Research Chelation Therapy

If there is any good news, it is that researchers are taking seriously the impact of rising numbers of diagnosed cases of Autism.  Kaiser Permanente, a major medical organization, has joined an intensive 5-year study on children and families with autism studying the genetic and environmental factors associated with the disorder and the possible effective treatments for Austim.
See full article below:

Kaiser Permanente joins 5-year examination

Researchers are launching the largest-ever U.S. study aimed at solving one of the most perplexing mysteries of modern times: the cause of autism.

The incurable disorder now strikes nearly one in 150 American children and shows no sign of letting up. California recently shattered a record by adding more than 1,000 new cases of autism to its regional center system in just three months.

The five-year, $5.9 million study by Kaiser Permanente and other organizations will explore genetic and environmental reasons for the rapid rise in diagnosed cases.

The prevailing opinion among scientists is that one or more environmental factors, linked with genetics, play a role in causing the disorder, said Lisa Croen, a Kaiser epidemiologist and the study’s principal investigator in California.

“What’s become very clear is that autism results from a combination of having a genetic predisposition or genetic susceptibility, plus the added extra exposures from environmental factors or other kinds of lifestyle factors,” Croen said.

Investigators will look at everything from family medical history to what happened during pregnancy, medications the mother took, a child’s vaccination history, and whether the parents’ occupations or home locations exposed them to harmful substances.

Also included will be such lifestyle issues as whether the mother smoked.

“We’re looking for factors that might be associated with predicting these conditions,” Croen said. “Once we identify factors, if these findings are replicated in other scientifically valid studies, then you can start building intervention strategies and prevention strategies.”Families in Alameda and Santa Clara counties will be invited to participate, along with people from five other sites across the nation.

All told, researchers hope to enroll 2,700 children.

In addition to Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in Oakland, other organizations involved in the study include Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will fund the study.

Its wide scope won praise from some parents of autistic children.

“I’m pleased to see the research moving in the direction of looking at environmental factors,” said Rick Rollens, the father of an autistic child and a co-founder of the M.I.N.D. Institute at University of California, Davis.

The study is unlikely to shed light on one of the most controversial issues in autism today — whether thimerosal, a mercury-based vaccine preservative, contributed to the rapid rise in cases. The research will focus only on children born from September 2003 to August 2005. That was after many pharmaceutical companies voluntarily removed thimerosal from children’s vaccines.

Despite this limitation, Rollens said he is pleased that vaccine history will be a part of the review.

“Vaccines still contain aluminum, formaldehyde, MSG, live viruses and killed bacteria, among many other things,” Rollens said.

Just a few decades ago, autism was considered a rare condition. Today, it has become so prevalent that the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends autism screening for all children between the ages of 18 and 24 months, even if parents have not noticed anything unusual.

The Wallace family of San Jose may provide proof of the genetic component to autism.

Leland, an engineer at Apple Computer, and his wife Vanessa, who teaches music at home, are raising five children. Four of them have some form of autism. Three are from Leland’s first marriage. The two youngest are Leland and Vanessa’s offspring.

Eighteen-year-old Ian and 11-year-old Connor have both been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. The Wallaces began to notice that despite his high IQ, Ian had some unusual behaviors, including speaking in what sounded like a British accent.

“He really had not a clue about how friendship worked,” Vanessa said. “If plans changed, he’d get upset.”

Obsessed with video games, Ian speaks about them in great detail in a flat, monotone voice.

“He doesn’t pick up on cues that you’re no longer interested in the subject,” his father said.

Ian is taking computer classes at West Valley College in hopes of becoming a video game designer.

Sixteen-year-old Briana is not autistic. Four-year-old Meghan was diagnosed with a high-functioning form of the disorder after her parents noticed that she often had difficulty maintaining a conversation, yet could echo phrases she heard on television. Two-year-old Gillian also has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

Despite the challenges, the Wallace family appeared to be a happy, close-knit group during a recent interview.

“You look at what their strengths are,” Vanessa said. “That’s just parenting.”

Bay Area researchers hope to recruit 450 families, divided evenly among children with autism; those who have other developmental disorders; and those who are developing typically. Kaiser members and non-Kaiser members are eligible to participate.

The assessments will be done at Kaiser’s autism center in San Jose. Included will be a family interview and a 40-minute observation of how a child plays, said Dr. Pilar Bernal, who directs Kaiser’s regional autism program.

Investigators will also collect cheek swabs, and blood and hair samples.

The Wallace family eagerly awaits the findings.

