If you've been researching biomedical approaches to autism, you've probably encountered the phrase “toxic burden.” You may have also encountered a confusing collection of subjects: Mercury. Lead. Pesticides. Environmental toxins. Hair testing. Gut health. Nutrition. Methylation. Detoxification. Chelation.

At first, these can seem like completely separate topics. They're not necessarily separate subjects in the way they are often presented online. They can become part of the same investigation when you're trying to understand your child's overall health and whether environmental or biological factors could be contributing to the problems you're seeing. 

So what does toxic burden actually mean?

If you've started researching autism, environmental health, or biomedical approaches, you've probably encountered the subject of heavy metals.
Mercury. Lead. Arsenic. Cadmium.

You may also have encountered very different opinions about exposure, testing, hair analysis, detoxification, and chelation. For a parent who is new to the subject, it can be difficult to know what is actually important.

What are heavy metals? Where can children be exposed? How do you test for them? What does a hair test tell you? And why does chelation enter the conversation?

This article gives you a starting point for understanding those questions and explains how heavy metals fit into the biomedical approach discussed in Fight Autism and Win.

This article is educational and is not medical advice. Known or suspected heavy-metal exposure should be discussed with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.