Frequently asked questions.

Blood tests and urine tests obviously provide important information about a person's biochemical status, but they only evaluate the fluids in the body. However, the vast majority of biochemical functions actually take place inside the cells themselves. Of course, we can't conveniently take snips out of the various organs of a person's body in order to evaluate what is going on in the cells, but there are cells conveniently available to us, the cells of the hair.

Through extensive research and correlation of data, it has been established that there are reliable relationships between the levels of minerals in the hair and other tissues of the body. Thus, analysis of the mineral content of an individual's hair can provide us with a general 'blueprint' of the mineral content in the rest of the body's tissues. Since these minerals are crucial to the functioning of enzymes, hormones and other biochemical systems which sustain life, it is possible to read this 'blueprint' and see where metabolic patterns are deviating from normal.

Another benefit of hair analysis is that it may be used to pinpoint the development of metabolic dysfunctions often before symptoms manifest. While mineral imbalances in the body do eventually show up in the blood serum, they will not do so until the condition is so advanced that the individual is often experiencing overt symptoms. Tissue mineral analysis allows us to determine that an imbalance exists, before the imbalance begins to manifest disturbances on a symptomatic level. Therefore, the imbalance can often be corrected through nutritional therapy even before a person begins to suffer from metabolic symptoms.

Our hair analysis is performed in a laboratory using the most advanced and sophisticated technology for mineral analysis in the hair. You collect your hair sample in the convenience of your home, or, we can do this for you in our clinic.

You will have enough hair when the 1.5-inch (or shorter) cut hair samples will fill an ordinary tablespoon. However, your hair analysis kit includes a “hair scale” so you can make certain you are submitting the proper amount of hair sample. For more details, see How to Cut a Hair Sample for Analysis. Be sure to use the hair that was right against the scalp.

Collecting your hair sample is simple. Your kit includes a “hair scale” to ensure you collect the right amount.

You will collect your hair sample from the top and back of the head (draw an imaginary line across your head from the top of the ears to the nape of the neck). This provides a wide area to collect samples.

Using stainless steel scissors merely cut 10 to 15 strands of hair at each location. Use multiple locations until your hair scale tips.

Cut the hair as close to the scalp as possible. Keep the 1.5-inch (or shorter) of the sample closest to the scalp and discard the rest. Place each sample on the hair scale until the scale tips.

Once the scale tips, indicating a sufficient weight of hair, simply place the hair sample into the provided hair sample collection envelope and then place that envelop together with the completed Hair Submission Form into the prepaid return mailing envelop you received from us. For more details, see How to Cut a Hair Sample for Analysis.

Do not pull your hair by the roots!

Yes. You can either cut your own hair sample, have a friend or hairdresser cut it, or you can come to our clinic, and we can cut the sample for you. If you are cutting your own sample, it may be easiest to take it from the sides so that you can see in a mirror where you are cutting. Whether you or someone else cuts your sample be sure to follow the How To Cut A Hair Sample For Analysis instructions carefully. To make an appointment for us to cut your hair sample, call 1 (866) 688-3760, or email appointments@juneva.com.

Make sure your hair has been washed, preferably with a mild soap or with shampoo, at least 4 hours (but no longer than 24 hours) before cutting the sample. So, you would wash your hair and wait 4 to 24 hours before sampling it. Avoid using conditioners or rinses for best results. Do not place other products on your hair such as hair cream, hair spray, gel or others until after you have cut the hair sample. Avoid any activity that will cause you to sweat excessively before cutting your hair sample. Hair needs to be dry when sampling, so avoid putting wet hair in hats or other covers, ponytails or any other style that will prevent the hair from drying by the time the sample is taken.

IF YOU HAVE A WATER SOFTENER: It is very important that you wash your hair twice with spring water or regular, unsoftened tap water before cutting your hair sample. This does not have to be twice in the same day but needs to be two times in a row. Do not allow the softened water to get on your hair between, during or after the two washings. Once you have cut the hair sample, you may return to using your regular softened water. We have you do this because softened water contains sodium and sometimes potassium which will alter the analysis readings of those minerals.

The hair sample should not be longer than 1.5 inches and can be as short as 1/8th inch if the person has buzzed hair, for example. The longer the sample length, the further back in time we are analyzing. Ideally, we want the more recent information. For a first hair analysis, 1 to 1 1/2 inches is fine (we find a ruler is helpful — some people accidentally send us hair samples 3 inches or even longer). For a repeat (progress) hair mineral analysis, you may want to use only an inch or less of hair that is closest to the scalp so that we have the most recent information and can see the more recent changes.

