Research Chelation Therapy

What do California condors and autistic children have in common? Quite possibly it’s a need for chemical detoxification. As discussed frequently by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vigorous environmental advocate, there’s little doubt that mercury in the form of thimerosal (ethyl mercury) is “poisoning the brains of children throughout the world.” Kennedy rails against the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for being “criminally negligent” on this issue. Mercury is a neurotoxin, and allowing it to seep into the forming synapses of infant and toddler brains is, or should be, an act of criminal proportions.

This is a fact somewhat separate from the debate about what really “causes autism.” Given the known biotoxic effects of heavy metals like lead and mercury, how can anyone argue, as vaccine manufactures continue to do, that that mercury, at any level, is harmless to developing tissues of children. Yet that autism debate rages on, the most disingenuous of the combatants parking themselves in the absurd, overly simplistic extremes of genetics versus environment. The truth likely lies somewhere in between. Certain children, through their genetic makeups, are likely more sensitive to neurotoxins such as mercury.

In an environment where drugs like Prozac seep into drinking water, and the bodies of all of us bubble with a diversity of toxins, like PCBs and dioxins, who is to say what combination of toxins, thimerosal included, may provoke childhood brain disorders like hyperactivity or autism? From a toxicological point of view, mercury, possibly in combination with other toxins, might act in a direct fashion on the brains of these kids. Or it’s also possible, given what is known about mercury, that it could, drive the immune system into a haywire interaction with its own nervous system and contributing to the neurological damage.

On June 25, the same day that Kennedy made his assertions about the mercury-autism connection on radio, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D, NY) held subcommittee hearings into the health effects of environmental toxicity suffered by 9-11 responders and residents. What many fail to appreciate is that the plethora of illnesses currently afflicting tens of thousands of 9-11 responders offers us a mirror of the health effects related to the accumulating toxicity to which we are all exposed. They come at us, and into us, from our food, air, water and from products and materials we use at home and at work over our lifetimes. Just as the genetic makeups of some children can predispose them to brain/behavioral disorders, when exposed to thimerosal, a number of the 9-11 responders, against a background of a career of the exposures they got while fighting fires, developed lung pathologies– the notorious WTC cough and chronic lung diseases –and also a host of immunological and neurological symptoms. Their chronic fatigue, loss of memory, inability to concentrate and disruption of sleep may, in a very real sense, parallel the damaged neurology in mercury-exposed children.

Proponents of the thimerosal causation of autism, like Kennedy, argue that a detoxification method called chelation therapy is of great benefit to these children. Detoxification, they claim, is a necessary strategy in a population already polluted by its environment. Kennedy chides the CDC, and the traditional U.S. medical establishment, for refusing to even study chelation. And in like fashion, when nearly 1,000 of the between 40,000 and 70,000 estimated 9-11 responders who say they have suffered health problems due to their World Trade Center toxic exposures have demonstrated benefit from a sauna detoxification procedure, New York City and its traditional medical team at Mt. Sinai Hospital and other WTC treatment centers vigorously ignore the fact that this rehabilitation therapy is actually working. While the ill responders continue to deteriorate and develop rare cancers, like multiple myeloma, almost all of those who received detoxification therapy have returned to relatively normal lives, their mental fogginess allayed, their sleep quality restored, their energy for living reinvigorated.

In general, this correlation bears testament to the growing necessity for toxin cleansing on a planet groaning under the weight of body-stored toxins. As for the condor connection mentioned at the beginning of this article, interestingly, there was no hesitation when isotopic fingerprinting showed that the endangered California condor was suffering from lead poisoning after ingestion of lead-bullet-poisoned carcasses left behind by hunters. Using chelation to remove the lead from the condors’ blood and tissues, wildlife biologists rescued dozens of birds, greatly assisting a captive breeding program that is returning the species to viability.

Future generations will tell us whether we too readily neglected and rejected chelation and other forms of detoxification in favor of traditional medicine, which tends to function within the trade space of putting more chemicals (drugs) into bodies already overflowing with foreign substances. They will tell us whether we were too resistant to a needed a paradigm shift, which would recognize the need to relieve a body of its toxic burden as a more viable path to regaining health rather than trying to relieve symptoms with drug therapy alone.

source: http://www.opednews.com
authored by: Vin LoPresti

by: Lourdes Salvador
July 7, 2007

Chelation often gets a bad rap and this author opines that the bad rap often comes from practitioners who use risky chelation methods, such as intravenous dosing. Chelation not only removes toxicant metals, but also minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Too large a dose all at once could strip the body of these minerals required for heart function and cause death. Sadly, these cases have received bad publicity and tainted the benefits and relative safety of oral chelation.

However, chelation is not all bad and may even be beneficial. Flora et al (2007) published a study entitled “Arsenic and lead induced free radical generation and their reversibility following chelation” in the Cellular and Molecular Biology journal. The researchers found that chelation after exposure to lead or arsenic actually reversed the free radical damage that the heavy metals caused.

The researchers focused on lead and arsenic, as they believe the two are the most important current global environmental toxicants because the symptoms of toxicity are believed to be produced by an imbalance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant homeostasis, as well as a high affinity for thiol groups on functional proteins.

Lead poisoning can result in fatigue, vomiting, gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, colic, weakness and dehydration. Severe cases lead to convulsions, external limb paralysis, coma, and death. Arsenic poisoning can result in stomach pains, cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting, dryness and tightness in the throat, thirst, hoarseness, speach difficulty, convulsions, delirium, and death. Both interfere with central nervous system function, as well as liver and kidney function. The approved treatment for both is administration of chelating agents to bind with the metals and carry them out of the body.

