.
Also, development begins to occur
within a year on a development program.
Development is an amazing and lengthy process that goes on for years and
years. It offers tremendous benefits,
so we highly recommend that one remain on a development program for life. For details about development, read Introduction To Development.
QUESTIONS
THAT ARISE ABOUT RETESTS
A person may
feel better, yet a hair mineral analysis retest might reveal worsened ratios or
little significant change.
Conversely, a person may feel the same or worse, yet the retest shows
improvement. Why does these confusing situations arise?
Compensations and adaptations. A key to these phenomena is to understand adaptation. A fundamental
principle of development is that our bodies survive by compensating or adapting
to stress.
Adaptations
are biochemical changes in the body that occur moment to
moment and day to day as we react to our environment. They reflected in altered mineral
levels and ratios on a hair test. Taken together, the altered levels and ratios
are called homeostatic states.
For example, very slow oxidation is a
homeostatic state characterized by the tendency for low energy, depression and
low blood sugar. It is, however, the best the body can do at the time. Very
fast oxidation is another homeostatic state with different symptoms. High levels of toxic metals is a third state and so forth.
With
this understanding of adaptations and compensations, one can better understand
why retests and symptoms do not always or even most often correlate completely.
The test or the symptoms may lead. In some cases, the symptoms may change
before the retest. In other cases,
the body chemistry may shift before symptomatic changes are noticeable. This is a common source of confusion
with retests.
Uncovering deeper layers of imbalances. This is another key concept to avoid
confusion with retests. Often a
retest shows a different picture because one has discovered a deeper layer of
imbalance, toxic metals or some other alterations of body chemistry.
Now
let us discuss why certain unusual phenomena occur on retests.
I FEEL BETTER, BUT THE TEST IS WORSE
1. Decompensation.
One reason this occurs is decompensation.
After several weeks or months on a nutrition program, nutrients are
replenished and energy improves. The body then does not need to compensate as
much and a change of equilibrium or homeostasis occurs. Occasionally, a
temporary increased imbalance occurs.
Zinc
decreases. An example is a patient with a good zinc level, in spite of
symptoms such as prostate enlargement, skin problems, decreased sense of taste
and smell, poor digestion or other zinc deficiency symptoms. On a second or
third test, the zinc level may drop precipitously, yet the patient reports
feeling better. What happened?
The zinc reading was originally displaced
upwards, to balance something else or by a toxic metal such as cadmium. Cadmium
and other toxic metals can cause physiological mineral levels to appear higher
in the hair.
As
energy increases, cadmium is eliminated from the body. As cadmium is released, zinc replaces
it in the tissues and for a while less zinc is excreted into the hair tissue.
The retention of the zinc, along with cadmium elimination, causes improvement
in symptoms.
An oxidation rate worsens. A second example is a chronically ill
(compensated) patient with a fairly balanced oxidation rate on the first hair
test. This occurs commonly. After one or several tests, the oxidation rate may
become very slow or very fast, indicating severe energy loss. However, the
patient reports feeling better.
In this case, the body had compensated
for nutrient imbalances by accumulating toxic metals that temporarily balanced
the oxidation rate.
Cadmium,
for example, will raise sodium levels. Lead can replace calcium. In spite of a
fairly balanced oxidation rate, the person did not feel well because of the
presence of the toxic metals, often hidden deep within the tissues.
As
body chemistry improved, the body began to eliminate the toxic metals,
replacing them with physiological minerals. The person begins to feel better.
Yet the oxidation rate may reveal the underlying imbalance and look worse for a
while.
2.
Symptom relief. A second
reason the test may look worse but the patient feels better is if the patient
gains relief from an important symptom. This may produce psychological well-being in the patient, even though other imbalances
exist.
3. Not reading the test carefully enough. A third reason for an apparent worsening
of the test in spite of symptomatic improvement is the practitioner may not
understand how to interpret the new test.
4. Higher
toxic metals. For example, higher toxic metals usually means one is actively
eliminating of metals, not a worsening of toxicity. An unbalanced oxidation rate may grab one's attention,
causing one to overlook an improved sodium/potassium ratio or improved phosphorus
or zinc level.
5. Uncovering a deeper layer of imbalances.
This occurs often on hair
mineral tests. The main reason is
that imbalances in body chemistry are unwound or uncovered layer
by layer. Often, a
superficial layer does not appear that abnormal. However, a deeper layer reveals hidden toxic metals and
other imbalances that are more aberrant.
This
is not a cause for alarm, but for gratitude that one is uncovering and
correcting deeper imbalances.
Usually one feels better as these are uncovered, as it means one must no
longer spend energy compensating and adapting to underlying imbalances. Adaptive energy that was tied up in
this way is now freed and one often feels better.