“Every little bit of data that we collect helps us as parents to be better parents for our children,” Vanessa said.

Author: Sandy Kleffman
925-943-8249 or skleffman@bayareanewsgroup.com
Source: http://www.insidebayarea.com

For more information on autism related information and nutrition visit: www.awakennutrition.com

New scientific data and opinion supports nutrition and dietary intervention as helpful for those with autism. Newly updated book by Autism diet expert, Nourishing Hope, explains the scientific rationale for applying special diets.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) November 27, 2007 — For every one in 150 children diagnosed with autism, traditional thinking recommends only behavior and communication therapies and medicines to control symptoms. Julie Matthews, Certified Nutrition Consultant and author of Nourishing Hope, knows that something is missing. Treatment options have been limited due to a narrow perspective of autism as strictly a brain, or ‘psychiatric’ disorder. “Fortunately, science is now rethinking autism and new data supports the idea that special diets can help,” Julie says.

Scientists from the University of Western Ontario recently linked a compound produced in the digestive system (also found in wheat and dairy products) to autistic type behavior, which may demonstrate that what autistic children eat could alter their brain function. Commenting on the study, Dr. Martha Herbert, Assistant Professor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School, recently told CBC news in Canada, “Now we’re learning that the brain and body can influence each other. There are chemicals produced by and influenced by foods that can affect the brain.” If you remove those foods, that negative impact can stop.

The new edition of Matthews’ book, Nourishing Hope, highlights recent research in biochemistry and nutrition for autism, and explains the scientific rationale for dietary intervention to help restore health. Doctors and researchers are now recognizing what nutrition experts like Julie have known for years, that the brain is “downstream” from the body’s biochemistry, and not the sole origin of the problems seen with autism.

Indeed, the editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, Mark A. Hyman, M.D., posits a new “systemic way of thinking” about autism in his current editorial, Is The Cure For Brain Disorders Outside The Brain? He states that nutritional deficiencies or imbalances can explain some symptoms of autism and that “the body’s influence on the brain must come to the forefront of research and treatment.”

To help with autism, Julie recommends avoiding gluten and casein (wheat and dairy) because these foods are known to affect a brain response similar to morphine leading to foggy thinking and food cravings in children. Next, she suggests introducing foods that are easy to digest, rich in good bacteria, and packed with nutrients such as homemade broths, naturally fermented foods, and pureed vegetables hidden in meatballs, as well as supplements such as cod liver oil, probiotics (good bacteria), B6, magnesium, and zinc.

Children with autism tend to have very limited diets, so the idea of removing wheat and dairy can initially seem challenging to some parents: however, Julie provides encouragement by explaining, “Once you remove the problematic foods that can be addictive, children often expand their diet tremendously.” Thousands of parents who’ve applied nutrition intervention attest that what they feed their kids clearly makes a difference.

Since parents determine children’s diets, this major key to autism is literally in their hands.

Julie Matthews is a Certified Nutrition Consultant specializing in autism spectrum disorders. She speaks at national autism conferences, and leads cooking demonstrations on traditional healing foods. Julie has a private nutrition practice and weekly radio show in San Francisco and assists families from around the world.

For more information: NourishingHope.com
415-235-2960

For information on nutritional products for Autism please visit www.awakennutrition.com

Researchers at the Ohio State University Medical Center said an old drug may offer new hope for children struggling with autism.According to the Autism Society of America, autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States. There is no cure, but researchers are testing a variety of treatments, including a drug called mecamylamine.Mecamylamine was first used to treat high blood pressure in the 1950s. Researchers at the Ohio State University Medical Center said the drug has been effective more recently in helping children control the symptoms of conditions like Tourette syndrome and attention deficit disorder. They hope it might also help with autism.

“There is some hope that it will make a significant improvement in the core symptoms: the social impairment, the communication, the repetitive behavior, such that it will help them to faster get along the road to rehabilitation,” said researcher Dr. Eugene Arnold.

For the current study, 20 children age 4 to 12 with autism will receive the drug or placebo over 13 weeks.For more information about the study, contact coordinator Kristy Humphries at (614) 292-3698 or humphries.33@osu.edu.To learn more about autism, go to: www.autismspeaks.org

For information on autism nutrition and treatments please visit: www.awakennutrition.com

Source: http://www.clickondetroit.com/health/14525264/detail.html

As reported in this week by the Arizona Republic:

The country’s leading pediatricians group is making its strongest push yet to have all children screened for autism twice by age 2, warning of symptoms such as babies who don’t babble at 9 months and 1-year-olds who don’t point to toys.

