Recommendation of a reliable hair analysis lab?

[Aragorn]

Can anyone recommend a reliable lab that performs hair mineral analysis? The more trustable one. Preferably affordable, too. I'm in the US.

Thanks!

 

[Hip]

Hair analysis is not reliable for testing body mineral levels, no matter which lab. Hair analysis is reliable for detecting heavy metals though.

A couple of weblinks which look at hair analysis reliability: here and here.

 

[Aragorn]

Thanks, but does anyone have a different opinion?

It seems like people use it for mineral deficiency spotting...

 

[invisiblejungle]

Can anyone recommend a reliable lab that performs hair mineral analysis? The more trustable one. Preferably affordable, too. I'm in the US.

Thanks!

ARL and TEI are the only 2 hair-testing labs that don't wash the hair before testing, which supposedly is important for accuracy.

 

[Aragorn]

ARL and TEI are the only 2 hair-testing labs that don't wash the hair before testing, which supposedly is important for accuracy.

Looks like those can be ordered by a physician only? Can't find how to order the tests as a patient.

 

[Mary]

Thanks, but does anyone have a different opinion?

It seems like people use it for mineral deficiency spotting...

My former doctor (who unfortunately died 6 years ago or so) did annual hair analysis tests for me. He was an orthomolecular physician, very knowledgeable about nutrition and health, much more so than your standard MD. He started out as a psychiatrist and then discovered that many of his patients actually had nutritional deficiencies or imbalances which he addressed as much as possible through nutrition and supplements, instead of just handing out psych drugs.

Looks like those can be ordered by a physician only? Can't find how to order the tests as a patient.

I had a hair analysis done on my own a couple of years ago through Hair Analysis: Lab Test for Do-it-yourself Nutrition (hairanalysisreport.com)
They used Trace Elements lab, and I think they were very good. I got the profile 2, which included a written interpretation of the results as a well as an hour phone consult. I would highly recommend them. You don't need a physician's referral to get the test done - you just need to use some sort of practitioner (like this place) to order it. The Profile 2 cost is $135.00.

You can also order just the plain testing without the interpretation or consultation, which costs $92.