Contents :

• Introduction
• Foresight and Hair Analysis
• Hair Samples
• Hair Analysis Results
• Analysing Other Materials
• APPENDIX - More about:
  Essential Minerals
  Toxic Metals
• Further Reading

Introduction:
Assessing mineral status in the body, followed by a programme of supplementation and cleansing is arguably the most important aspect of the approach to improving general health recommended by Foresight, especially prior to conception, when preparing for pregnancy. A large amount of scientific research published in books and papers has demonstrated the link between deficiencies of essential minerals and/or high levels of toxic metals, and all types of reproductive anomaly.

Exactly how to assess mineral status is a complicated issue. Virtually all body fluids and tissues can be analysed, but some are much easier to analyse than others or the samples are easier to obtain, and some yield much more useful information than others. For many years, Foresight has used analysis of head hair by mass spectrometer to provide a general picture of mineral status in the body and corresponding state of health.

Hair has many advantages over other tissues in the body: Biopsies of bone or organs such as the liver are invasive, painful and expensive. Urine only tells you what the body is excreting. In the blood, most minerals are kept within normal levels by a homeostatic mechanism so minor deficiencies are not detectable and a blood sample will only show you what is in it at the time the sample was taken.

However, hair grows slowly and accumulatively and a properly taken sample can give a history of what has passed into the hair follicle in the previous six to eight weeks. Moreover many minerals are present in significantly higher quantities (up to 200 time greater) than in the blood. So hair analysis by mass spectrometer can be a useful screening tool for assessing mineral status in the body. Samples of hair can easily be taken, transported and stored, there is no risk of infection and, compared to many other tests, hair analysis is relatively cheap.

Foresight and other experts who use hair mineral analysis regularly (including Forensic experts) are convinced of its efficacy when it is carried out on properly calibrated equipment, by qualified and experienced people, and where the results are interpreted by an expert who knows what part is played by the minerals and associated vitamins in health.

Foresight and Hair Analysis:
Following analysis of the hair and interpretation of the results a course of vitamin and mineral supplements is recommended. The aim of the supplementation programme is, in combination with a wholefood diet, to raise the levels of the essential minerals and reduce the levels of toxic metals in the body until hair levels show values close to the recommended. The wholefood diet (preferably with organically-cultivated food where possible) and cutting out highly processed or refined foods is necessary otherwise the supplements have little effect, as is cutting out alcohol and smoking. In most cases, after four or six months the hair levels will have improved significantly. The idea is then to continue until the mineral levels are close to the datum values (using contraception as necessary) before attempting a pregnancy. When a couple are planning to get pregnant, we recommend that both partners follow the programme in order that both sperm and ova are in the best possible condition.

Occasionally there will be an underlying reason, other than modern diet and lifestyle, that is causing low levels of essential minerals, such as gut absorption problems, possibly due to parasitic or yeast infection, long-term exposure to earth or man-made radiation, . Although taking the supplements may give some improvement to health,

Foresight has the longest experience of interpreting hair mineral analysis than any other organisation in Britain and, indeed, pioneered its use in the UK in the 1970's in conjunction with Dr Elizabeth Lodge-Rees, a Californian paediatrician who was working with allergy, dyslexia and hyperactivity. Dr Lodge-Rees took a technique being developed at the time for assessing whether or not an animal was in good condition, where a small piece of hide was taken from the animal in the slaughterhouse and analysed for mineral content using a mass spectrometer, and adapted it for humans using a sample of head hair.

Initially, Foresight sent hair samples to Dr Lodge-Rees laboratory in the the States for analysis and then to BioLab in London. Later Foresight fundraised for and helped to buy a ICP-MS mass spectrometer for the University of Surrey's Department of Nutrition, who took over the hair analysis in 1990. By the late 1990's, however, Foresight had grown so much that the volume of hair analysis work generated was too much for the university's resources and so, in 1999, Foresight realised a long-standing ambition, which was to set up its own dedicated laboratory and mineral analysis facility.

Hair Samples:
Full instructions for collecting a hair sample for mineral analysis are included in the hair request forms. A generous quantity of hair (ideally 1-2 tbsps) needs to be cut from the nape of the neck (where hair growth is most uniform), close to the scalp, and between 3/4" - 1" long. Hair should be sent in a separate paper envelope (clearly marked with personal details), with no paper clips, staples etc.

Please complete and enclose with hair sample(s) a Hair analysis form, together with a health questionnaire, for each person / couple when first submitting hair samples for analysis or before starting a programme.

