Tania Lewis, Naturopath, Rutherglen VIC
Tania Lewis is a naturopath based in Rutherglen, Victoria, working with women in perimenopause and post-menopause. She offers Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis through InterClinical Laboratories as a specialist testing option when fatigue, stress tolerance, or metabolic symptoms persist despite normal standard pathology, or when the clinical picture suggests a mineral imbalance or toxic element exposure. Testing is available to new and existing clients and can be ordered via telehealth or in-person consultation.
When mineral testing becomes part of the picture
Standard pathology does a reasonable job of ruling things out. A full blood count, iron studies, and a thyroid panel will tell you whether you are anaemic, whether your ferritin sits within range, and whether your TSH falls inside the reference interval. What these tests do not tell you is what is happening at the tissue level: which minerals your body is storing, depleting, or losing relative to each other, whether your metabolic rate is running fast or slow, or whether toxic elements such as lead, mercury, or cadmium have built up over time. Normal results with persistent symptoms isn’t a reassuring outcome. It’s an incomplete picture.
That gap is where Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) becomes clinically useful.
HTMA measures the mineral composition of a hair sample, giving a record of mineral status and metabolic activity over the period the hair was growing. Serum levels are tightly regulated by homeostatic mechanisms and can sit within range even when tissue stores are depleted or in excess. Hair reflects what has been retained, used, or excreted at a cellular level, including minerals directly relevant to the HPA axis, the HPT axis, and blood sugar regulation, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, and chromium.
When symptoms are not responding as expected, or when fatigue, stress tolerance, or your metabolic pattern suggests something deeper is part of the picture, HTMA gives us a clearer view of what we are working with.
If you’ve tried hormone support, herbs, or adaptogens for perimenopausal symptoms and haven’t got the response you expected, mineral status is worth assessing. Some treatments alter copper and zinc in ways that can worsen an underlying mineral imbalance. Others may be aimed at a different driver entirely. HTMA gives us a clearer view of the terrain before the next clinical decision is made.
HTMA may be relevant if
- Your fatigue persists despite normal iron, ferritin, and thyroid results
- You’re experiencing poor stress tolerance, disrupted sleep, or energy crashes that suggest adrenal dysregulation
- You’re experiencing mood changes, skin symptoms, or hormonal symptoms in that haven’t been fully explained
- You have ongoing muscle cramps, restless legs, or sleep disruption that may relate to magnesium or calcium status
- Your perimenopause symptoms haven’t responded to standard hormonal or herbal support
- Your metabolic rate seems unusually fast or slow, and standard thyroid testing hasn’t fully explained why
- You’ve had occupational, dietary, or environmental exposure to heavy metals, or want to assess whether toxic element burden is contributing to your symptoms
- You want a baseline mineral and toxic element profile before starting a targeted nutrient protocol
About hair mineral testing
InterClinical Laboratories is an Australian provider of Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis, working with healthcare practitioners since 1988. I work with InterClinical for HTMA, which gives access to practitioner-level reporting and a technical support line for interpreting results.
HTMA through InterClinical reports on 36 nutrient, toxic, and additional elements, alongside 27 significant mineral ratios. This distinction matters clinically. A standard blood test typically reports individual markers against a population reference range, whereas HTMA interprets each element in the context of its ratios to other elements, alongside an overall metabolic type. Two clients with an identical zinc result, for example, can have very different clinical pictures depending on where that result sits relative to copper, sodium, and potassium.
Hair samples are analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), the technique recommended for trace element analysis at parts-per-million sensitivity. Analysis is performed by Trace Elements, Inc., a licensed clinical laboratory in the United States that operates under CLIA quality standards and is regularly inspected by the Clinical Laboratory Division of the US Department of Health and Human Services. Calibration is verified against National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) traceable reference materials.
A note on what this testing does and doesn’t tell us
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis is a screening and monitoring tool. It may support assessment of mineral status, metabolic patterns, and toxic element exposure; it doesn’t diagnose a medical condition or replace pathology testing recommended by your GP.
Results are always interpreted in the context of your full clinical picture, including your symptom history, existing pathology, and current treatment plan, within the food-first clinical framework I use with all clients. Hair is sensitive to external factors such as recent treatments, colouring, and certain shampoos, which is why sample collection guidance matters. If your results suggest something that warrants referral or further investigation by your GP, I’ll say so.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to have a consultation before I can order a HTMA?
Yes. Testing is ordered through a consultation, either an Initial Clinical Assessment or a follow-up if you’re already an existing client. This is deliberate. The HTMA report is a detailed clinical document that needs to be interpreted in the context of your full health picture, not read in isolation. Ordering the test without that clinical framework limits its usefulness considerably. If you’d like to discuss whether testing is appropriate for your situation, a Clarity Call is a good starting point.
How is this different from a standard blood test for minerals ordered by my GP?
A standard blood test measures minerals circulating in serum at the moment the sample is taken. Serum levels are tightly regulated by homeostatic mechanisms, which means they can sit within range even when tissue stores are significantly depleted or in excess. HTMA measures minerals deposited into hair as it grows, giving a record of tissue-level status over weeks rather than a single point in time. It also interprets each mineral in the context of its ratios to other minerals and an overall metabolic type, rather than against a single reference range. HTMA and a standard blood test answer different clinical questions, and the two are often complementary rather than interchangeable.
