Are people suffering from fibromyalgia the human versions of the "canaries of the coal mines"? One school of thought says so. These patients may have physiological systems that are ultra-sensitive to even low-dose exposure from toxic chemicals, heavy metals, pollutants, and other potentially noxious substances in our environment.

Indeed, studies show that as many of 23-57% of patients with fibromylagia show clinical evidence of severe chemical insensitivity.1,2

Some investigators have suggested that this chemical intolerance may develop after a repeated or acute exposure to toxic chemicals, such as pesticides and certain drugs.3 In addition, research also suggests that patients with fibromyalgia may be physiologically more sensitized to toxic effects of heavy metal exposure than are other individuals.4

One possible reason for this heightened sensitivity to xenobiotics-foreign substances that "invade" the body-is a glitch in the liver's normal detoxification mechanisms. To detoxify potentially harmful xenobiotic agents, such as drugs and toxic pollutants, the liver depends on a system of specialized enzymes to properly process and eliminate these substances.

The healthy function of this detoxification system, however, can be upset by poor diet, genetic predisposition, lifestyle factors, and other factors. When this happens, faulty detoxification mechanisms may increase toxic burden on the body, setting off chronic disease processes linked to fibromyalgia and fatigue/immune dysfunction, and possibly even to Parkinson's disease and cancer.5

The Comprehensive Detoxification Profile is noninvasive functional "challenge" test that evaluates the body's ability to detoxify substances after ingesting three challenge substances (caffeine, acetaminophen, and salicylate). It can indicate detoxification status and help evaluate the adequacy of current antioxidant defense.

The Anti-Chemical Antibodies Profile assays blood for systemic exposure and sensitivity to formaldehyde, trimellitic anhydride, toluene, phthalic anhydride, and benzene ring.

References:
1 Bell IR, Baldwin CM, Schwartz GE. Illness from low levels of environmental chemicals: relevance to chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Am J Med 1998;105(3A):74S-82S.

2 Slotkoff AT, Radulovic DA, Clauw DJ. The relationship between fibromyalgia and the multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome. Scand J Rheumatol 1997;26(5):364-7.

3 Miller CS. Are we on the threshold of a new theory of disease? Toxicant-induced loss of tolerance and its relationship to addiction and abdiction. Toxicol Ind Health 1999 Apr-Jun;15(3-4):284-94

4 Shanklin DR, Stevens MV, Hall MF, Smalley DL. Environmental immunogens and T-cell-mediated responses in fibromyalgia: evidence for immune dysregulation and determinants of granuloma formation. Exp Mol Pathol 2000 Oct;69(2):102-18.

5 Liska DJ. The detoxification enzyme systems. Altern Med Rev 1998 Jun;3(3):187-98.


All lab tests can be done through the mail in the privacy of your own home, except blood tests, we send you to a lab to have your blood drawn for these. After you pay for the test we mail you the kit, the results take two weeks, the test results will be mailed to us and we will call you to go over the results, its that easy! All tests include the consultation for the report of findings.

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