Mineral imbalances can cause the following possible symptoms:

Nutritive Minerals

Deficiency Symptoms

Excess / Toxicity Symptoms

Calcium (Ca)

Neuromuscular irritability (paresthesia in fingers/lips, muscle cramps, spasms, tetany), cardiac arrhythmias, seizures, rickets (children), osteomalacia, and osteoporosis.

Constipation, nausea, abdominal pain, polyuria, polydipsia, kidney stones (nephrolithiasis), vascular/soft-tissue calcification, lethargy, confusion, arrhythmias, and renal insufficiency.

Magnesium (Mg)

Loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, weakness, neuromuscular hyperexcitability (tremors, muscle cramps, fasciculations, tetany), personality changes, cardiac arrhythmias, and secondary hypocalcemia/hypokalemia.

Osmotic diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramping (oral supplements); severe hypermagnesemia causes hypotension, lethargy, facial flushing, loss of deep tendon reflexes, muscle paralysis, bradycardia, and respiratory/cardiac arrest.

Sodium (Na)

Headache, nausea, vomiting, malaise, lethargy, muscle cramps/weakness, confusion, gait instability, cerebral edema, seizures, and coma (hyponatremia).

Intense thirst, restlessness, irritability, neuromuscular hyperexcitability, seizures, and coma (acute hypernatremia); hypertension, fluid retention, and elevated cardiovascular/stroke risk (chronic dietary excess).

Potassium (K)

Fatigue, muscle weakness, myalgia, cramps, constipation/paralytic ileus, polyuria, palpitations, ECG changes (flattened T waves, U waves), and cardiac arrhythmias (hypokalemia).

Often asymptomatic until severe; paresthesia, ascending muscle weakness or flaccid paralysis, nausea, bradycardia, peaked T waves, QRS widening, heart block, and cardiac arrest (hyperkalemia).

Copper (Cu)

Microcytic/normocytic anemia unresponsive to iron, neutropenia, leukopenia, osteoporosis/bone defects, loss of hair/skin pigmentation, peripheral neuropathy.

Acute GI distress (epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea); chronic overload causes hepatitis, cirrhosis, jaundice, hemolytic anemia, renal tubular dysfunction, and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Zinc (Zn)

Growth retardation, delayed sexual maturation, impaired immunity (frequent infections), delayed wound healing, alopecia, acrodermatitis-like skin lesions, hypogeusia (loss of taste), anorexia, and diarrhea.

Acute nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain, lethargy, and diarrhea; chronic excess (>40 mg/day UL) impairs copper absorption, inducing secondary copper deficiency, sideroblastic anemia, neutropenia, and reduced HDL cholesterol.

Phosphorus (P)

Anorexia, bone pain, rickets (children), osteomalacia (adults), proximal muscle weakness, rhabdomyolysis, paresthesia, hemolytic anemia, impaired leukocyte function, and diaphragmatic weakness.

Secondary hyperparathyroidism, hypocalcemia (muscle spasms/tetany), ectopic vascular and soft-tissue calcification, and renal osteodystrophy.

Iron (Fe)

Microcytic hypochromic anemia, fatigue, weakness, pallor, exertional dyspnea, dizziness, impaired cognitive/motor development, pica, koilonychia (spoon nails), glossitis, and restless legs syndrome.

Acute toxicity causes hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, metabolic acidosis, shock, and hepatic necrosis; chronic overload leads to cirrhosis, cardiomyopathy, diabetes ("bronze diabetes"), arthropathy, and hypogonadism.

Manganese (Mn)

Extremely rare; experimental depletion notes impaired growth, skeletal demineralization, scaly erythematous dermatitis, hypocholesterolemia, and altered glucose/lipid metabolism.

Neurotoxicity resembling Parkinson's disease (tremors, bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, mask-like facies), neuropsychiatric symptoms (irritability, hallucinations), and cholestatic liver injury.

Chromium (Cr)

No clinically defined deficiency in healthy people; isolated cases in unsupplemented long-term parenteral nutrition showed impaired glucose tolerance, hyperglycemia, weight loss, and peripheral neuropathy.

Trivalent Cr(III) has low oral toxicity, though isolated high-dose supplement cases report renal failure, hepatotoxicity, rhabdomyolysis, and anemia; industrial hexavalent Cr(VI) causes skin/nasal ulcers, dermatitis, and lung cancer.

