Three down, one up
The pattern defined as much by the one that stayed up
Three macrominerals below ideal with the fourth above it. The odd one out is part of the criteria, not an exception to them.
Three lows occurs when three of the four major electrolytes — calcium, magnesium, sodium or potassium — are below their ideal values, and one of them is above the ideal.
That second clause is easy to skim past and it is doing real work. This is not "three are low and we are not looking at the fourth". The fourth being above ideal is part of the definition. Three low and one merely normal is a different reading.
The workbook describes this pattern as one where a person is moving toward a Four Lows pattern. That is the main reason it is named at all — it is a waypoint rather than a destination.
Which makes the retest the informative test. Three lows that resolves and three lows that becomes four lows are the same starting page and opposite stories, and only a second report distinguishes them.
The associated reading is of depletion together with a toxic burden — either a quantity of toxic metals, or nutrient minerals present in a form the body cannot use. That second possibility is the one people miss, and it is the same idea behind a high reading that is not usable.
One demographic note is recorded: three lows is seen most commonly in adults. It is less common in children, though it does occur in them.
That is a useful prior. A pattern that is unusual in a child is worth a second look at collection and handling before it is read as meaningful.
Three lows belongs to a family that is best read together:
Counting is most of the work. The patterns are distinguished by how many macrominerals sit on each side of ideal, which is why they can be read straight off the page before any interpretation begins.
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.
Three lows is the pattern that makes me want the next test more than almost any other. On its own it tells me the direction of travel and very little about the destination.
The mistake I try not to make is reading it as a milder four lows. It has its own criteria — including that one mineral sitting above ideal — and that raised value is often the most interesting thing on the page.
Three of the four major electrolytes — calcium, magnesium, sodium or potassium — below their ideal values, with one of them above ideal.
Yes. That is part of the definition, not an incidental detail. Three below ideal with the fourth in range is a different reading.
No. It is described as moving toward a four lows pattern, which makes it a waypoint. A retest is what shows whether it resolves or continues.
Most commonly seen in adults. It is less common in children, although it can occur.
A full hair tissue mineral analysis reports all four macrominerals against their ideal values, so which side of the line each one falls is plain.
Published 2026-08-30 · Updated 2026-08-30
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.
