Our hair stores a surprising amount of information about our health, says Kimberly P. Hood, M.D., who offers hair follicle testing for men and women at her Destin practice, DPCGYN. 

It can explain why someone who eats healthy food, exercises and take supplements still feels like something’s missing, or create the best wellness plan for someone just starting out. It can tell whether an athlete’s body is optimized enough to support their rigorous routine, or reveal why someone is chronically tired even though their doctor has told them that their lab work is normal.

“All of these questions can be answered by testing your epigenetics, utilizing your hair follicles in a 15-minute in-office test,” Hood says. Epigenetics is the interaction between environmental signals and the process of adaptation that living systems use to thrive, she says. “It’s the science that shows that we don’t need to be the victims of our genetic inheritance—that we have some control.”

Gene expression is not just mediated by coding DNA, which accounts for only 2 percent of genomic expression, Hood says. Rather, it’s influenced by informational signals received from the environment by the remaining 98 percent (non-coding) DNA.

“Information from our environment, such as electromagnetic waves, toxic air pollutants, lack of nutrients, stressors, etc., can lead to disharmony within our bodies,” she explains. “The human body responds accordingly by changing the phenotype without altering the genotype, or DNA. This change is reflected in our physiology.”

A Roadmap for Health Strategy

The root or “bulb” is the only part of the hair that’s alive. It constantly senses and detects environmental signals emanating from our internal and external environment, Hood says, and it stores the epigenetic resonance information that we are then able to test.

With epigenetic testing, fresh hair bulbs and shaft information is digitized via a device called an S-drive, within the first three minutes of plucking the hair. 

“The information obtained from this process helps provide a roadmap for those who are keen on a preventative, ongoing, anti-aging nutritional strategy,” she says. “A report is then generated that reflects underlying environmental and dietary issues long before they present physically.  Sometimes symptoms have already begun to manifest. The report helps direct therapy for relief and prevention.”

Each 34-page map reflects the personal environmental influences that may impact someone’s health, including common vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, antioxidant groups, amino acids, toxins, bacteria and fungi, molds, spores, parasites and viruses. It also measures 14 major categories of “electro-smog,” like electromagnetic frequencies; intestinal and circulatory stressors; muscle recovery stressors; food intolerances; and food additives to avoid.

“With the aid of the report and the individual’s health history, I can create a wellness plan for them that will include the foods they need and the supplements that are best for them,” Hood says. The test and consultation costs $175 and takes no more than an hour to complete.

DPCGYN is located at 137 Crystal Beach Dr., Ste. 121-B, Destin, FL. For appointments or more information, call 850-470-1554, email [email protected], or visit DPCGYN2020.com. To read more about epigenetics, visit Cell-Wellbeing.com.