HTMA stands for Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis. HTMA is used as a screening aid for determining mineral deficiencies, excesses, and/or imbalances. HTMA provides you and Dr. Cartwright a snapshot of what is going on in your body. (Can also test cats, dogs, and horses)
Why is this important? Balancing minerals is necessary for cellular metabolism, structural support, nerve conduction, muscular activity, immune functions, anti-oxidant and endocrine activity, enzyme functions, water and acid/alkaline balance, and even DNA function.
Why a hair test? Blood tests give information about your mineral levels at the time of the test only. If you have just eaten a banana, your test can indicate high potassium levels, even though you may actually need potassium supplementation. On the other hand, hair analysis results indicate your overall level of potassium from the past 3 months. So a blood test will only accurately report what is being transported in your blood at the time of the test.
Testing for minerals in the urine measures the minerals that are being excreated from your body – not necessarily what has been absorbed as fuel for your body. So blood and urine tests are like snapshots whereas a hair analysis is the video of your mineral retention.
More about hair… Hair is used for mineral testing because of its very nature. Hair is formed from clusters of specialized cells that make up the hair follicle. During the growth phase, the hair is exposed to the internal environment such as blood, lymph, and extra-cellular fluids. As the hair continues to grow and reaches the surface of the skin, its outer layers harden, locking in the metabolic products accumulated during the period of formation. This biological process provides a blueprint and lasting record of mineral status and nutritional metabolic activity that has occurred during this time.
What affects minerals? Many factors can affect minerals such as food preparation, the type of shampoo/skin products you use, dietary habits, genetic and metabolic disorders, disease, medications, stress, environmental facts, and exposure to mold or heavy metals. Rarely does a single nutrient deficiency exist in a person today. Multiple nutritional imbalances are quite common which contributes to an increased incidence of adverse health conditions. In fact, it is estimated that mild and sub-clinical nutritional imbalances are up to ten times more common than nutritional deficiency alone.
How is the HTMA test taken in office? HTMA is used worldwide by clinicians, practitioners, and scientists. Obtaining the sample is non-invasive, and can be completed easily. Dr. Cartwright will take very small snips of hair from your scalp (other areas are possible but doesn’t read as well) and sent to the lab. Once the results are back, Dr. Cartwright will analyze them and let you know what is going on in your body. You can begin supplementing on your own with over-the-counter supplements (not recommended because these are highly synthesized) or she can write a prescription to have all your needed mineral supplements into one daily capsule. A retest is recommended 3-6 months after the original HTMA test to make sure your health is on track.
Lab Costs: In office $145 + wellness membership. Self-collection is possible through postal mail. $150 + wellness membership (the extra $5 is to cover shipping and handling expenses). If self-collection is not obtained correctly, refunds can not be given. Instructions will be provided. If in office collection is not possible, a check can be mailed or Dr. Cartwright can bill you through online sources such as Stripe, Paypal, etc.
When is it not recommended to have HTMA? Certain cosmetic hair treatments, dyes, and shampoos can contaminate scalp hair. It is best to wait at least 6 weeks and preferably 3 months after using these products to have an accurate HTMA result. Dyes contain lead acetate, bleaching processes artificially affect calcium, and medicated shampoos (like Head and Shoulders or Selsun Blue) contain zinc or selenium.
Will my insurance cover the HTMA? Although rare, some insurance companies will cover a portion of an HTMA test. Some may reimburse you for the toxic metal screening portion, but as with most preventative health care, most will not reimburse for elective tests. Please contact your insurance company to check your coverage.
Why can’t I just take a good multi vitamin? Vitamins and minerals in excess could be harmful. Take zinc for example; if you take too much zinc, it will deplete your vitamin d. Too little vitamin d, decreases your calcium. Too much vitamin c can cause a copper deficiency and allow too much iron to build up. It is a domino effect – we think we are doing a good thing for our bodies, but it could be hurting more than helping. You risk creating additional imbalances.
This sounds complicated. Why don’t I just forget about supplements altogether and eat my 3 square meals a day? That sounds reasonable. But, unfortunately in this day and age, we are not able to absorb nutrients from food because there are no nutrients in food. With soil being depleted with chemicals, there just isn’t any nutrients there to absorb. Eating homegrown foods isn’t the only issue. Pollutants in the air and the water we drink play a huge part. Even medications you take (over the counter or prescription) can influence your bodies vitamin/mineral levels.
Do I have to take your supplements or can I use mine? Dr. Cartwright can write an order to a company called Vykon that will customize the needed minerals your body needs, however if you don’t want to go that route, feel free to take any high-quality nutritional whole-food supplement. The goal should be to select only the highest quality supplements and correct amount to ensure the maximum absorption of nutrients into your body. Make sure that the minerals are full spectrum amino acid chelates (AAC). Do not accept substitutes such as aspartates, citrates, picolinates, gluconates, etc.
