Andy

The University of Texas came out with the results of a study last spring and it found that the closer a neighborhood was to a coal burning power plant the more kids in that neighborhood was labed as needing special education services. They also found higher levels of mercury in the soil in the neighborhoods that were closer to the power plants. Did not get any real play in the major media.

I'm more of a believer of using the DAN doctors but if your guy is doing the job that is just as good. Glad to hear that all is going for the better. Our kids are being poisoned from so many directions that one answer can not fit all of our kids. Glad once again that it seems that you have found your child's answer. Note of caution. Keep your eyes open to everything new that your child injests for your baby may be prone to react to other poisons out there as well. Just caution, please do not fret about it.

Dr. Berger is in Tampa. He is considered one of the best DAN doctors out there. I have his phone number at home. He relocated there around six months ago from the Miami area.

David Kirby: Autism and Chelation: Where is the Science? David Kirby Sat Aug 27,12:28 AM ET Nearly four years ago, the Institute of Medicine recommended research into chelation therapy and autism. But that never happened, and now a little boy in Pennsylvania is dead. The heartrending tragedy of Abubakar Tariq Nadama, an autistic five-year-old who died while undergoing chelation this week, is one of the saddest chapters in the very sad saga of autism in America. But even as the grieving immigrant mother makes funeral arrangements for her beloved boy, opponents of the theory that drew the family to America (the theory that mercury triggers autism, and removing it through chelation may improve symptoms) are holding his death up as proof that the idea is bogus. They claim that the use of chelation to treat autism is foolishly dangerous, and should be shut down at once. Some people have come perilously close to exploiting this tragedy to further their own political or personal agendas. Some blame the boy’s death on his mother, who has been labeled as reckless and “desperate.” Others blame the Pennsylvania doctor -- and any autism doctor willing to try chelation (the use of certain chemicals to remove heavy metals from the body) – for the tragedy. Some fault me, for writing a book that dared to include the topic of chelation and autism within its pages. It’s time to take a deep breath and look at the facts. First of all, only an autopsy will reveal the actual cause of death, and I think it is prudent to wait before jumping to any conclusions about the general safety of chelation and autism. That said, the boy did die while undergoing the procedure, and it’s possible the controversial treatment is what killed him. But here is where things get more complicated. Abubakar was given a substance known as EDTA, and he was receiving it intravenously. EDTA is used mostly (and legally, I might add) for the treatment of lead poisoning. EDTA is not typically used in mercury cases, and it is not clear why it was used to treat autism here. In fact, I am unaware of any autistic child who’s been chelated with EDTA, nor am I familiar with any autism cases where IV chelation was employed. The chelation methods I have written about (I do not, and cannot recommend treatments, for the record, I only report on them) were either oral or trans-dermal, and they used substances that are significantly different than EDTA. Furthermore, I cannot find any reference in the medical literature about any patient dying from chelation. (Please post them if you have them). Does chelation therapy work? We just don’t know. Could it be dangerous, even deadly, for children with autism? Perhaps, but there’s no hard science available one way or the other. And if chelation does improve symptoms, what are the best agents, at what doses and timing, and through which route of administration? No one can say, of course, because no one has bothered to study these questions in double-blinded trials. Which brings us back to the IOM recommendation of 2001. The committee assigned to look into thimerosal (the mercury containing vaccine preservative) noted that some autism practitioners report “clinical improvements following chelation.” And though the committee said that chelation “is not a benign treatment,” it nonetheless recommended “careful, rigorous, and scientific investigations of chelation when used in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, especially autism.” That report was issued on October 1, 2001, nearly four years ago. But few paid attention to the recommendation, and no one did the hard science on chelation. This left parents and doctors flying half-blind in pursuit of chelation -- not out of “desperation,” but out of strong evidence their children had suffered from mercury exposure. Just think, if the government had listened to the very IOM report it commissioned back in 2001, we might know a lot more about chelation and autism than we know today. If clinical trials had gotten underway then, we would know with certainty whether chelation could heal, or kill. If hard scientific proof had been uncovered that chelation was 100-percent worthless in the treatment of autism, no parent or doctor would still be pursuing the therapy today. If evidence had surfaced in clinical trials that children could be harmed or even killed by chelation, no one would be using it today. The doctor in Pennsylvania would have halted chelation therapy long ago, and this poor grieving family would never have crossed the ocean from the UK in pursuit of its false promise. But what if the opposite were true? What if the “rigorous science” recommended by the IOM had yielded proof that chelation can indeed help some kids -- provided that it’s done with the safest agents, at the safest doses, and through the safest routes of administration (not to mention in combination with other therapies)? Either way, if America had done its scientific homework, as recommended by its top science professors, Abubakar might still be alive today. If chelation is quackery that kills, let’s outlaw it today. But if it can be done safely, with demonstrated clinical benefit to some autistic patients at a minimum of risk, then it should be approved by the FDA for the treatment of autism. Does chelation in autism kill or cure? Only hard science will answer that question. What a shame we have wasted four long years not finding out. Note from Andy: Like Kirby, I never heard of ETDA being advocated by DAN as a primary detox measure. In fact I have read a number of DAN writings that question if ETDA would even be effective as a primary detoxer. The whole thing has question marks and the press is writing articles that to make a comparison are like blaming a bleeding man for seeking treatment instead of questioning who shot him and why isn't the man being helped by the established medical community?

