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Hair Strand Analysis

Hair strand analysis is a non-invasive alternative to blood and urine drug testing. The methods also provide DNA information in forensics and biological studies. Doctors can test hair to determine mineral toxicity, illness and diet deficiencies. Science and law enforcement can learn a lot about a person by studying their hair.

  1. Hair's Significance

    • As the body's second most metabolically active tissue, hair protein can reveal what you have been exposed to. Hair's internal chemical structure is influenced by genes, hormones and the environment, according to the website Fibromyalgia Symptoms.

    Drug Testing

    • When someone ingests, smokes or otherwise puts drugs into his body, it contaminates his hair by way of the blood. Hair strand analysis tests for cocaine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamines and PCP. It can determine drug use and frequency of drug use over a 90-day period prior to testing.

    Forensics

    • The isotopic analysis of hair strands is used in forensic science when DNA or other traditional investigative tests can't provide answers, according to the website Absolute Astronomy. By analysing isotopes (chemical elements) in hair, investigators can determine where a suspect has been or the origins of explosives used on a person.

    Minerals, Diet and Illness

    • Doctors can screen for mineral toxicity using hair analysis. The hair displays information about your diet and how well your body metabolizes nutrients, such as vitamins, so doctors can make recommendations for supplements in case of deficiency. Because some diseases involve changes in hair composition, hair strand analysis can diagnose diseases before blood, liver or urine tests.

    Theories/Speculation

    • Controversy over accuracy and fairness surrounds the hair strand analysis method. Criticisms include the assertion that hair can absorb drugs from the environment and reveal false positives. Also, people can be fooled by sham "doctors" who use hair mineral analysis to diagnose serious illnesses and as a basis for prescribing treatments that may not work.

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