If you would like to take advantage of this healing modality, please click here for a monthly or yearly membership. See below for a true story!
How An HTMA Test Saved My Life
At one of the lowest points in my life, I was dying from a resistant fungal pneumonia. My copper levels were 30 times higher than normal. My medical doctors told me I had two months to live. I had a newborn baby and a body that was shutting down.
I was working in the medical field when I began experiencing what I thought—and what doctors believed—was asthma flaring up. I’d dealt with it on and off before, and with pregnancy hormones changing everything, we all assumed things would normalize after delivery.
We were wrong. Instead of getting better after birth, I became sicker. Much sicker. The antibiotics I’d taken during pregnancy—the ones we thought were helping—turned out to be the very ones the infection was resistant to. What we’d dismissed as pregnancy-related asthma was actually a life-threatening fungal pneumonia that was now winning.
I was so ill that my husband and I had to move in with my in-laws. I couldn’t care for my newborn daughter. I could barely care for myself. My in-laws watched her while my husband worked, and I fought just to survive each day.
One day, my husband came across a naturopathic doctor. He urged me to give her a try. She offered something I’d never heard of: Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA). When the results came in, I was put on a dietary protocol for my metabolic type along with a targeted supplement program. Four months later, the pneumonia could not be detected!
It took time but eventually I was able to take care of myself again. To take care of my baby. To actually play with her. HTMA saved my life, gave me back my role as a mother, and opened my eyes to a completely different way of understanding health.
Copper
Copper is essential in the right amount. It activates oxygen, supports the immune system, and plays a critical role in iron absorption, blood vessel integrity, and neurotransmitter regulation. But when it’s not bound properly in the body—when it goes “rogue”—it accumulates in the brain, liver, and reproductive organs.
This is copper toxicity: an overload of bio-unavailable copper that causes more harm than good. One of the root causes? Weak adrenal glands. When under chronic stress, the adrenals stop signaling the liver to produce ceruloplasmin, the protein that binds and manages copper. Without enough ceruloplasmin, copper floats freely in the body and begins to accumulate.
Worse yet, copper and iron work together. Low ceruloplasmin means not only is copper unbound, but iron isn’t absorbed well either—leading to the illusion of anemia. You might not have an iron problem. You might have a copper problem.
Why It’s So Common (and So Misunderstood)
Most practitioners never test for copper toxicity. And if they do? They run blood tests, which often miss it. Why? Because copper accumulates in tissue, not blood. By the time blood levels rise, toxicity is often extreme.
Here’s what contributes to copper buildup:
- Estrogen-based birth control and copper IUDs
- Copper pipes in drinking water
- Vegetarian/vegan diets
- Zinc deficiency
- Mold, stress, and adrenal exhaustion
- Poor liver and bile function
- Genetic transmission in utero
It’s no surprise that so many are silently struggling. And sadly, many are told they have “iron-deficiency anemia,” “depression,” “PMS,” or “adrenal fatigue”—without ever understanding copper’s role underneath.
Common Symptoms You Can’t Ignore
- Racing thoughts or obsessive thinking
- Depression, anxiety, or apathy
- Heightened PMS or emotional volatility
- Insomnia, paranoia, or mood swings
- Fatigue or burnout
- Recurrent yeast or fungal infections
- Low libido, infertility, or irregular cycles
- Weight gain or slowed metabolism
- Hair loss, brain fog, or poor immunity
Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
How I Healed (and What I Learned)
The turning point for me was HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis). Through this tool, I saw exactly what bloodwork had missed. My copper was sky-high, calcium and magnesium off the chart (but biounavailable), and adrenal markers were tanked. Instead of guesswork, I had a roadmap.
But I didn’t heal overnight. Copper detox takes time. And if done too quickly (like taking high-dose zinc), symptoms can get worse—something called a “copper dump.”
Healing required a whole-body approach:
- Supporting my adrenals gently (not overstimulating them)
- Opening detox pathways with correct minerals
- Addressing trauma, stress, and emotional healing
- Adjusting lifestyle: diet, sleep, hydration, and more
Over time, I felt the shift. The thoughts quieted. I lost the weight I had gained from the copper problems. My energy returned. I could sleep again. I was able to show up as a wife and a human being again. Most importantly, I was finally able to hold my daughter, play with her, and be the mother I’d dreamed of being during those dark months when I could barely survive each day.
~Jessica Hughes, Cincinnati Ohio
I