A hair sample will last months after it is cut as long as it is stored in a clean paper envelope. So, you may cut a sample and then send it to us a month or two later. Ideally, you want to use a sample that has been cut more recently so that the information is more current, but an older hair sample may be used if needed. Some people will have to grow and cut their hair multiple times to get enough hair for the test (such as babies with sparse hair, or those who keep their hair buzzed very short). In such cases, the hair can be collected over multiple trimmings and saved in a paper envelope to be sent in when there is enough.

Yes, as long as it is the hair closest to the scalp. When cutting a hair sample for a repeat (progress) hair mineral analysis, we recommend you try to take hair from the same general location as the initial analysis, as this gives more reliable comparisons.

When using hair for a nutritional/toxic element analysis, we prefer scalp hair because it provides the most accurate metabolic record. Scalp hair is one of the most metabolically active tissues and grows at a more consistent rate than axillary hair (underarm), pubic hair, or other body hair.

In situations where there is insufficient scalp hair you can use axillary hair, pubic hair, or other body hair. Note, however, that samples from the scalp and different parts of the body should not be mixed together.

Most hair tints, dyes, rinses and highlights are chemical-based. The hair analysis deals with mineral content, so hair dyes usually don’t affect it. Bleaching the hair can affect it a little, so it’s best to wait until you have washed your hair 6-8 times after bleaching the hair before taking the sample. It is also best to have washed the hair a few times after dying it before sampling. But overall, it doesn’t make much of a difference. However, medicated shampoos of concern are Selsun Blue (selenium) and Head and Shoulders (zinc). Ideally, for repeat hair mineral analyses, it is nice if you can cut the sample just prior to bleaching or dying. Grecian formula does contain lead which will appear on the hair analysis. Grecian formula is best avoided in general due to this toxicity.

Mineral levels and ratios as determined by Analytical Research Labs for each individual are measured against an 'ideal' standard of health, rather than an 'average' standard as used by other laboratories. This renders their results more sensitive and meaningful to those people who aspire to optimum levels of health.

The lab works with precise mineral levels and ratios rather than with the broad ranges employed by the majority of professionals engaged in hair analysis. As a result, we identify even slight deviations from 'ideal' values responsible for some disorders which would escape detection by other labs.

Their tests recognize biochemical individuality through determination of three basic oxidation types, thus providing a sound basis for an accurate and specific selection of nutrients based on the individual's metabolism. Detrimental health effects arising from mismatching of nutrients with individual metabolism are therefore avoided.

No, Juneva Health is not the laboratory. We, like other qualified professionals, provide laboratory services for labs that do not sell directly to the public. Accutrace Laboratories, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Analytical Research Laboratories, Inc. and is their federally licensed laboratory that performs the actual mineral assay of the hair samples. Accutrace Laboratories operates a CLIA certified laboratory. Your test will be performed in their lab inspected by the Department of Health & Human Services.

Our laboratory is one of the only two laboratories we know that DO NOT wash the hair. Numerous studies have revealed the potential for removing exogenous minerals from the hair during pre-analysis preparation of the hair sample. This in turn will skew the results and basically render the results of the analysis inaccurate.

Water softeners are devices used to remove “hard” minerals (usually calcium and magnesium) from the tap water. They can be hooked up to the whole house or building or just select rooms or even individual faucets, like in a bathroom. (There are filters that work to simply remove chlorine from the water; these are not water softeners.) Some water softeners work by adding an electrical charge to the water, which has no effect on the hair analysis test. Others work by adding either sodium or potassium to the water, which then raises these levels in the hair and alters the hair analysis test readings.

If you have to periodically add sodium or some other compound to a device on your water supply, then you likely have one of these softeners and need to follow the water-softener instructions for preparing your hair for sampling. You may live in a building where this is handled for you, so you may not know if you have a water-softener. One way you can tell if the water you are using has been softened is that it will have an almost slimy feel on your skin. Additionally, softened water doesn’t leave water stains or mineral deposits on dishes and surfaces. One more clue is that soft water allows soap to foam up very easily. Usually, one knows if they have a water softener, but if you aren’t sure, and you want to play it safe, just follow the water-softener directions in the How to Cut a Hair Sample for Analysis instructions.

Foods, more specifically Healthy Foods, are your primary sources of nutrition. As such, by following the food recommendations included in your comprehensive analysis you can begin to shift your nutritional biochemistry. However, there may be times you need more of specific nutrients than foods alone can provide. This would be an instance when you may want to consider adding supplements to your diet.