Hair Mineral Analysis and Aluminium

Hair Mineral Analysis and Aluminium
As well as eating the right foods, our modern life-style
means you need to protect yourself from exposure to a vast
array of chemicals. An excess of anti-nutrients -
substances that stop nutrients being used, or promote their
excretion - causes many health problems.

When the body's ability to detoxify itself is exceeded,
toxins accumulate in fatty tissues and may cause chronic
health problems. If your job or lifestyle has exposed you
to such toxins you are recommended to have a hair mineral
analysis (HMA) to check your levels. In this article I'll
be looking at some of the toxic levels an analysis may
reveal, what problems they may be linked to and what you
might do to reduce your exposure.

If you have a disease or illness, which has not responded
to conventional treatment, you may wish to explore other
possibilities and an HMA is an excellent place to start. So
if you are suffering from 'unexplained' problems such as
headaches, backaches, weakness or tremors, an HMA may help
you to get to the bottom of it.

One of the most important sections of the HMA results is
the part telling you about levels of toxic minerals, or
anti-nutrients. If toxic minerals are found to be in
excess, there are many ways in which a nutritional approach
can help.

Of course it makes sense to do as much as you can to
protect yourself from exposure in the first place. One very
common substance is aluminum which has been linked with
Parkinson's disease by some researchers. Aluminum has also
been found in tangled fibers in the brains of Alzheimer's
sufferers. Aluminum may be responsible for symptoms such as
poor memory and concentration, skin irritation, hair loss
and slow metabolic rate.

Common sources of aluminum in our daily lives
* Aspirin, some deodorants, antacids and toothpaste tubes.
* Consumables such as processed cheese, table salt (for
smoother pouring), baking powder, instant coffee, tea bags,
powdered milk. Aluminum is added to foods (E173) as an
emulsifying, bleaching or anti-caking agent and to flour to
bleach it. Many food additives are harmful, but are still
added to enhance appearance and shelf-life - hence
profitability. Check the labels and avoid additives where
possible. Buy fresh, organic food and consume it before it
deteriorates.
* Many water authorities add aluminum to the water supply
to clean it, so drink filtered or bottled water - ideally
from glass, not plastic bottles
* Aluminum is often present in packaging such as aluminum
foil and cans. Many cooking utensils are made from aluminum
and it is particularly harmful to cook fruit and vegetables
in aluminum pans as the cooking water will become acidic
and take up more aluminum.

The vitamins and minerals in wholesome food can help
protect you from toxins and aid detoxification if necessary
- for instance, vitamin C (found in fruit and vegetables or
easy to take as an inexpensive supplement) fights against
toxic metals.

Iron deficiency enhances the uptake of aluminum from the
diet. Aluminum is soluble in water and more readily
absorbed by man in acidic conditions. If iron is deficient
there will be less hemoglobin made and the blood will be
more acidic so more ready to take up aluminum. People who
are anaemic often have raised levels of aluminum. It's far
better to get iron from your diet than from a supplement as
iron supplements may make you constipated. Iron can be
found in parsley, dates, almonds, prunes, cashew nuts,
raisins, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pork, cooked dried beans,
pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, pecan nuts.

How can you reduce the uptake of aluminum from the diet?
Calcium and zinc reduce the uptake of aluminum from the
diet so eat plenty of leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds,
Brewer's Yeast and seafoods. Avoid as many as possible of
the sources above. Make sure you eat organically grown
foods to minimize the risk of ingesting other toxins from
pesticides.

Can you remove aluminium from your body? Fibre and pectin
(a soluble form of fibre found in carrots, apples, the pith
of citrus fruits and bananas) help remove toxic metals from
the body, as do foods which include sulphur containing
amino acids (the building blocks for protein). These
include onions, garlic and eggs. Also, be sure to eat
plenty of fruit and vegetables containing vitamin C.

Finally, if a Hair Mineral Analysis shows an excess or
imbalance of aluminum, the recommended supplement program
that comes with your report, will be designed to correct
the imbalance.

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Joy Healey qualified as a nutritionist in 2000, at the
prestigious Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London.
To learn more about Hair Analysis, view a sample report,
and see how to order online, visit
http://www.4-hair-mineral-analysis.com