Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn lower on the retest
A retest where the second row of the chart moves down
The pattern workbook classes a fall across the four trace minerals from one chart to the next as a positive retest pattern, with partial versions when only some of the four fall.
The pattern workbook Eileen reads charts against defines this retest pattern as a decrease 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 decrease, as long as the remaining minerals stay the same and none increases. The workbook reads the pattern as a relaxation of the body and more stability, and classes it as a positive retest pattern.
It is the second-four version of the workbook's falling-macromineral pattern on calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. The mirror pattern is an increase in iron, copper, manganese and zinc from the previous test.
ARL's retest document gives a worked example with zinc. Zinc reads normal on the first test despite zinc-deficiency signs, then "drops precipitously" on the second or third test while the person improves. ARL's explanation: cadmium had displaced the zinc reading upward. As cadmium is eliminated, zinc replaces it in tissue, less zinc is excreted into the hair, and hair zinc falls while tissue zinc improves.
The same logic applies across the group because ARL's Glossary lists five components that raise a hair reading: retention, loss through the hair, excretion, displacement and bio-unavailability. When retention, loss, excretion or displacement of a mineral stops, its hair reading falls.
Iron. ARL records that a high hair iron can reflect iron loss from the destruction of body cells, and that high hair iron is often accompanied by high aluminum. A fall from a high iron reading can mean that cell-breakdown loss of iron has slowed. ARL's iron notes also record that iron is used to lower an elevated manganese.
Manganese. Watts records two causes of an elevated manganese that are not dietary: urban fuel and gasoline-additive exposure, and manganese retained or displaced secondary to iron toxicity. Either source easing lowers the manganese reading toward the 0.15 mg% Trace Elements ideal.
Copper. ARL records that copper rises on a retest while it is being eliminated. After an elimination, a lower copper is the expected next reading. ARL reads the calcium level as an indicator of copper storage: "A drop in one's calcium level is indicative of a reduction in copper storage."
Zinc. ARL also records that a zinc loss into the hair raises the reading, so a fall can mean the loss stopped.
A fall toward ideal and a fall below a deficiency line are different readings. The published lines:
| Mineral | Ideal | Line below which the reading changes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | 2.5 mg% | Below 1.0 mg%: hidden copper | ARL |
| Manganese | 0.15 mg% (TEI); 0.04 mg% (ARL case material) | Below 0.03 mg%: deficiency | TEI (0.15); ARL case material (0.04); thyroid indicators (0.03) |
| Zinc | 20 mg% (normal 15 to 22) | Below 12 mg%: absolute deficiency | Watts |
| Iron | 2.2 mg% (TEI since 1999); 3.5 mg% (ARL case material) | Around 1.0 mg%: common in slow oxidation; low hair iron does not necessarily indicate anemia | ARL |
ARL states that a copper below 1.1 mg% "in the majority of cases, indicates a decreased ability to release excessive copper from storage depots." Separately, a copper below 1.0 mg% often indicates a hidden copper toxicity.
TEI's 1993 retention table lists the endocrines that increase excretion of these minerals. Parathyroid activity increases excretion of iron and manganese. Pancreatic endocrine activity increases excretion of iron and zinc. Estrogen increases excretion of zinc, iron and manganese and retention of copper. Thyroid and anabolic adrenal cortical activity increase excretion of copper. In that table, increased excretion means lower tissue retention of the mineral.
Watts (Trace Elements) classifies iron and manganese as stimulatory minerals, and ARL's Fatigue Document lists manganese among those that raise the oxidation rate.
Each reading averages 2 to 3 months of growth (ARL Glossary), and Eileen retests every 3 to 5 months. TEI cuts samples at the scalp and uses no more than 1.5 inches, so each chart reports recent growth. ARL notes that a sample cut too far from the scalp "will not show recent changes."
The direction of each mineral comes first: iron, copper, manganese and zinc against the previous chart, with none of the four allowed to rise. Then each new value against its floor: copper against 1.0 mg%, manganese against 0.03, zinc against 12.
Next: cadmium on both charts beside zinc, calcium as an indicator of copper storage, and iron beside aluminum. Zn/Cu against 8 and Fe/Cu against 0.9 show whether the four fell together.
All four trace minerals reading lower than on the previous chart. A partial version counts when one to three fall and the others stay the same.
ARL describes zinc displaced upward by cadmium on the first test. As cadmium leaves and zinc replaces it in tissue, less zinc reaches the hair and the reading falls.
Not by itself. ARL reads copper below 1.1 mg% as a decreased ability to release stored copper in the majority of cases, and below 1.0 mg% as often indicating a hidden copper toxicity.
A retest in which iron, copper, manganese and zinc rise from the previous test.
A retest hair tissue mineral analysis reports iron, copper, manganese and zinc on the same scale as the first chart, with the floors each one is read against.
Published 2026-10-29 · Updated 2026-10-29
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.