The advice is meant to help parents and doctors spot autism sooner. There is no cure for the disorder, but experts say that early therapy can lessen its severity.

Symptoms to watch for and the call for early screening come in two new reports. They are being released today by the American Academy of Pediatrics at its annual meeting in San Francisco and will appear in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics and on the group’s Web site: www.aap.org.

The reports list numerous warning signs, such as a 4-month-old not smiling at the sound of Mom or Dad’s voice, or the loss of language or social skills at any age.

Experts say one in 150 U.S. children have the troubling developmental disorder.

Lindsey Tanner
Associated Press
Oct. 29, 2007 12:00 AM

For additional information on autism and autism nutrition please visit: www.awakennutrition.com

Source: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1029A1autism1029.html

Chelation therapy is used as a treatment for acute mercury, iron, arsenic, lead, uranium and other toxic metal poisoning. Chelation functions by making a chemical bond with the metal ions rendering them inactive and allowing the metal to be excreted naturally from the body. The medical community has regularly used chelation therapy since the early 1960’s to treat lead poisoning in military personnel and other heavy metal poisoning. This process is done through intravenous injection using dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), dimercaptopropane sulfonate (DMPS), or ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).

Oral Chelation therapies are available as an alternative to the intravenous option. Agents such as PCA-Rx, a breakthrough peptide clathration formula have shown to effectively clear heavy metals, toxins, plaque, pesticides, chemicals, and residuals from prior bacterial and viral infections. It has also been shown effective for the treatment of heart disease, and the treatment of children with autism.

PCA-Rx acts as a clathration formula which encloses the toxin using three different types of irreversible bonds. These bonds attach to and completely envelop the toxin, neutralzing it, and keep it from coming into contact with any other bodily tissues and is naturally expelled from the body through urination. This method is especially effective against heavy metals.

Practitioners claim that the exposure to heavy metals in the environment and through childhood vaccinations have contributed to the poisoning of the body and may have led to the development of autism. Those who have been exposed to pesticides, lead paints or mercury through dental amalgam fillings or thimerosal and ethyl-mercury used in childhood vaccinations are most at risk. Some in the medical community have discovered the benefits of using chelation treatment for heart disease believing that the chelation agent forms a complex with the calcium in the walls of the arteries allowing it to build up and cause hardening of the arteries which can lead to heart disease.

Oral Chelation agents such as PCA-Rx, are available to treat children with autism and people with other
disorders, however, no treatment is a replacement for medical attention from a licensed practitioner. Always ask your doctor before taking any kind of treatment or nutritional supplement. For more information on chelation and PCA-Rx please visit: www.awakennutrition.com

Good news on the front lines of autism research, scientists have completed the first genome scan for autism. This exciting news will help to understand autism and the most effective treatments for autism. See article below:

BOSTON, Oct. 23 (UPI) — A U.S. group of scientists has completed and released the first genome scan for autism spectrum disorders for use by researchers around the world.

The Autism Consortium, a group of researchers, clinicians and families dedicated to radically accelerating research and enhancing clinical care for autism, said the scan was conducted using new, high-resolution technology on genetic data from more than 3,000 children with ASD and their families.

The release of genetic and phenotypic autism data marks a significant achievement, said Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute for Mental Health.

“Progress in finding the causes and cures for autism spectrum disorders rests in large part on improving the rapid access and sharing of data and resources,” said Insel. “That the consortium is making the data available to the scientific community even before its own researchers have fully analyzed the information, demonstrates their high degree of commitment to and leadership in advancing autism research.”

Officials said the new data provide the most detailed look to date at the genetic variation patterns in families with autism.

Researchers conducted the genome wide study using GeneChip microarray technology made by Affymetrix Inc, of Santa Clara, Calif.

Published: 23, 2007 at 11:03 AM

Source: http://www.upi.com

Screening, treatment center to open on Florida Tech’s campus in 2009. Florida Tech is hosting an Autism Conference on Oct. 18 and 19 for educators, health care and social service providers, and families. A positive step in promoting the early detection and treatment options for Autism. See full article from “Florida Today” below:

“One of triplets, Nicholas Diaz began falling behind his brothers, developmentally, as early as 8 months of age, according to his mother, Dee Dee.

“There were big delays in crawling, talking and eye contact, even then,” she said.

But, because of other medical problems associated with entering the world two months prematurely, she said, Nicholas did not get an official autism diagnosis until about 21/2 years ago.