Selenium (Se)

Cardiomyopathy (Keshan disease), osteoarthropathy (Kashin-Beck disease), skeletal muscle weakness, impaired immunity, reduced thyroid hormone activation (T4-to-T3), and male infertility.

Selenosis: garlic-like breath odor, metallic taste, brittle hair and nails, alopecia, nail sloughing, skin rashes, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, irritability, and peripheral neuropathy.

Boron (B)

No formal deficiency syndrome established; low-intake studies associate depletion with reduced bone mineral density, altered calcium/magnesium/vitamin D handling, reduced mental alertness, and elevated inflammatory markers.

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, erythematous skin rash with desquamation, alopecia, headache, restlessness, hypothermia, renal injury, seizures, and vascular collapse at toxic doses.

Cobalt (Co)

Manifests exclusively as vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency: megaloblastic (pernicious) anemia, fatigue, glossitis, peripheral neuropathy (paresthesia/numbness), ataxia, and cognitive decline.

Cardiomyopathy, polycythemia (excess red blood cell production), hypothyroidism/goiter, sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, optic atrophy, peripheral neuropathy, and interstitial lung disease (inhaled).

Molybdenum (Mo)

Virtually nonexistent in healthy individuals; a single documented parenteral nutrition case caused tachycardia, tachypnea, severe headache, night blindness, irritability, and coma.

Rare in humans; excessive exposure is linked to hyperuricemia and gout-like joint pain/swelling, as well as secondary copper deficiency (anemia, depigmentation) via copper-molybdenum antagonism.

Sulfur (S)

No isolated inorganic deficiency defined; reflects sulfur amino acid (methionine/cysteine) and glutathione depletion—impaired protein synthesis, reduced antioxidant/detoxification capacity, and weakened cartilage integrity.

Excess dietary sulfate/sulfites can cause osmotic diarrhea, flatulence, and bronchospasm in sulfite-sensitive individuals.

Element

Excess / Toxicity Health Symptoms

Antimony (Sb)

Acute: Severe gastrointestinal distress (nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, watery/bloody diarrhea), metallic taste, cardiac arrhythmias (QT prolongation, T-wave inversion), hepatic injury, and respiratory irritation.

Chronic: Pneumoconiosis, chronic bronchitis, pustular skin eruptions ("antimony spots"), myocardial damage, and increased lung cancer risk (inhalation).

Uranium (U)

Chemical toxicity (primary): Nephrotoxicity characterized by proximal renal tubular necrosis, proteinuria, glucosuria, elevated serum creatinine, and acute or chronic renal failure.

Radiological toxicity (secondary): Increased risk of lung cancer (from inhaled insoluble uranium dust) and bone/hematologic malignancies at high internal burdens.

Arsenic (As)

Acute: Profuse watery ("rice-water") diarrhea, severe vomiting, abdominal pain, garlic breath odor, hypotension/shock, QT prolongation/arrhythmias, encephalopathy, and acute hemolytic anemia.

Chronic (Arsenicosis): Hyperpigmentation ("raindrop" pattern), palmar-plantar hyperkeratosis, Mees' lines on nails, painful sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy, peripheral vascular disease ("Blackfoot disease"), hepatotoxicity, and skin, lung, and bladder cancers.

Beryllium (Be)

Acute: Chemical pneumonitis, tracheobronchitis, pulmonary edema, conjunctivitis, and contact dermatitis.

Chronic: Chronic Beryllium Disease (CBD / berylliosis)—an immune-mediated granulomatous lung disease causing progressive dyspnea, dry cough, fatigue, weight loss, night sweats, pulmonary fibrosis, cor pulmonale, and increased lung cancer risk.

Mercury (Hg)

Elemental (vapor): Corrosive bronchitis/pneumonitis; chronic CNS toxicity ("erethism"—irritability, insomnia, memory loss, emotional lability), intention tremors, and gingivostomatitis.

Inorganic salts: Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis and acute renal tubular necrosis.

Organic (Methylmercury): Delayed neurotoxicity—paresthesia, ataxia, dysarthria, concentric visual field constriction ("tunnel vision"), hearing loss, and fetal neurodevelopmental impairment.

