Chelation and Autism
Some parents are claiming their autistic child was cured of the disability after completing chelation therapy.
There is no scientific evidence that indicates chelation therapy is an effective treatment for autism let alone a cure.
What is chelation therapy? It is a treatment used medically to remove heavy metals from the body.
This is based on some people's theory that autism is caused by heavy metal poisoning.
There is no proof, of any kind, that metal poisoning causes autism.
One father, of a seven year old autistic son, is suing two doctors who used the treatment on his boy.
The clinic, located in Naperville, Ill, says the father, made a lot of money from the treatments.
He says many other families are also spending a lot of money on the treatment.
According to the suit the clinic offered intravenous chelation therapy.
They gave his son 37 treatments.
It is reported that chelation can actually cause damage to an autistic child's body - everything from kidney failure to death.
One five year old boy, Abubakar Tariq Nadama is a case in point.
After chelation treatment he died.
Although the therapy has been approved for more than 50 years for lead poisoning it is not approved for the treatment of autism.
Any parent considering going the chelation therapy route should ask the doctors what type of test is offered to determine if the child's body has heavy metal poisoning - if the doctors say they use the Urine Toxic Metal Test then you should research the pros and cons of this test.
There are reports that when a patient is offered this chelating agent it causes a chemical to bind to metals in the body.
They are then excreted via the urine.
The end result is that unusually high levels of metal will show in the urine - it is believed this is because they have been drawn out by the chelating agent.
So, the test often gives a false impression that there are major levels of metal in the autistic child's body when this is not necessarily the case.
The urine test routinely and predictably does cause an elevation in the urine mercury several times.
The laboratory report will generally show values listed as normal in the first test, without the chelation agent; then, the results will be much higher than normal - so high they will usually alarm any parent of an autistic child.
In 2008 Federal officials called off a study for this controversial alternative treatment.
It was originally put on hold after animal trials linked a specific chelation treatment to brain damage in rats.
"The Board determined that there was no clear evidence for direct benefit to children who would participate in the chelation trial and that the study presents more than a minimal risk," according to the statement from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
It is unfortunate, but true, that many parents of an autistic child are desperate to cure the disability.
This can sometimes lead them to unproven, sometimes dangerous alternative therapies.
In his book Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure, Dr.
Paul Offit states, "...
none of the treatments has held up to scientific scrutiny, but many remain popular because parents have few other places to turn...
these fringe therapies have appeal because there is not much else out there.
" Another interesting statement Offit offers is this, "...
very young children with mild symptoms of autism often get better on their own later in childhood, which may explain why many parents believe so strongly that alternative treatment works.
There is a natural wax and wane with this disorder.
Symptoms that seem very bad between the ages of 2 and 5 may get much better between the ages of 6 and 10.
" All alternative therapies for autism come with a price tag.
Often this price tag is very high as desperate parents are willing to try anything to cure their autistic child.
If you are considering chelation therapy for your child - first, please do your own research and homework before making the decision.
There is no scientific evidence that indicates chelation therapy is an effective treatment for autism let alone a cure.
What is chelation therapy? It is a treatment used medically to remove heavy metals from the body.
This is based on some people's theory that autism is caused by heavy metal poisoning.
There is no proof, of any kind, that metal poisoning causes autism.
One father, of a seven year old autistic son, is suing two doctors who used the treatment on his boy.
The clinic, located in Naperville, Ill, says the father, made a lot of money from the treatments.
He says many other families are also spending a lot of money on the treatment.
According to the suit the clinic offered intravenous chelation therapy.
They gave his son 37 treatments.
It is reported that chelation can actually cause damage to an autistic child's body - everything from kidney failure to death.
One five year old boy, Abubakar Tariq Nadama is a case in point.
After chelation treatment he died.
Although the therapy has been approved for more than 50 years for lead poisoning it is not approved for the treatment of autism.
Any parent considering going the chelation therapy route should ask the doctors what type of test is offered to determine if the child's body has heavy metal poisoning - if the doctors say they use the Urine Toxic Metal Test then you should research the pros and cons of this test.
There are reports that when a patient is offered this chelating agent it causes a chemical to bind to metals in the body.
They are then excreted via the urine.
The end result is that unusually high levels of metal will show in the urine - it is believed this is because they have been drawn out by the chelating agent.
So, the test often gives a false impression that there are major levels of metal in the autistic child's body when this is not necessarily the case.
The urine test routinely and predictably does cause an elevation in the urine mercury several times.
The laboratory report will generally show values listed as normal in the first test, without the chelation agent; then, the results will be much higher than normal - so high they will usually alarm any parent of an autistic child.
In 2008 Federal officials called off a study for this controversial alternative treatment.
It was originally put on hold after animal trials linked a specific chelation treatment to brain damage in rats.
"The Board determined that there was no clear evidence for direct benefit to children who would participate in the chelation trial and that the study presents more than a minimal risk," according to the statement from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
It is unfortunate, but true, that many parents of an autistic child are desperate to cure the disability.
This can sometimes lead them to unproven, sometimes dangerous alternative therapies.
In his book Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure, Dr.
Paul Offit states, "...
none of the treatments has held up to scientific scrutiny, but many remain popular because parents have few other places to turn...
these fringe therapies have appeal because there is not much else out there.
" Another interesting statement Offit offers is this, "...
very young children with mild symptoms of autism often get better on their own later in childhood, which may explain why many parents believe so strongly that alternative treatment works.
There is a natural wax and wane with this disorder.
Symptoms that seem very bad between the ages of 2 and 5 may get much better between the ages of 6 and 10.
" All alternative therapies for autism come with a price tag.
Often this price tag is very high as desperate parents are willing to try anything to cure their autistic child.
If you are considering chelation therapy for your child - first, please do your own research and homework before making the decision.
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