Most people have heard of blood panels and urine tests. Far fewer have heard of hair tissue mineral analysis - a lab test that uses a small sample of hair to build a detailed picture of your mineral status over the past two to three months.
What HTMA actually measures
Hair is a metabolically active tissue. As it grows, it incorporates minerals and heavy metals at concentrations that reflect what's circulating in your body at the cellular level - not just in the bloodstream. A standard HTMA panel measures 35 to 40 elements, including major minerals like calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium, trace minerals like zinc, copper, and manganese, and potentially toxic elements like lead, mercury, and arsenic.
The result is a snapshot of your mineral environment over weeks and months - a much longer window than blood work, which reflects what your body is doing in a single moment.
Why this matters
Blood mineral levels are tightly regulated by the body. Even when intracellular or tissue mineral stores are depleted, blood values can appear normal. HTMA captures patterns that blood work routinely misses.
Ratios tell a deeper story than individual values
One of the most important aspects of HTMA interpretation is that individual mineral values rarely tell the full story. The relationships between minerals - their ratios - reveal far more about how your body is functioning.
For example, the calcium-to-magnesium ratio reflects how efficiently the nervous system is functioning. The sodium-to-potassium ratio is associated with cellular energy production and how well nutrients are getting across cell membranes. These ratios can indicate metabolic patterns that individual values alone would never surface.
What HTMA cannot do
HTMA is a powerful tool, but it's not a standalone diagnostic. A single data point - whether a mineral is high, low, or within range - does not translate directly into a clinical conclusion. Context matters: your health history, symptoms, lifestyle, diet, and stress levels all influence how results are interpreted.
This is why practitioner interpretation is essential. Raw numbers without context can be misleading. Proper use of HTMA means combining the data with a comprehensive intake process and applying functional reference ranges, not just the standard lab ranges printed on a report.
How Health Purely uses HTMA
At Health Purely, HTMA is the foundation of the protocol process. Every member completes a detailed intake covering health history, current symptoms, diet patterns, and lifestyle before the lab results are reviewed. The HTMA results are then interpreted alongside that context by Kathy Krase, ND, who builds each protocol around the full picture - not just the numbers.
The protocol you receive reflects your specific mineral patterns, your metabolic type, and the priorities that make sense for your individual situation. It includes targeted supplements with titration schedules, dietary guidance, and lifestyle recommendations designed to support balance over time.
Getting started
If you're curious about your mineral status and want a protocol built around your own data, Health Purely membership includes HTMA lab testing, practitioner review, and access to the member portal where your protocol and recommendations live. No prior knowledge of labs or functional nutrition is required.