For information about the cost of hair analysis, please click here.

NOTE:- For couples preparing for pregnancy, Foresight recommends that both partners have their hair analysed and follow the supplementation programme and other Foresight advice. In this way, the health of both prospective parents is optimised well before conception, pregnancy can be started with a normal, strong sperm and ova and the embryo can implant and develop under optimum conditions in a healthy uterus, with no danger of damage from nutritional deficiency, toxins or disease.

Hair Analysis Results:
The turn-around time for sending hair for analysis from the customer's piont of view is usually 2-3 weeks. Once the laboratory have analysed the hair sample(s), the results are returned to the Foresight headquarters for interpretation. The interpretation of the results is carried out by Mrs Barnes, the founder of Foresight, who was trained in the original technique in the 1970's. She has kept up to date with current research and works closely with the laboratory staff.

The customer is supplied with a chart listing the quantities (in parts per million by mass) of minerals and toxic metals present in their hair sample, compared with recommended datum levels for optimum health. These datum levels were established by research in the 1970's from a large number of samples taken in a part of the world which at the time was very unpolluted with a high incidence of good health and low incidence of disease and reproductive problems amongst its population.

Also supplied with the hair chart is a personalised programme of vitamin and mineral supplementation, based on the results of the hair analysis plus any other relevant comments or areas of concern. The aim of the supplementation programme is, in combination with a wholefood diet, to raise the levels of the essential minerals and reduce the levels of toxic metals in the body until hair levels show values close to the recommended. (NB:- Foresight recommends following the supplementation programme, combined with the other aspects of the Foresight approach, especially when prior to conception, when preparing for pregnancy),

Analysising Other Materials:
Many other materials and substances, other than hair, including drinking water, shampoos, herbs, dust, etc can be analysed on request.

For more information about the process of mineral analysis on hair, please see Hair Analysis - the process.

APPENDIX - More about Essential Minerals and Toxic Metals

Essential Minerals:
Many different elements are found in the body. Ones that are known at this time to be essential are:- Calcium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Nickel, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Silicone, Vanadium and Zinc. The amount of each mineral present depends on the function in the body. Minerals like calcium and phosphorous form the major constituents of bone and are present in relatively large quantities. Others, like Nickel and Chromium, are present in much smaller amounts. In many cases the minerals work synergistically with many of the vitamins and essential fatty acids so the right balance of all these things is essential for good health.

Toxic Metals:
All trace elements can be toxic if consumed in sufficient quantities. However, the term 'toxic metals' is generally used to refer to minerals that are not required by the body's metabolism and are known to be harmful to the body. They can be taken in from the environment either by ingestion (from food or water) or by inhalation (ie: breathing).

It is now accepted that even low levels of toxic metals in the body may still have subtle effects on health, even though they may not manifest symptoms of classical metal poisoning. The body will process what it can and excesses that cannot be excreted will be rapidly passed from the blood into organs and tissues. The toxic metals interfere with the normal functioning of many essential trace elements and enzyme systems and may be present in the body even before birth.

Some toxic metals, such as cadmium, arsenic and aluminium, are passed into organs and other tissues, so, although low levels may be tolerated by the body, when the levels of these toxic metals are high, the function of some organs may be impaired and the health of the person (and/or the foetus, if pregnant) affected.

Lead, for example, is passed into bone and skeletal tissues. Although bone is fairly stable, the hormonal changes experienced during the first few weeks of pregnancy, cause a surge of minerals, including lead if present, to be released from the skeletal tissue back into the blood stream. Lead has been known to be toxic to humans and animals for centuries , affecting both male and female reproductive abilities. In the foetus it tends to accumulate in the placenta and is associated with miscarriage, stillbirth and other reproductive anomalies. Its capacity for inducing abortions is well known and it was deliberately used for this purpose at the beginning of the 20th century.

For more information about toxic metals and essential minerals please see the following reading list.

FURTHER READING:

Preparation for Pregnancy: An Essential Guide. Bradley, S.G. & Bennet, N., 1995. Glendarual, Scotland: Argyll Publishing.
In particular, chapters on:- Hair Mineral Analysis, Toxic Metals and Minerals

Planning for a Healthy Baby: Barnes, B. & Bradley, S.G., 1990. London: Vermillion.

Foresight Literature Summaries on:- toxic metals, essential vitamins & minerals and environmental & other factors

Hormones & Vitamins in Prenatal Life by Isobel Jennings
(chapter from:- Vitamins in Endocrine Metabolism reproduced with permission)