Cadmium (Cd)

Acute: Severe chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema (fume inhalation); severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea (ingestion).

Chronic: Proximal renal tubular dysfunction (microglobulinuria progressing to renal failure), severe bone demineralization/osteomalacia and fractures ("Itai-itai disease"), emphysema, anosmia, and lung, prostate, and kidney cancers.

Lead (Pb)

Acute / High-level: Severe abdominal colic, constipation, anorexia, microcytic anemia with basophilic stippling, motor neuropathy (wrist/foot drop), and encephalopathy (irritability, headache, seizures, cerebral edema, coma).

Chronic / Low-to-moderate: Neurocognitive and behavioral deficits (reduced IQ and attention deficits in children), hypertension, chronic nephropathy, hyperuricemia/gout ("saturnine gout"), and impaired fertility/miscarriage.

Aluminum (Al)

Excess / Toxicity (primarily in renal impairment, dialysis, or heavy occupational inhalation): Dialysis encephalopathy (dysarthria, myoclonus, seizures, dementia), vitamin D-resistant osteomalacia/adynamic bone disease, microcytic non-iron-deficiency anemia, and pulmonary fibrosis/granulomatosis (occupational dust/fume inhalation).

Germanium (Ge)

Excess / Toxicity (primarily from inorganic germanium supplements): Severe, often irreversible nephrotoxicity (renal tubular degeneration, interstitial fibrosis, renal failure without proteinuria), sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy, myopathy, anemia, and hepatic steatosis.

Barium (Ba)

Acute (soluble barium salts): Profound hypokalemia (via potassium channel blockade), severe vomiting/diarrhea, perioral and limb paresthesia, progressive flaccid muscle paralysis, respiratory muscle paralysis, hypertension, and ventricular arrhythmias.

Chronic: Benign pneumoconiosis ("baritosis") from chronic inhalation of insoluble barium sulfate dust.

Bismuth (Bi)

Excess / Toxicity (high-dose or prolonged bismuth compounds): Reversible bismuth encephalopathy (anxiety and insomnia progressing to confusion, myoclonic jerks, ataxia, dysarthria, tremors, and hallucinations), reversible renal tubular dysfunction, osteoarthropathy, blackening of the tongue and stools, and a blue-black gingival "bismuth line."

Rubidium (Rb)

Systemic excess: Very low human toxicity; mimics potassium physiologically and is rapidly excreted. Extremely high experimental doses cause neuromuscular hyperirritability, ataxia, gastrointestinal upset, and potential cardiac rhythm disturbances.

Direct contact: Metallic rubidium and rubidium hydroxide cause severe thermal and chemical skin and eye burns.

Lithium (Li)

Acute / Chronic Toxicity (narrow therapeutic window): Coarse hand tremors, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, polyuria/polydipsia (nephrogenic diabetes insipidus), hypothyroidism/goiter, ataxia, dysarthria, hyperreflexia, confusion, seizures, arrhythmias (T-wave flattening, sinus node dysfunction), and coma.

Nickel (Ni)

Dermal (most common): Allergic contact dermatitis (pruritic erythematous/vesicular rash at contact sites).

Acute / Chronic Systemic: Nickel carbonyl inhalation causes severe delayed pulmonary edema, headache, vertigo, and cerebral edema; chronic inhalation of nickel compounds causes rhinitis, sinusitis, nasal septum perforation, occupational asthma, and lung/sinonasal cancers.

Platinum (Pt)

Soluble platinum salts (industrial): "Platinosis"—IgE-mediated hypersensitivity causing occupational asthma, allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, urticaria, and contact dermatitis.

Chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., cisplatin): Dose-limiting nephrotoxicity, cumulative peripheral sensory neuropathy, irreversible ototoxicity (tinnitus, high-frequency hearing loss), severe nausea/vomiting, and myelosuppression.

Thallium (Tl)

Acute / Subacute: Severe gastroenteritis (abdominal pain, nausea, bloody diarrhea), followed within days by excruciating ascending peripheral neuropathy ("burning feet"), cranial nerve palsies, and autonomic instability (tachycardia, hypertension).

Delayed (1–3 weeks): Diffuse alopecia (typically sparing inner eyebrows and axillary hair), Mees' lines on nails, optic atrophy/vision loss, delirium, and coma.