Today, at age 5, the Palm Bay boy goes to a small clinic on the Florida Tech campus, where he undergoes applied behavioral analysis, a highly structured therapy that rewards him for learning language and social skills appropriate to his age, so he can eventually attend regular school.

“I am seeing a huge difference,” his mother said, citing better word recognition, among other new skills, even though Nicholas still rarely speaks. “Applied behavioral analysis is the most research-proven therapy we have.”

By spring 2009, Florida Tech in Melbourne plans to showcase this intervention for as many as 30 to 40 other individuals every week in a new 18,000-square-foot Autism Center, to be built on campus, starting next year. Estimated cost: about $4.5 million.

Although most of those undergoing treatment will be children Nicholas’ age or younger, university officials said, the center will serve individuals across the life span with autism, a spectrum of disorders that cause substantial impairments in social interaction and communication, along with odd behaviors and peculiarly intense interests.

As part of the school’s mission to develop this comprehensive new autism resource, Florida Tech is hosting an Autism Conference on Oct. 18 and 19 for educators, health care and social service providers, and families.

“We want to educate the public about autism and the types of treatments that are known to be the most effective,” said Mary Beth Kunkel, dean of the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts. “One of the hallmarks for our center is we are committed only to treatments with empirical support.”

That means the university does not intend to offer still-controversial biomedical therapies some parents swear by, such as nutrition and vitamin supplementation; chelation therapy to remove mercury and other metals from the blood; and hyperbaric oxygen, to improve circulation to every area of the body, including the brain.

Nor, Kunkel said, will there be any talks about thimerosal, the mercury-based preservative once routinely put in children’s vaccines, but now a rarity, which remains at the heart of a fierce debate over its role in autism’s development.

“Research tells us now mercury is not related to autism, but it is still an issue with some parents,” she conceded. “It’s a major controversy.”

1 in 150 affected

By existing standards, autism spectrum disorders in the United States are the second most serious developmental disability after mental retardation, affecting about 1 in 150 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Because prevalence is clearly on the rise, and no one yet knows the cause, “everybody is concerned,” Kunkel said. “But our real focus is, if you have a loved one with autism, what are you going to do?”

Eb Blakely, a behavioral analyst with the nonprofit Quest Inc. in Orlando, and one of the conference speakers, said he intends to address that question in his talk, “Autism and the Scientific Method.”

“What I hope to do is help people figure out what to do with their kid if he or she is diagnosed with autism,” he said. “It’s complex. You need to ask: Is there any research on a (particular) treatment, and if there is, what kind is it?”

To illustrate his point, Blakely plans to use a case study, involving hormone-replacement therapy, whose early promise in the 1980s and 1990s arose out of “weak” observational studies, he said, rather than the gold standard — controlled, randomized trials.

As a result, in 2003, the government abruptly halted a major study in postmenopausal women after it was found this therapy increased, rather than lessened, the risks for heart attacks, breast cancers and stroke.

Of the various treatment approaches to autism, Blakely said, “it’s a difficult topic and I’m not taking any stands. Let the science speak for itself.”

The best-known study backing a behavior-based approach to autism dates to 1987, experts say.

Sixty children were randomly assigned at that time to several years of intensive therapy with one of three approaches, including applied behavioral analysis.

Rewards in this approach, often a toy or some type of social interaction, come as a child completes each task at his or her age level, based on performance.

The study found 47 percent of children who got the behavioral intervention were able to go back into regular classrooms, said David Wilder, an associate professor in Florida Tech’s psychology college.

“At the end of the study, they were indistinguishable from their peers,” he said. “And their IQ improved dramatically.

Like his colleagues, Wilder emphasized the importance of early intervention, however.

“The earlier we get to these kids, the better,” he said.

Alternative approaches

Despite her clear support for behavior-based therapy, Dee Dee Diaz said she and her husband also have taken Nicholas to the nonprofit International Child Development Research Center in Melbourne, run by Dr. Jeffrey Bradstreet, to try alternative therapies.

Bradstreet is a leading proponent of unproven biomedical therapies that enhance methylation, a process critical to normal cell function and nerve development and overall immune responses.

Nicholas not only eats a restricted diet, his mother said, he also has undergone chelation therapy and hyperbaric oyxgen treatments at Bradstreet’s center — both of which appeared to bring some benefit.

“From a parent’s perspective, we try one thing out at a time,” she said. “When you see your child turn around and suddenly say a few words, it’s monumental.”

