An Autism Intervention Specialist Doctor Explains Heavy Metal Testing For Porphyrins
Biomedical autism intervention uses a number of diagnostic tools to evaluate for underlying heavy metal toxicity. As a biomedical autism treatment heavy metal detoxification therapy is an important intervention to remove the toxic effect of things like mercury, lead, arsenic and others from the body of a developing child with autism. These metals are known to be neurologically toxic. A unique way to assess cellular toxicity to heavy metals is to use a urine test called a porphyrin profile. A porphyrin analysis is an important component of biomedical autism intervention.
What are Porphyrins?
Porphyrins are proteins in our body responsible for the formation of heme. Heme is the carrier protein for iron in hemoglobin. This hemogloblin complex (heme + iron) is what carries oxygen throughout our body. Without heme you have no way of conserving iron and no way of transporting oxygen throughout your body. Obviously, this is not a positive thing for health as oxygen is necessary for life. Porphyrins are also involved in supporting cells in the liver which are responsible for detoxification. Without proper porphyrin production our body’s capacity to detoxify toxins in severely compromised.
Porphyrins and Alzheimers Disease:
Ongoing research into Alzheimer’s Disease indicates that the formation of a substance called beta-amyloid (referred to as “senile plaque”) is responsible for plaque formation in the brain, specific to Alzheimer’s. Heme is responsible for removing beta-amyloid. Without adequate heme formation you are at risk for beta-amyloid accumulation and possibly Alzheimer’s Disease.
Porphyrins and Heavy Metals:
There are a few rare genetic disorders that cause a dysfunction in porphyrin production. These manifest as a specific genetic enzyme defect which directly impacts certain points in the porphyrin biochemistry. However, it is well known that mercury (and other metals) can significantly impact porphyrin biochemisty as well, by interfering with the enzymes that help produce heme. Mercury and lead are the major offenders and if a porphyrin profile indicates a problem in porphyrin production mercury and/or lead toxicity should definitely be high on the list for causative factors.