Hair test pattern
Three macrominerals above ideal, the fourth low
The criteria with both labs' ideals, the oxidation rate the pattern almost always occurs in, and how ARL and TEI map the stress stages.
Three highs occurs when three of the four macrominerals (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium) are above ideal, while the fourth remains low.
The four macrominerals and their ideals (mg%): calcium 40 (ARL) to 60 (TEI, since 2008); magnesium 6 (both labs); sodium 25 (ARL) to 24 (TEI); potassium 10 (both labs).
On ARL ideals, for example, calcium above 40, magnesium above 6 and sodium above 25 mg% with potassium below 10 mg% meets the definition. The same three with potassium at 10 mg% or above is a different reading.
The pattern definition ties three highs to two states:
Three highs almost always occurs as a slow oxidizer under stress, or as a secondary alarm reaction.
ARL defines slow oxidation as Ca/K (the thyroid ratio) above 4 and Na/Mg (the adrenal ratio) below 4.17. The ideals are Ca/K 4 (ARL) to 4.2 (TEI) and Na/Mg 4 (TEI) to 4.17 (ARL).
Fast oxidation is Ca/K below 4 and Na/Mg above 4.17 (ARL). A three highs pattern on a fast oxidation reading falls outside both states the definition names.
An alarm reaction is the initial response to a stressor. A secondary alarm reaction is a later response, arriving after an earlier stage rather than at the start; in ARL's mapping below, the initial alarm stage is fast oxidation.
Three highs often occurs with a calcium shell: hair calcium, and usually magnesium, above about 200 mg% (ARL). That is five times the ARL calcium ideal of 40 mg% and more than three times the TEI ideal of 60 mg%. Because magnesium usually rises with calcium in a calcium shell, the Ca/Mg ratio often stays near its ideal of 6.67 (ARL) to 7 (TEI).
ARL maps Selye's stress stages to the oxidation rate: alarm is fast oxidation (Ca/K below 4, Na/Mg above 4.17), resistance is mixed oxidation, and exhaustion is slow oxidation (Ca/K above 4, Na/Mg below 4.17).
TEI (Watts) extends the stages to five (alarm, resistance, recovery, adaption, exhaustion) and reads three of them from Na/K: alarm at 5:1 or higher, resistance below 2.4:1, and recovery when Na/K returns to 2.4. The ideal Na/K is 2.4 (TEI) to 2.5 (ARL).
The four macrominerals define four related level patterns:
On a retest, the same four levels are compared against the same ideals, so a change from three highs to another level pattern shows which mineral moved.
A hair tissue mineral analysis is a screening test for nutritional and toxic-element patterns. It does not diagnose, it does not establish a cause, and it does not measure what is circulating in blood today. Where the laboratory literature describes a trend, that trend belongs to the mineral pattern rather than to any person reading about it. Anything medical belongs with your own licensed provider.
When I see three highs, I check the oxidation rate first: the Ca/K and Na/Mg ratios. A slow rate matches the pattern definition.
When three highs appears in fast oxidation, I read it either as an unusual pattern or as a reason to check the sample.
Three of the four macrominerals above ideal while the fourth remains low.
Almost always a slow oxidizer under stress, or a secondary alarm reaction.
Three lows is three macrominerals below ideal with one above; three highs is three above ideal with the fourth low.
Yes, that is part of the definition. Three raised with the fourth in range is a different reading.
A full hair tissue mineral analysis reports the oxidation rate alongside the four macrominerals, so the pattern can be checked against the Ca/K and Na/Mg criteria for slow oxidation.
Published 2026-08-30 · Updated 2026-09-24
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; anything medical belongs with your own licensed provider. Wellness Shopping Online is operated by Nuco Enterprise Solutions LLC.