The researchers cite calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (CaNa2EDTA), D-penicillamine and British anti-lewisite (BAL) as the most commonly used chelating agents. They believe that meso 2,3 dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), commonly used by naturopaths for mercury chelation, is unable to remove the metal from intracellular sites. Therefore, they recommend combination therapy, including the use of “structurally different chelators or a combination of an adjuvant/ antioxidant/ herbal extracts and a chelator” for better results.

Reference: Flora SJ, Flora G, Saxena G, Mishra M. Arsenic and lead induced free radical generation and their reversibility following chelation. Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand). 2007 Apr 15;53(1):26-47.

source: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=31058

It is clear that the evidence is mounting that childhood vaccinations play a part in childhood neurological disorders including:  Autism, ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome.  The article below highlights “Generation Rescues” survey results that there is a much higher percentage of disorders among those children who received vaccines.  See article below:

Vaccinated Children Two And A Half Times More Likely To Have Neurological Disorders Like ADHD And Autism, New Survey In California And Oregon Finds

As the first trial in Vaccine Court explores the relationship between vaccines and autism, a new survey released today indicates a strong correlation between rates of neurological disorders, such as ADHD and autism, and childhood vaccinations.

The survey, commissioned by Generation Rescue, compared vaccinated and unvaccinated children in nine counties in Oregon and California. Among more than 9,000 boys age 4-17, the survey found vaccinated boys were two and a half times (155%) more likely to have neurological disorders compared to their unvaccinated peers. Vaccinated boys were 224% more likely to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and 61% more likely to have autism.

For older vaccinated boys in the 11-17 age bracket, the results were even more pronounced. Vaccinated boys were 158% more likely to have a neurological disorder, 317% more likely to have ADHD, and 112% more likely to have autism.

Generation Rescue commissioned the phone survey. Data was gathered by SurveyUSA, a national market research firm, which surveyed parents by phone on more than 17,000 children, ages 4-17, in five counties in California (San Diego, Sonoma, Orange, Sacramento, and Marin) and four counties in Oregon (Multnomah, Marion, Jackson, and Lane).

The survey asked parents whether their child had been vaccinated, and whether that child had one or more of the following diagnoses: Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, Pervasive Development Disorder — Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), or Autism. The phone survey was chosen to mirror the methodology the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) uses to establish national prevalence for neurological disorders in their national phone survey.

Timed to the release of the survey results, Generation Rescue also ran full-page advertisements in Washington’s Roll Call, The Oregonian, and The Orange County Register today. The ad compares the 36 pediatric vaccines the CDC recommends today to the 10 recommended in 1983, and asks, “Are We Over- Vaccinating Our Kids?”

“No one has ever compared prevalence rates of these neurological disorders between vaccinated and unvaccinated children,” said J.B. Handley, co-founder of Generation Rescue, whose son was diagnosed with autism. “The phone survey isn’t perfect, but these numbers point to the need for a comprehensive national study to gather this critical information.”

In Washington, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) has been advocating for such a survey. Co-sponsored by Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), the “Comprehensive Comparative Study of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Population Act of 2006,” or H.R. 2832, was introduced on June 22, and would require the National Institutes of Health to complete this research.

“Generation Rescue’s study is impressive and forcefully raises some serious questions about the relationship between vaccines and autism. What is ultimately needed to resolve this issue one way or the other is a comprehensive national study of vaccinated and unvaccinated children,” said Congresswoman Maloney. “The parents behind Generation Rescue only want information. These parents deserve more than road blocks, they deserve answers. We can and should move forward in search of those answers. That’s why I’ve introduced a common sense bill that would require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a comprehensive, comparative study on the possible link between autism and thimerosal.”

From 1983 to 2007, autism rates have climbed from 1 in 10,000 children to 1 in 150 children, a growth rate of 6,000% (boys are significantly more affected by neurological disorders, accounting for approximately 80% of all cases). ADHD currently affects 1 in 13 children. In the same period, the CDC’s recommended vaccine schedule more than tripled. The simmering debate over the cause of childhood neurological disorders shows no sign of cooling, but no study had ever been done to look at unvaccinated children.

Lisa Handley, co-founder of Generation Rescue, adds, “Everyone working with autism wants to identify the cause so we can focus on treatment and prevention. A national study like HR 5940 could help end this debate and focus all of our resources on helping our kids. Its time has come, and we hope Congress will choose to put our children first.”

Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=75333

It is common pratice for parents of autistic children to incorporate a special gluten and casein free diet. This is often difficult as children friendly foods such as pasta, cheese, and milk are prohibited. There are however many ways to create menu items that are both nutritious and appealing to children. You can review special gluten and casein free products and see how easy it can be.

Here are what doctors in the “Defeat Autism Now” biomedical movement recommend:

“Doctors in the “Defeat Autism Now!” biomedical movement support special diets for children with autism, including the removal of gluten and casein. The theory behind dietary interventions is that a high percentage of children with autism suffer from chronic gastro-intestinal problems including troubling reactions to foods such as wheat, soy or milk. By eliminating gluten (found in wheat, starches and other grains) and the milk protein casein (found in cheese, butter, milk, yogurt and ice cream), the children feel better and are able to function more normally, advocates of this approach say. Before beginning the diet, doctors following the DAN! program perform blood, urine and stool tests to determine whether the child has any sensitivity to gluten and casein. Advocates recommend following the diet for at least six months to a year, but other autism experts note that there is little evidence supporting the effectiveness of these diets.” reprinted from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6974956/