Pyrrole Disorder is NOT caused from the HPL compound in the urine!

The names of the diagnosis of Pyrrole Disorder have changed many times over the years!
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Starting with the initial Mauve Disorder, named after the colour the urine changed to when a testing reagent was added to it, in people with mental health and neurological conditions. Then came Malvaria, Kryptopyrrole and Haemopyrrole, Pyrrole Disorder (commonly used in Aus and UK) or Pyroluria (used in the USA), or other names!

All the names tend to suggest the relationship of the alleged pyrrole compound (ie, HPL) being found in the urine. The original doctors and scientists investigating this condition hypothesised that the HPL compound would bind to zinc and vitamin B6 and carry them out of the body to cause the chronic deficiencies of these nutrients, which in turn cause the Pyrrole Disorder symptoms. It was just a theory, and there was no evidence for this belief.

There are a number of issues I have with the concept of HPL binding to zinc and vitamin B6 in this condition, especially being in clinical practice and seeing thousands of people with this condition, including:

1. A study was conducted and shown to prove that vitamin B6 cannot actually bind to the HPL compound (Lambert, Semmler, Beer & Voisey, 2023), so that common belief is bust
2. I’ve never seen just deficiencies of zinc and B6 in those with the condition, but usually at least 6 deficiencies and sometimes 12… The more deficiencies that someone has, the more deficiency symptoms and the worse or more complex their health issues will be
3. These additional deficiencies are nothing to do with the HPL compound in the urine, but because of STRESS/trauma etc which causes increased use of these nutrients, being needed to make the stress hormones of cortisol and adrenaline, and more
4. The additional deficiencies in those with this condition are also due to reduced stomach function and digestion of foods, which causes reduced absorption of nutrients, leading to these nutrient deficiencies
5. The HPL test is very inaccurate due to being very sensitive to light, heat and time, from when the urine sample is taken to when it’s tested. All the while, the HPL level decreases and can give an inaccurate or even a negative result
6. The HPL result does not relate to severity of symptoms at all, so again it shouldn’t be used as a test for screening or even for checking on progress of the treatment plan.

Many published studies have shown that the urine test is inaccurate, inconsistent, and not related to the alleged mental health or neurological conditions that it is linked to, including of depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia and more (Warren, Sarris, Mulder, & Rucklidge, 2021). As such, these scientific studies recommend that the HPL urine test should not be used as a screening, diagnostic or treatment tool. And I agree, and why I haven’t used or recommended the HPL urine test for many years. I use a screening questionnaire as the first step, then blood tests to confirm my investigations, and further functional testing may be required too.

I believe the concept of the HPL in the urine being the cause of the nutrient deficiencies of Pyrrole Disorder is completely wrong! At best it might be a scapegoat, or perhaps because the original scientists investigating the condition were not actually clinicians or practitioners, and certainly hot holistic practitioners who use a root-cause focused approach to treating Pyrrole Disorder.

The many nutrient deficiencies of Pyrrole Disorder can be explained by the following 3 ways:

1. Stress and trauma, especially of chronic or long-term stress, causes many nutrient deficiencies due to the excess production of the stress hormones of cortisol and adrenaline, which can in turn strain the adrenal glands and cause reduced production of the stress hormones. The adrenal glands need all the B-vitamins, zinc, magnesium and more – all deficient in Pyrrole Disorder!

2. Stress and trauma affect stomach function and digestion, causing reduced digestion, which in turn causes reduced absorption of nutrients, then nutrient deficiencies and their deficiency symptoms. This causes deficiencies of all the B-vitamins, zinc, magnesium, iron, protein, and more – all are very commonly deficient in Pyrrole Disorder!

3. Many people with Pyrrole Disorder have high level of heavy metals, which can cause neuro-inflammation (of the brain and nervous system), oxidative damage, and the heavy metals can push out of the body many nutritional minerals and vitamins the brain and body needs, to cause many deficiencies including magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, calcium and more – again all very common deficiencies in Pyrrole Disorder.
Hence I believe the deficiencies of Pyrrole Disorder are NOTHING to do with the HPL compound in the urine, and also why the condition shouldn’t even be called as Pyrrole Disorder, Pyroluria, or its other names!

It’s much more important to find and treat all the root causes of the “Pyrrole Disorder” in each person, and not just use some standard protocol which is based on incorrect beliefs or outdated science. This is my approach as I specialise in mental health issues and Pyrrole Disorder – to find and treat all the root causes of all symptoms and conditions in each person. This is a real holistic approach which will give quick symptom relief, as well as the long-term resolution of symptoms, and even the long-term prevention so the issues don’t come back.

References:
Lambert, B., Semmler, A., Beer, C., & Voisey, J. (2023). Pyrroles as a Potential Biomarker for Oxidative Stress Disorders. Integrated Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24 (3), 2712. DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032712

Warren, B., Sarris, J., Mulder, R.T, Rucklidge, J.J. (2021). Pyroluria: Fact or Fiction? Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 27(5), 407–415. DOI: 10.1089/acm.2020.0151