I went into this topic under the chelation post. Basically alot of doctors who are not trained in chelation are jumping on the band wagon for it is big bucks and quick bucks. I would think that the reporter would investigate the doctor's background knowledge on what he was doing more then attacking the chelation reasons themselves. Basically the reporter gave away the true intent of the article with the quote, "Autism is a developmental disability that affects a child's social interaction and communication. There is no cure." I think many parents who now have children who are autism free would disagree with this. Mr. Hoover from West Palm Beach has been featured in the Wall Street Journal for detoxing his child with Dr. Berger, a trained chelation DAN doctor, from being labeled Austic and being in an austic program in school to being decertified and placed in a regular ed class where the boy is doing fine. There are many other parents with success stories. I get really angry with that "developmental disability" comment. I guess my boy was born with mercury, Lead, ammonia, arsnic, etc..... poisioning. Silly me for looking for treatment when all I have to do is follow the reporters advice. Now, If an inner city child had lead poisoning from eating paint chips do you really think a reporter or mainstreamed doctor will write or state that the child was born with the lead and should not seek treatment? This is really serious for all this slanted negative and may I say evil press delays parents from getting their child treated and all of the studies so far that I have read show that the sooner and faster the treatment is done, the greater level of recovery and the later and slower the treatment is done, the less chance of success. Now did the reporter even ask the doctor or the mother if the childs blood was being tested to monitor the mineral, vitamin and amino acid levels. This is done before and constantly with trained doctors doing proper chelation. Remember doctors were the ones who gave our children the proven mercury laden shots to begin with so why think that every doctor knows what they are doing in the first place?

Thanks for the thanks. I hoped I had communicated that topic well since I have a cluttered mind right now. The thing that puzzles me the most about the ETDA treatments is that from everything I have read from the "experts" is that ETDA is great for taking out metals from the blood stream. I read one doctor from the San Diago Conference a few years back describe ETDA as a PAC MAN for it was found to gobble up metals in the blood stream. However that same doctor and many more all stated, wrote, etc... that ETDA is not effective for kids who have been exposed to the metal poisoning in the past for the heavy metals are now not in the blood as much as in the soft tissue, the bones, the fat cells, the gut, etc.. So based upon that I can not see ETDA even being used as the primary chelation agent. Only perhaps as an assistant detoxer to ensure that all the metals that are being pulled out by a DMSA or DMPS agent leave the body and not be re-aborsed. This is why I have to wonder about the doctors training in detoxing. Now why would a doctor do detoxing well anyone who has gone done the route of alternative medicine of detoxing knows it is costly and it is paid for the most part in cash so doctors do not have to go thru medical claims and wait for their money. As an ending note: Once again as a reminder to any potential readers, I am not a doctor nor do I claim to have the knowledge of one. However, I try to base all of my postings upon the "experts" research and findings that I have had come across over time. I also would like to add again that I feel that some of the older kids may not need as drastic measures as I have wrote about. If one agrees that the vaccination shots were the primary cause of the damage then one would see that the older kids/adults may have had less exposure to the metals that those shots contained for they may have had less vaccination shots to begin with. Also if one looks at the explosion of cases in certain areas one also has to wonder if a child in that area might have gotton a bad dose from a tainted shipment. Let us not forget that one year the flu shot was cancelled from England for it was found to be tainted. Who knows how many bad shipments of any type of shot were shiped in the past without being tested for quailty control or were overlooked for profit? If this sounds a little off the wall just remember the phony data that the cigeratte companys produced for years and they are no way as big as the medical industry.

