01 / EXPOSURE HISTORY
Exposure History
Identify plausible sources and reduce ongoing exposure. Environmental assessment may answer a different question from measuring a chemical in the body.
Functional laboratory education
The Detox Lab Edit
The first question is exposure. Air, water, food, work, and household products offer a more useful starting point than assuming that every symptom reflects a hidden toxin burden.
Begin with the foundations
A question before a panel.
Begin with the question, then choose the test. Food, sleep, movement, connection, oral care, and relevant environmental changes remain the foundation. Laboratory work is most useful when a finding could change a decision.
02 / LIVER & KIDNEY CONTEXT
Liver & Kidney Context
Clinically appropriate blood and urine tests may assess organ function. They do not measure a general 'detox capacity' or prove that a supplement is clearing toxins.
03 / TARGETED METALS
Targeted Metals
Choose the specimen and assay for the suspected metal and exposure. Detectable levels do not necessarily establish toxicity. Provoked urine results cannot be compared with unprovoked reference ranges.
04 / PFAS
Pfas
PFAS blood testing can document selected compounds when exposure history supports a discussion. It does not identify the source or establish a treatment plan by itself.
A closer look
What the findings can tell us.
01
Heavy metals · blood
Measures selected metals in a venous blood sample. I consider this testing when an environmental, occupational, dietary, or household history raises a specific exposure question. Which metal is measured and when the exposure occurred both affect interpretation. The result helps inform the investigation; it does not provide a complete inventory of every metal stored in the body.
Specimen
Blood; confirm the exact specimen and collection requirements on your order.
Timing & collection
Follow the instructions supplied with the exact order. Fasting and medication timing may change when tests are combined.
Interpret with the reason for testing, symptoms, medical history, and the laboratory method. An isolated result is not a diagnosis.
VIEW IN THE FULLSCRIPT LAB COLLECTION →02
Heavy metals · 24-hour urine
Measures selected metals excreted in urine collected over a full day. The longer collection window provides information about excretion during that period. I interpret the findings alongside the suspected source, timing of exposure, kidney function, and collection instructions; urinary excretion is not the same as the total amount of a metal present in the body.
Specimen
Complete 24-hour urine collection.
Timing & collection
Follow the exact start/stop and storage instructions. Incomplete collection affects results; do not add a chelation challenge.
Excretion over one day is not total body burden. Recent exposures and specimen handling matter.
VIEW IN THE FULLSCRIPT LAB COLLECTION →03
Environmental exposure panel
Looks for selected environmental chemicals or their breakdown products included in the panel. I begin with your exposure history—home, work, water, food, and personal-care products—so the testing has a clear purpose. Results describe the substances measured and can guide a more focused investigation of possible sources; they do not quantify every environmental exposure or establish the cause of symptoms.
Specimen
Blood; confirm the exact specimen and collection requirements on your order.
Timing & collection
Follow the instructions supplied with the exact order. Fasting and medication timing may change when tests are combined.
Interpret with the reason for testing, symptoms, medical history, and the laboratory method. An isolated result is not a diagnosis.
VIEW IN THE FULLSCRIPT LAB COLLECTION →04
Arsenic, lead & mercury · urine
Measures arsenic, lead, and mercury in a single urine sample. I consider this option when the exposure history points toward one or more of these metals. Timing, urine concentration, and recent dietary exposures can influence interpretation. Follow the collection instructions carefully, and view the result within a targeted assessment rather than as a general detox score.
Specimen
Urine; confirm random versus timed collection in the order.
Timing & collection
Follow the exact assay instructions and disclose recent seafood intake when arsenic is measured. Do not add a chelation challenge.
Speciation may be needed to distinguish arsenic forms. Concentration and recent exposure affect urine findings; results are not a total toxin burden.
VIEW IN THE FULLSCRIPT LAB COLLECTION →05
PFAS panel
Measures selected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of persistent environmental chemicals. I consider this information when a history of potential exposure gives us a specific question to explore. Results can document measured levels and support a discussion about reducing ongoing exposure, but they cannot identify the cause of symptoms, predict future illness, or determine treatment on their own.
Specimen
Blood; confirm the selected assay specimen.
Timing & collection
Follow the instructions supplied with the exact order. Fasting and medication timing may change when tests are combined.
The result cannot identify the exposure source, attribute symptoms, predict individual disease, or establish a treatment by itself.
VIEW IN THE FULLSCRIPT LAB COLLECTION →Collect with intention.
Use validated, unprovoked collection for metal evaluation. PFAS testing generally uses serum; follow the chosen laboratory's instructions.
Keep the limits in view.
A toxin result cannot by itself explain all symptoms. Chelator-challenge testing is not validated for diagnosing metal toxicity, and indiscriminate treatment can cause harm.
Results belong within your history, symptoms, examination, medications, and the laboratory's method. A reference interval is not a universal target for every person. There is no single validated set of 'optimal' values that applies across all assays and life stages.
Availability, ordering requirements, collection fees, and eligibility vary by test and location. Review the current Fullscript listing and your clinician's instructions before purchasing.
VIEW THE LAB COLLECTION ON FULLSCRIPTGood questions. Thoughtful answers.
Do I need every test in this guide?
No. Choose a test only when its result may change a useful decision, taking existing results, symptoms and your budget into account.
Does an out-of-range result identify the root cause?
Not by itself. Interpretation depends on the assay, collection, history and the pattern across findings. A result can be one clue without being the explanation.
Where can I see ordering requirements?
Open the individual Fullscript listing for current availability, specimen instructions and eligibility. A collection may include alternatives rather than tests intended to be purchased together.
Related reading.
Research & references
Educational information, not an individualized order or interpretation. Purchases through my storefront may financially support my practice.