Vanadium (V)

Acute / Chronic (primarily occupational inhalation of vanadium pentoxide): Severe upper and lower respiratory tract irritation (rhinitis, epistaxis, pharyngitis, persistent cough, wheezing, bronchitis—"boilermaker's bronchitis"), greenish-black tongue discoloration, conjunctivitis, gastrointestinal cramps/diarrhea, and muscle tremors.

Strontium (Sr)

Stable Strontium: Low systemic toxicity; excessive intake alongside low calcium impairs bone mineralization ("strontium rickets" or osteomalacia by displacing calcium) and may cause mild gastrointestinal upset.

Radioactive Strontium (): Accumulates in bone, causing bone marrow suppression (pancytopenia), osteosarcoma, and leukemia.

Tin (Sn)

Inorganic Tin: Low systemic toxicity; high acute oral ingestion (e.g., from unlacquered canned foods) causes acute gastrointestinal irritation (nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea).

Organic Tin (Organotins, e.g., trimethyltin, tributyltin): Potent neurotoxicity (severe headache, disorientation, memory loss, behavioral changes, ataxia, seizures, cerebral edema), hepatotoxicity, and immunotoxicity.

Titanium (Ti)

Excess / Toxicity: Very low systemic toxicity; chronic inhalation of titanium dioxide () dust causes mild respiratory tract irritation, cough, and benign pulmonary deposition. Wear debris from titanium orthopedic/dental implants can rarely cause localized metallosis and periprosthetic tissue inflammation.

Tungsten (W)

Excess / Toxicity: Low standalone human toxicity; occupational inhalation of tungsten carbide-cobalt dust causes "hard metal lung disease" (interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, dyspnea, cough, occupational asthma—driven largely by synergistic cobalt toxicity). High experimental doses in animals produce respiratory irritation and neurobehavioral changes.

Zirconium (Zr)

Excess / Toxicity: Very low systemic toxicity; repeated dermal exposure (e.g., zirconium-containing antiperspirants) can trigger localized allergic epithelioid skin granulomas, while chronic occupational inhalation of zirconium dust may rarely cause benign pulmonary granulomas or mild respiratory irritation.

Understanding Hair Mineral Test

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What is Hair Mineral Test for?

What happens when we have high levels of toxic metals in our body?

Why use hair and not blood or urine?

What else does this test could tell?

What is our role?

Who need a Hair Mineral Test?

What is being tested?

Quantity of hair needed?

How long does it take?

What to do with the result?

How does the hair mineral test helps people of different age range?

1. For infant or children
Excessive toxic metal exposure in an infant is usually due to prenatal exposure or breast-feeding, although children can be exposed to toxic metals via toys or paints. Affected subjects will have a higher tendency towards allergies, poor growth, developmental problems, learning disabilities, attention deficit and autistic-like behaviours.

2. For adults
A well balanced diet will not necessarily provide sufficient nutritional minerals to the body because of chemical irrigation, storage and the cooking processing, will affect the nutritive levels of the food. Dental fillings, colourful ceramic dining wares or insufficient fruit consumption will also greatly increase the risk of toxic metal exposure. The most common symptoms of toxic metal exposure in adults are poor memory, low energy levels, infertility, numbness sensation on fingers or limbs, chronic muscle spasm, hypertension and frequent infections.

3. For Pregnant women or would-be mother
They tend to consume lots of seafood before or during pregnancy, seafood is one of the most important sources of toxic metals which can be transferred to the growth foetus and affecting the normal development of the embryo. Infants or newborn who had previous exposure to toxic metal during pregnancy or breast feeding always have a higher tendency towards allergies, poor growth, tooth grinding and frequent infections.

4. For the elderly
Elderly people always require better nutrition to counteract the onset of degenerative diseases like cancer or diabetes. Cadmium and arsenic are common food contaminants which have been found to be related to a number of degenerative diseases including cancer and diabetes.

5. For your pets
Animals will be predisposed to a highly inflammatory and degenerative condition if they are exposed to excessive toxic metals or suffered from nutritive mineral imbalances. These explain why certain pets may experience chronic dermatitis, allergies, pre-aging cataract or cancer. A hair tissue mineral analysis will definitely help your pet to improve their quality of life and live healthily through their lives.