Hair Mineral Analysis: Insight into Inflammatory Patterns Including Arthritis and Respiratory Issues in Horses.
The use of hair mineral analysis (HMA) to gain insight into mineral status and the metabolic states associated with them is well established scientifically and is gaining widespread acceptance among owners and trainers. HMA reports when properly interpreted give an enormous amount of very useful information regarding nutritional and metabolic balances, mineral excesses, deficiencies, the presence of toxic minerals, and the inter-relationships between them that can contribute to a state of optimal health or the increasing risk of developing health problems. HMA by itself cannot show or predict any disease state. It is however extremely accurate in allowing us to gain insight into the metabolic trends and patterns that signify increased risks of distress that at some point may manifest into an actual disease state.
One of the most important pieces of information that an HMA can show is the amount of "inflammatory stress" that the horses’ body is experiencing. When most people think of inflammation, immediately and rightfully the –itis’s come to mind. Arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, and gastritis are a few of the most common inflammatory manifestations. However, inflammatory patterns are not limited to these –itis’s only. In the last twelve years, we have analyzed several thousand equine HMA’s. In many respects, the most important piece of information gathered from the HMA’s is the number of ways and the degree of inflammatory stress that the horses’ body is attempting to manage.
Inflammatory stress and the subsequent symptoms associated with it can be shown in any number of ways. Since each horse is genetically unique, the actual symptoms associated with inflammatory stress can be very different from one horse to another, even if the horses have common genetics – such as blood relatives, and/or common environments. It is possible to have several horses with the same or similar inflammatory stresses on an HMA and show a completely different “set of problems or conditions” or no problems at all in each of the individual horses. This is dependent on the genetic strengths and weaknesses of the individual horse. Every horse will have inherent strong and weak points. Wherever the genetic weaknesses are, this is the most likely area that inflammatory symptoms will occur. For example, a horse with hives is manifesting an inflammatory pattern associated with the skin. Breathing distress is an inflammatory pattern manifesting symptomatically in the respiratory system. A horse with joint problems is showing an inflammatory stress pattern that is affecting the joint, and so on.
One of the greatest concerns horse owners have is an allergic reaction. This is a great example of the “individualized symptoms” concept of inflammatory stress. Allergies are notorious for showing themselves in any number of different ways. Hives and respiratory issues are at the top of the list in terms of the types of symptoms that inflammatory stresses can generate. We now know that the “allergic” reactions can affect almost any tissue in the body and that this occurrence is a direct result of an inflammatory stress that has not been controlled within the horses’ body.
Keep in mind that inflammation in and of itself is not all negative. The horses’ body utilizes specific forms of inflammation to destroy viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Forms of inflammation are absolutely essential for normal immune function, but in a very tightly