As an elementary school teacher and an educator, she added, “I think hard science is wonderful,” but parents worry, if they wait 20 years for the science, “their children may be so far out into their own world by then, nobody will be able to help them.”

BY SUSAN JENKS
FLORIDA TODAY

RALEIGH, NC - As part of his continuing Midday Health Series, John C. Pittman, MD, of The Carolina Center for Integrative Medicine (CCIM), presented “Chelation Therapy for Heart Disease” on Thursday, September 6th. This free, public health presentation discussed how chelating drugs have been shown to remove calcium plaque from artery walls, reverse atherosclerosis, and effectively treat heart disease for many individuals.

Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. Blood vessel diseases, including heart disease, are caused by atherosclerosis or thickening of the arteries, which results from the accumulation of fats, calcium, and other substances in the arterial wall. Modern conventional medical treatment for atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries is focused primarily on invasive procedures to unblock the artery. While this may be life saving to a patient with advanced heart disease, it only addresses one specific section of his blood vessel system. There is another approach to treating circulatory disease called EDTA Chelation Therapy.

Chelation refers to the ability of a chemical compound (EDTA) to bind to a mineral or toxic metal. The binding site of EDTA is negatively charged and therefore likes to grab positively charged substances. EDTA was initially developed to pull calcium out of hard water for use in the textile industry, but was later discovered to have medical benefits in treatment of patients with high blood levels of calcium.

“Over the last thirty years, EDTA chelation research has focused primarily on its effects on the cardiovascular system,” explains Dr. Pittman. “Some of this research has involved beneficial effects seen in patients with chronic lung disease including improved pulmonary function and blood oxygenation. Another study showed that bone density levels in patients with osteoporosis increased to a significant degree following EDTA chelation therapy. Perhaps the most interesting study shows that EDTA chelation will improve kidney function in patients with mild to moderately reduced function as evidenced by improvement in blood chemistry tests.”

About the Carolina Center for Integrative Medicine
Since 1994, the Carolina Center for Integrative Medicine has been the Triangle’s leading provider of integrative medical treatments and therapies. Practice founder, Dr. John Pittman, is the only local physician fully certified in chelation therapy for the treatment of heavy metal toxicity and only one of six medical practitioners in the state of North Carolina who is a Diplomate through the American Board of Clinical Metal Toxicology.

The Carolina Center utilizes a combination of the most progressive alternative therapies, along with dietary and lifestyle modifications, to treat a wide variety of chronic illnesses and immune system dysfunctions. Conditions treated include Atherosclerosis & Disorders of Circulation, Chronic Digestive Disturbances, Chronic Infections & Immune Dysfunction, Degenerative Neurological Disorders, Fibromyalgia, Lyme Disease, Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity/Environmental Allergies, and Pediatric Program for Autism. The Carolina Center also provides Chemical Detoxification and support for patients injured through exposure to mold, pesticides, hydraulic fluid, mercury, and sick building syndrome.

For more information, call (919) 571-4391 or visit www.carolinacenter.com

Article fro the San Jose Mercury News sites the rise in autism a “public health crisis”. Making the public more aware of the important issues surrounding autism and the available treatments for autism will eventually force government agencies to take action. Article below:

SACRAMENTO - Government agencies are facing a new public health crisis - a dramatic increase in autistic children - and must swiftly explore how best to provide better care and protection for them over their lifetimes, a blue-ribbon state commission concluded Tuesday.

The California Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism said its overall findings included a lack of screening for the disorder, poor public awareness generally, barriers to seeking care for the afflicted, and overlapping efforts between the public and private sectors that need to be better coordinated.

“Throughout the state,” the report says, “there is an intense need to plan for and address the impending housing, transportation, employment and educational needs of the tsunami of young people with” autism.

The panel’s report recommended the state adopt legislation next year to immediately address such problems.

The panel also concluded that urgent efforts should be made to better educate police and judges so they don’t accidentally abuse those with the disorder, which can be characterized by seemingly aggressive behavior.

Senate leader Don Perata, an Oakland Democrat, who authored a bill two years ago forming the 16-member panel, said the report will allow lawmakers “an opportunity to link the science, knowledge and best practices regarding autism to public policy.”

The commission’s recommendations included:

• Bolstering early identification and intervention.

• Working toward better education of those with the disorder, through the college years.• Establishing regulations to ensure appropriate and equitable health insurance.

• Creating a statewide public awareness campaign.

The disorder has increased more than 600 percent in recent years, now affecting about one in every 150 children. It is the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the United States.

author: Mathew Avrahmi