Toxic Metals - Whole Blood

Whole Blood generally reflects Increased or recent exposure to toxic elements. The Metametrix Toxic Metals Profile shows levels of aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.

Test name(s)

0026 - Toxic Metals
0039 - Toxic Metals NY

Description

Increased exposure to toxic elements is generally reflected by levels in whole blood. This test shows levels of aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.

Method

ICP/MS

Turnaround time

7-14 days, 11 days average

Analytes

HIGHLY TOXIC HEAVY METALS
Arsenic
Cadmium*
Lead*
Mercury

POTENTIALLY TOXIC METALS
Aluminum

*Not available in New York

Specimen Collection Instructions

• Elements-Blood-KI.pdf

Sample Reports Example of how test results will be reported, including reference ranges and graphs indicating high and low percentiles of each analyte.

• Toxic-Metals-Whole-Blood-SR.pdf

Patient Briefs

• Elements-Blood-PB.pdf

If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, download it here.

Articles

• President's Cancer Panel: Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk - With the growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer, the public is becoming increasingly aware of the unacceptable burden of cancer resulting from environmental and occupational exposures that could have been prevented through appropriate national action.
• Choosing the Best Specimen for Element Testing - There is no single best specimen for simultaneous, optimal status assessment of essential elements and toxic heavy metals. For each element there are merits and limitations of the specimens commonly tested.

Books

• Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine - Your evidence-based resource for the biochemical basis of chronic illness. A must-have desk reference for laboratory testing associated with nutritional and metabolic medicine.

Case Studies

• Mineral Testing and Osteoporosis - This is a case study involving a postmenopausal woman with osteoporosis. The case illustrates how whole blood minerals and toxic metals testing can give clues to causes of osteoporosis and help with supplement recommendations.

Podcasts

• Toxic Metal Assessment in Children with ASD - Listen to this discussion with Julie Matthews and David Traver, MD on the complicated topic of toxic metal assessment in children with ASD.
• Why is it important to understand total toxic body burden? - Part 1 - With so much in the news today about toxicity and the environment, it’s hard to ignore the chatter and and how it affects our health. Time to ask someone in the know.
• Why should we test for toxic exposure? - Part 2 - This is the second installment of my conversation with Dr. Walter Crinnion on toxicity and the environment. He is a wellspring of information on this subject, and he answers the question about the need for testing in this week's podcast.
• How do toxins affect mitochondria? - Part 3 - In this third installment of my conversation with Dr. Walter Crinnion, we consider the function of the mitochondria, those “cellular power plants” that provide most of our cell’s supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
• Immunotoxicity - First to the party - Part 4 - We take a deeper look into how toxins affect the immune system this week. Dr. Crinnion says immunotoxicity is usually the first problem that shows up in a person’s history, typically manifesting itself as allergies or asthma...
• Hey Fathead, your brain is an easy target for toxins - Part 5 - The brain is one of the largest fatty organs in our body. Dr. Crinnion says that many environmental toxins are fat-soluble and easily pass the blood/brain barrier.
• Who’s your mama? Is your generation at risk? - Part 6 - The endocrine system is another major target of environmental compounds. Did you know this system directly affects fertility and reproduction? Dr. Crinnion shares a story about the result of persistent, man-made chemicals being transfered from across generations...
• Which test is best? - Part 7 - With so many tests available to clinicians, it can be overwhelming for them to determine which one is the best for their patients. In this podcast, Dr. Crinnion gives his suggestions on testing for toxic exposure.
• Autism and Laboratory Testing - April is the month where many organizations focus on raising awareness of autism, and Metametrix would like to contribute by generating awareness of the laboratory tests that can help to uncover metabolic factors that may be treated in each individual with this complex disease.

Presentations

• Evaluating Environmental Effects on the Body's Biochemistry and Cancer - This presentation explores the impact of environmental toxins on the body's metabolism. There are over 80,000 chemicals on the market that we are exposed to, with the added insult of combined exposures being more toxic to the body. Metametrix testing is explored and various analytes are explained as markers for toxicity.
• IFM: The New Paradigm of Medicine - This PowerPoint presentation was developed by the Institute for Functional Medicine. It provides a concise explanation of the new paradigm of medicine that focuses on underlying causes of disease and treatment from that level rather treating symptoms alone, the approach often taken by modern medicine.
• Laboratory Markers of Toxins and Detoxification - PowerPoint presentation on the detection of toxic burden in the body.

References

• Toxic Metals - RBC/Whole Blood References