Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn higher on the retest
A retest where the second row of the chart moves up
The pattern workbook reads a rise across the four trace minerals from one chart to the next as a positive change, with partial versions when only some of the four rise.
The pattern workbook Eileen reads charts against defines this retest pattern as an increase in iron, copper, manganese and zinc from the previous test. It is present to a smaller degree when one, two or three of the four increase, as long as the remaining minerals stay the same and none decreases. The workbook reads the pattern as more energy and classes it as a positive change.
It is the second-four version of the workbook's rising-macromineral pattern, in which calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium all rise on a retest. For the second four, the minerals that do not rise must stay the same, so a retest where zinc rises and copper falls is a different pattern. The first-four version allows one variant in which calcium, magnesium and sodium increase while potassium slightly decreases.
ARL's Glossary states that each mineral reading "represents an average rate of accumulation over a 2-3 month period," so a retest sooner than about 3 months re-measures much of the same window. Eileen's client cadence is a retest every 3 to 5 months. The ARL Glossary also defines layers of metabolism: "On successive tests, different layers of metabolism are revealed."
The months between retests article lists what to record across the 3 to 5 months between charts.
ARL's Glossary lists the components that sum into each hair reading. Five of them raise it:
The why a reading is high article covers each of the six components in ARL's Glossary.
Copper. The workbook records that a sharp increase in hair copper often indicates excess copper eliminating from tissue storage, with the hair picking up copper from circulation during the release. ARL states that hidden copper "will be revealed on the second, or third hair test as copper is mobilized," and that calcium tends to rise temporarily while copper is being eliminated.
Iron. ARL records that a high hair iron can reflect iron loss from the destruction of body cells rather than sufficiency, and that taking iron tablets will not necessarily raise the hair iron level.
Manganese. Watts records that tissue manganese follows dietary availability, and that an elevated manganese can be secondary to iron toxicity. A manganese rise is read against the iron reading.
Zinc. In an ARL case history of a 3-year-old, zinc stayed at 8 mg% after 4 months of supplementation, against an ideal of 20. ARL offers four explanations, one of them that absorbed zinc replaced toxic metals in enzyme binding sites before reaching the hair, and concludes that the hair level eventually rises. ARL also records that cadmium elevates the zinc reading.
TEI's 1993 retention table lists which minerals each endocrine raises or lowers in tissue. Thyroid and anabolic adrenal cortical activity increase retention of iron and manganese and increase excretion of copper. Progesterone increases retention of zinc and iron. Parathyroid activity increases excretion of iron and manganese, and pancreatic (endocrine) activity increases excretion of iron and zinc.
ARL's Fatigue Document lists manganese among the minerals that raise the oxidation rate, and copper and zinc among those that lower it.
When all four rise, the Fe/Cu and Zn/Cu ratios move only if the four rise by different proportions. The ideal Zn/Cu is 8 at both laboratories, with an acceptable range of 6 to 12 at ARL and 4 to 12 at TEI. The ideal Fe/Cu is 0.9 at TEI, with a range of 0.2 to 1.6; ARL does not use the ratio.
| Change on the retest | Zn/Cu | Fe/Cu |
|---|---|---|
| Copper rises more than zinc and iron | Falls | Falls |
| Zinc rises more than copper | Rises | Unchanged by zinc |
| Iron rises more than copper | Unchanged by iron | Rises |
| All four rise by the same proportion | Unchanged | Unchanged |
ARL's Zn/Cu table reads 4 to 8 as a copper toxicity trend and 8 to 16 as copper deficiency or unavailability, so a copper-led rise that pulls Zn/Cu under 8 is read with the copper elimination notes above.
The direction of each mineral comes first: iron, copper, manganese and zinc against the previous chart, with none of the four allowed to fall. Then the size of each rise, and whether copper rose more than zinc.
Next: Zn/Cu against 8 and Fe/Cu against 0.9 on both charts, calcium for a temporary copper-elimination rise, and cadmium beside zinc. Both charts average about 2 to 3 months of growth.
All four trace minerals reading higher than on the previous chart. A partial version counts when one to three rise and the others stay the same.
Yes. The workbook records that a sharp copper increase often indicates copper eliminating from tissue storage, and ARL states that hidden copper is revealed on the second or third test.
No. The definition requires that the minerals which do not rise stay the same and do not decrease.
Each reading averages about 2 to 3 months of hair growth, and Eileen retests every 3 to 5 months.
A retest hair tissue mineral analysis reports iron, copper, manganese and zinc on the same scale as the first test, which is what makes a second-four rise measurable.
Published 2026-10-28 · Updated 2026-10-28
By Eileen Durfee — Practitioner, NBS (Nutritional Balancing Science), NASM-CPT; wellness educator, inventor and author.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Hair tissue mineral analysis is a screening test and is not diagnostic. This article is for educational purposes only. Wellness Shopping Online is operated by Nuco Enterprise Solutions LLC.