How does HTMA relate to perimenopausal symptoms like sleep disruption, fatigue, and mood changes?
HTMA reveals the mineral patterns that underpin many perimenopausal symptoms that standard pathology doesn’t explain. Magnesium and calcium regulate the GABA pathway involved in sleep onset and depth. Sodium and potassium reflect HPA axis function, which governs stress response and energy regulation. Zinc and copper sit close to the oestrogen and progesterone pathways, and an imbalanced copper-to-zinc ratio is a common finding when mood, skin, or cycle-related symptoms are present. Sleep disruption affects roughly one in three perimenopausal women, with anxiety the strongest predictor of poor sleep quality (Hu et al., 2025). HTMA doesn’t diagnose these conditions. It gives us a tissue-level mineral picture that shows where status may be contributing, and where to direct treatment.
Hu, S., Shan, Z., Shen, X., Tang, S., Lu, J., Wang, Z., Meng, G., & Li, J. (2025). Latent profile analysis and influencing factors of sleep quality in community perimenopausal women: a cross-sectional study. BMC Women’s Health, 26(1), 64. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-04217-w
My perimenopausal symptoms haven’t responded to hormone support. Could mineral or toxic element status be a factor?
Yes, and it’s more common than most practitioners acknowledge. Perimenopausal symptoms overlap significantly with mineral imbalance and toxic element burden, and some standard treatments worsen the underlying picture: oestrogen raises copper-binding proteins, depleting zinc in women who are already copper-dominant. Lead accumulated in bone over decades is released back into circulation as bone turnover accelerates with declining oestrogen, and directly inhibits aromatase, the enzyme that converts androgens to oestradiol (Taupeau et al., 2003). A 2023 SWAN cohort study found significant associations between lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic levels and disrupted hormone profiles in midlife women (Wang et al., 2023). HTMA provides tissue-level data on mineral ratios and toxic element load that serum testing doesn’t capture, so the next clinical decision is based on what’s actually driving the picture.
Taupeau, C., Poupon, J., Treton, D., Brosse, A., Richard, Y., & Machelon, V. (2003). Lead reduces messenger RNA and protein levels of cytochrome p450 aromatase and estrogen receptor beta in human ovarian granulosa cells. Biology of Reproduction, 68(6), 1982–1988. https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod.102.009894
Wang, X., Ding, N., Harlow, S. D., Randolph, J. F. Jr., Mukherjee, B., Gold, E. B., & Park, S. K. (2023). Exposure to heavy metals and hormone levels in midlife women: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Environmental Pollution, 317, 120740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120740
What happens if the results show a raised level of a toxic element such as lead, mercury, or cadmium?
If your results show a raised toxic element, this will be clearly flagged in the report and discussed at your results review appointment. Depending on the element, the level, and your overall clinical picture, follow-up may include dietary and nutrient support within naturopathic scope, further investigation, or referral to your GP for assessment of the exposure source. I’ll be direct with you about which path is appropriate based on what the results show.
How long does the whole process take from ordering to results review?
Allow approximately four to six weeks from ordering to your results review appointment. Once your sample is sent, analysis and reporting takes approximately 10 to 15 working days, plus postal time both ways. Add time for booking your results review appointment once results arrive. If you’re working to a timeframe, factor this in when deciding when to order.
Does this test require any preparation, such as avoiding certain hair products?
Yes. Hair needs to be clean and free from chemical treatments, perms, or colouring. If you’ve recently treated or coloured your hair, wait six to ten weeks and take the sample from freshly grown, untreated hair closest to the scalp. Avoid shampoos containing selenium or zinc, such as some anti-dandruff formulas, in the days before sampling, as these can affect results. The collection guide covers all preparation requirements in detail, and I’ll talk you through this before you take your sample.
For more on fatigue, low energy, and metabolic symptoms in midlife, see the Fatigue, weight gain and low energy after menopause page. For more on how mineral status connects to sleep, see Sleep disruption in perimenopause and menopause. For information on other specialist testing available at Simply Naturopathics, see Work with Tania.
You can find me in person, and online across Australia
In person —
Rutherglen, VIC
74 Main Street,
Rutherglen VIC
Wednesday, Thursday
In person — Yarrawonga, VIC
31-33 Belmore Street, Yarrawonga VIC
Friday
Telehealth
Available to clients anywhere in Australia.
All consultation types are available via telehealth during the Rutherglen hours.
All appointments are booked online. Full prepayment is required.
A 48-hour cancellation and rescheduling policy applies.
If your fatigue, stress tolerance, or metabolic symptoms aren’t fully explained, or you want a clearer picture of your mineral and toxic element status, Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis may give us more to work with. Book an Initial Clinical Assessment to discuss whether testing is the right next step for your presentation.
If you’re not sure whether this is the right fit, the Clarity Call is a good place to start. It’s ten minutes by phone, no obligation.