In regards to the fine posting by Frankly Speaking. I have never came across the name of Dr. Roy Kerry before. I am always telling others that it is recommended to only use DAN doctors who were "trained" in the "chelation" method that one wants to use. My son's doctor specializes in DMPS and DMSA and I would not think to ask him to use ETDA on my son. I would go to another doctor who specializes in it and I mean specializes in detoxing children and not adult heart patients. So much depends on body weight and pre-detox testing. The problems that I seem to read about tend to come from doctors who are following the money and are not the leaders of the field. This does not mean that Dr. Kerry is one of those. All that I am saying is that I never heard of his name or read his name anywhere. Listed below is an old list perhaps two years old but it has the names of recommend doctors by Amy Holmes one of the leaders in chelation. Pennsylvania Conrad G. Maulfair, Jr., D.O. Maulfair Medical Center P.O. Box 98 403 North Main Street Topton, PA 19562 tel: 610-682-2104 fax: 610-682-9781 W. Wm. Shay, D.O. 19 Anthony's Mill Road Barto, PA 19504 tel: 610-845-8400 fax: 610-845-8426 Peter Prociuk, M.D. 322 North High Stret West Chester, PA 19380 tel: 610-701-5702 fax: 610-701-4225 Philip L. Bonnet, M.D. 1086 Taylorsville Road Washington Crossing, PA 18977 tel: 215-321-8321 fax: 215-321-9837 Arthur Koch, D.O. 57 W. Juniper Street Hazleton, PA 18201 tel: 570-455-4747 fax: 570-455-6312

Basically, chelation is when you put an agent into the body to remove something else from the body. Medically chelation has been used for people who avoid heart by-pass surgery by chelating with EDTA which removes the calicum or other deposits from the veins. Medically chelation has been used for people who suffer from lead poisoning when DMSA is introduced into the body to "pull' out the lead. Medically chelation agents like DMPS can be brought over the counter in Germany and other european nations to detox the body. Detoxing in general has been a big thing in Europe for years and in a way can go back to the Romans with their "Roman Baths" which ranged from sauna's/steam rooms to mineral baths. Most chelation agents as far as I know are sulfur based. Most as far as I know are safe when administered under a trained doctors care. The doctors with the most experience with chelation would be various, not all, DAN doctors. Some like Dr. Berger who now lives in Tampa but used to practice in the Miami area have been featured in articles like the Wall Street Journal where kids who were diagnoised as being austic were now free of that horror. The idea behind the chelation procedure is that the label that the child is suffering from is actually toxic heavy metal poisioning and that once the heavy metals are removed from the body, the child's body will have a chance to heal itself to various degrees which would make most labels like ASD, TS, ADD, OCD, etc... obsolete. The whole procedure is based upon medical testing and research. Most doctors do not accept the premise for many reasons. After all who would want to admit that one in every ten kids they treated may have been poisoined by their insistance of parents giving their children all those vaccination shots. There is a ton of research that shows that as the amount of vacination shots increased the various special education populations exploded never mind the explosion in childhood allergies, cancers, etc... This may be the reason why my son did not respond as well as older kids who were treated with more natural methods. My son was exposed to more vaccination shots. Now chelation can be done with oral DMSA pills or liquid, lotion DMSA/DMPS, DMSA or DMPS supposortories, and DMPS or DMSA IV's. The DMPS and DMSA's are sulfur based and smell and taste nasty. So many opt for the pills unless their kids are homebound and the smell is less of an issue. What type of chelation a person choses should be based upon testing for as Claire stated other factors must be in place before it begins. A person needs to know what their vitamin, mineral, amino acid, and anti-ox's levels are as well as be tested for delayed food allergies and yeast infection. I know of some parents who have had their kids preped for six months before starting chelation. Once starting chelation a urine test is done to see what metals were pulled the first push. If no metal show up then a retest may be done but one has to then consider that toxic metal poisoning may not be the issue. If heavy metals do show up then usually they increase with the chelation procedures which pull out more and more metals with every push until the levels start to drop for there is less metal to pull. During the whole treatment various blood test are to be done to ensure that the liver and kidneys are not in danger and other tests to ensure that good stuff like zinc is not being pulled to low levels. This is another reason for the prep. To make sure that the body is strong enough with zinc, etc before the treatment starts. Most problems I feel that happen with chelation is by doctors who were not trainded in the process and do not fully understand all that needs to be done. The actual chelation is only one aspect of detox treatment. In case you were wondering DMSA was invented in this nation to treat WWII navy yard workers who were exposed to lead while painting the ships. That is where the term "get the lead out" comes from while DMPS was invented in China and Russia in case their cities or armies were ever "gassed" during a potential war with the west. Most DMPS today comes out of Germany as far as I know. It is considered an expermental drug in the USA.