In
those following a development program, blood, urine and other tests may also be
skewed temporarily as the unwinding of layers of adaptations proceeds. One simply addresses the imbalances
that are present without placing too much emphasis on the seemingly worsened appearance
of the mineral or other test.
LITTLE
CHANGE ON A RETEST
There are several reasons why there may
be little change on a retest, but the patient feels better. Possible reasons
include:
1.
Anchor patterns. This is a very
exciting and newer set of patterns.
They occur when the mineral readings do not change on a retest or change
very little. They can be confused
with a little change pattern. For
details, read Anchors and Pivots.
2.
ItŐs too soon to notice. A diet,
supplement or lifestyle change increases well-being,
but has not yet impacted body chemistry enough to show up on the test. Remember that a hair analysis is a
picture of the past three months or so of a personŐs body chemistry. Recent changes may take an extra month
or two to show up on a retest.
3.
Faulty Interpretation. The
practitioner overlooks a subtle improved ratio or level.
4.
Averaging. The change
may be too subtle to see on one test. For example, a copper level that is
rising from 2.5 mg% to 8.5 mg% over the 3 month
sampling period will be averaged resulting in a reading of 5.5 mg%.
Over
the next 3 months, a decrease in the copper level from 9 mg% to 2 mg% will be
averaged to also produce a reading of 5.5 mg%. The reading will be the same,
but the meaning is very different!
The
only way to detect such a subtle change would be to retest sooner. Eventually,
of course, the trend in body chemistry will be revealed, but on a temporary
basis it can seem as though nothing has changed.
5.
Faulty hair sampling. The hair was
not sampled correctly. This should
not happen if instructions for sampling hair are followed to the letter. However, if someone sends in a long
hair sample, it may be old. A
sample cut away from the scalp will not show recent changes.
THE
RETEST LOOKS BETTER, BUT THE PERSON FEELS WORSE OR THE SAME
A person with an improved retest can feel
worse for several reasons.
1.
Retracing reactions. The most
common reason is a healing reaction or retracing reaction. This can give rise
to many kinds of symptoms.
Most
do not last long, but chronic conditions may require months for retracing. One patient began to dissolve old
kidney stones, which then began to pass, causing extreme discomfort until all
had passed.
2.
Ridding the body of a latent condition. With a development program, unlike most other nutrition or
healing regimens, the body corrects the most important imbalances first. The most important imbalance may
not be oneŐs main symptom, however.
Therefore,
one may not feel better immediately, even though positive change is
occurring. Some understanding of
the correction process is required in order to continue with the program in
spite of little apparent symptom change.
For example,
a latent condition might be a partially clogged artery or an early cancer. These conditions usually have no
obvious symptoms and one is unaware of the developing pathology.
Since there
are no obvious symptoms of pathology, one is also often not aware of the
correction of the latent pathology either. Therefore, one might think that nothing has occurred after a
few months on a program, when in fact an important healing has occurred. The hair analysis may be the only
indicator of the healing.
Meanwhile,
oneŐs more ÔpressingŐ symptoms may not change. In reality, these may be much less important, however, than
healing the latent heart attack.
3.
A higher level of awareness of symptoms. This is a common occurrence on our programs. Many people are not are of their health
or their energy level when beginning a development program. As they progress, however, they become
far more aware of their bodies.
With
this comes awareness of problems, aches and pains and other symptoms. This can make a person believe they are
worse, when really they are simply more in touch with the body and the mind as
well.
4.
New stress factors. As health
improves, new challenges may occur in a personŐs life, creating anxiety or
other symptoms.
5.
The person may have forgotten some of his original complaints. This is far more common, in our experience,
than one might imagine.
For
this reason, it is always wise for practitioners to keep a written record of
all symptoms and conditions at the beginning of treatment. Then, when a person says there is no
improvement or they are feeling worse, you can refer to this sheet and ask
about each symptom. Often half are gone and forgotten.
6.
The person increased their activity level. This is common with fatigued
patients who are anxious to get back to their old routine. As they improve,
they increase their activities, using up the extra energy they gained. As a
result, they may not feel better. Careful questioning may reveal an increased
activity level, needing fewer naps, or some other subtle improvement.
HAIR
ANALYSIS PATTERNS ON RETESTS
We
have identified dozens of hair mineral patterns that are revealed only on
retest hair mineral analyses. Many
are rather interesting. All of
them are listed on the Read Articles
page of this website in alphabetical order. When we find a new pattern, we add it there. A few of the important ones are:
1. Back In the Tunnel
2. Settling Down Pattern
3. Kidney Stress pattern
4. Elimination Of Metastatic Calcium
5. Getting Rid Of The Crutches
6. Coming Alive
7. Emerging From Four Lows
8. Flip Over Pattern (big change in the oxidation rate or
the sodium/potassium ratio
9. An explosion or surge
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