Diagnosing Toxicity Disorders

Toxicity occurs when toxins (from molds, insect bites, heavy metals, food preservatives, or other harmful chemical agents) are introduced into the body of a person who lacks the proper liver enzymes to break down and eliminate them from his or her system.

Diagnosing toxicity disorders can be challenging because of the wide range of symptoms; often, it’s misdiagnosed. Symptoms are similar to the symptoms of and can manifest as a variety of disease conditions, including fibromyalgia, migraine or chronic headaches, depression, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Lyme Disease, recurrent sinus infections or chronic sinusitis, asthma that is unresponsive to conventional therapy or autoimmune diseases such as psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.

The problem is, if the underlying cause of your pain or illness is a toxicity disorder and your treatment plan does not include a detoxification regimen, your overall recovery is very likely to be incomplete and far slower than it needs to be.

At the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine, we evaluate your current symptoms within the context of your medical history, your lifestyle and any history of exposure to biotoxins. If toxicity is suspected, patients may undergo additional testing to confirm if toxins are present. If so, patients are provided with a comprehensive treatment protocol that may include medication, dietary modifications, and manual therapy.

Many patients find that addressing the toxicity disorder has alleviated or resolved their longstanding medical problems.

Toxicity Screening

Toxicity screening may involve one or more of the following:

• History of Exposure to Biotoxins and Current Lifestyle Profile helps your doctor determine whether your body may be sequestering harmful toxins.
• Genetic Testing (HLA-testing) to Assess Risks of Biotoxin Susceptibility can determine whether your body has the enzymes necessary to break down biotoxins so they can be eliminated naturally from your body.
• Online Visual Contrast Sensitivity Test (VCS) is a non-invasive test and sensitive indicator of your exposure to a variety of toxins. There are a number of online resources that offer this test for a small fee.
• Advanced testing can detect the presence of toxins (including mycotoxins, heavy metals, infectious sources, food additives, pesticides, and other toxic chemicals). Talk to your physician about which test(s) may be most appropriate for you, based on your history of exposure
• Test for leaky gut. When the protective filtering system within the intestines is compromised, it is known as Intestinal Permeability – or leaky gut. Toxins and other substances that would normally have been kept within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and eliminated are now able to get into the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body.

For information about how the Kaplan Center physicians treat toxicity disorders please click here.