Chelation Therapy is extremely controversial and dangerous. I think people are mislead by the information available about the therapy because the people providing the information are very deceiving and convincing. The advocates for Chelation believe that Thimerosal, which used to be a vaccine preservative until 2001, causes autism. Chelation is "the use of chelating agents to detoxify poisonous metal agents such as mercury, arsenic, and lead by converting them to a chemically inert form that can be excreted without further interaction with the body. Chelation is also used as an unscientific treatment for autism or other conditions. There are no peer-reviewed publications regarding the efficacy of chelation agents for the treatment of autism. In addition to being beneficial, some chelating agents can be dangerous. The U.S. CDC reports that use of Na2EDTA instead of CaEDTA has resulted in fatalities due to hypocalcemia."
I found a good article that explains why Chelation should NOT be used as a treatment for autism. It states that "Because of a temporal correlation between the first notable signs and symptoms of autism and the routine childhood vaccination schedule, many parents have become increasingly concerned regarding the possible etiologic role vaccines may play in the development of autism. In particular, some have suggested an association between the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine and autism. Our literature review found very few studies supporting this theory, with the overwhelming majority showing no causal association between the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine and autism. The vaccine preservative thimerosal has alternatively been hypothesized to have a possible causal role in autism. Again, no convincing evidence was found to support this claim, nor for the use of chelation therapy in autism. With decreasing uptake of immunizations in children and the inevitable occurrence of measles outbreaks, it is important that clinicians be aware of the literature concerning vaccinations and autism so that they may have informed discussions with parents and caregivers." I never even considered not vaccinating my girls.
One thing I found very interesting about Chelation is that there are very few books published about the therapy, but there are endless numbers of websites about it. I am considering writing a book about it. For now, though, I will move on to the topic of dietary interventions used as treatment for autism.
"The implementation of a GFCF diet involves removing all sources of gluten and casein from a person's diet. Gluten is found in all products containing wheat, rye, and barley and may sometimes contaminate oats grown nearby or processed on the same equipment as gluten-containing cereals. Casein is found in dairy products such as milk or cheese, but is also present in smaller amounts in many substitute dairy products such as vegetarian cheese substitutes, which use casein to provide texture. On a separate note, whey is a different milk protein from casein and can be included in this diet."
As far as the effectiveness of the diet, this statement was made: "Reports on the effectiveness of the GFCF diet come overwhelmingly from testimonials of individual parents or teachers. Reported results range from no discernible effect to claims of complete recovery following implementation of a gluten-free casein-free regimen. There have been insufficient adequately designed, large-scale controlled studies and clinical trials to state whether the GFCF diet is effective. A small single blind study has documented fewer autistic behaviors in children fed a gluten-free, casein-free diet, but noted no change in cognitive skills, linguistic ability or motor ability. This study has been criticized for its small size, single-blind design which may have skewed the results as effectiveness was determined in part by interviewing the parents, who knew whether their child was receiving the GFCF diet.sample. A 2006 double-blind short-term study found no significant differences in behavior between children on a gluten-free, casein-free diet and those on regular diets."
As far as the safety of the diet, this statement was made: "it appears that a casein-free diet may contribute to calcium and vitamin D deficiencies that lead to decreased bone development and increased risk of broken bones."
Not something I want to try on my kids!
Well, I haven't gotten any feedback from this blog yet except for a couple votes in my poll so I am going to post mainly on my other blog at http://autism-blog.com/blog/twinsmominmn
Thanks!