"She said it crosses the blood brain barrier " Kim, Are there any studies on it pulling out mercury?

The second urine toxic metal test results are in. A DMPS with gluthione IV was used as the provoking agent and 6 hours or urine was collected. The results basically show that the lead level went from being elevated to not existing, The Antimony, Bismulth and Tungsten also left the charts. Also the tin level went down alot. Now the more interesting thing is that the Mercury level doubled, the arsenic increased and that the Thallium in now in the elevated level. Hopefully this means that we are pulling more of this poison out of my son and the levels will max out and then decrease. We are chelating with DMSA/DMPS supposortories over the weekend and we are also using glututhione lotion 2x a day, supplements of vitamins. minerals, and amino acids, garlic, nightly epsolm salt baths, a restrictive diet based upon delayed food allergies, as well as veg shakes, and Nordic fish oil. We are under the guidance of a DAN doctor as well as a Neurologist as well as experience. Note: The second test was done 5 months after the first.

He had a bad reaction with the NDF-plus. As soon as he took it he started head tics. I do not know why but we figure it is best to stop now and perhaps try again during the next extended school break. We did start him out with a low dose.

As I had last reported we had stopped the DMPS IV and replaced it with NDF-plus while we continued the DMSA supposortories. However, my son had a bad reaction with the NDF-pus so we stopped it for now. He is going back to school on Monday and no need to have him work thru a new procedure then. We got him stabilized again and are now using DMSA supposortories with DMPS added. Same weekend schedule with the supposortories. We will try the NDF-plus again either during a prolong school break or next summer. Meanwhile what we are doing is working beyond belief. However, we do want a safe long term solution to detoxing for once we clean the body out we want it to stay clean.

I think it is worth a look at. According to a salespage of the product, "Neptune Krill Oil -- a new era in Omega-3 supplements Most of the omega-3 fatty acids in ordinary fish oils are in triglyceride form – a form not readily absorbed by the body. Made from krill, a shrimp like organism that lives in cool Antarctic seas, the omega-3s (EPA and DHA) in krill oil are present as phospholipids. The phospholipid form of omega-3 is absorbed faster and more efficiently than the triglyceride typically found in fish oil. NKO™ is also rich in antioxidants such as vitamins A and E, and Astaxanthin (a naturally occurring carotenoid pigment that is a free radical scavenger). This NKO formula is made with 100% pure krill oil and does not leave a fishy taste". I have seen other forums mention the product as well. We use Nordic Cod fish oil ourselves. So maybe that part of the world holds alot of heathly products for our kids and ourselves.

Hi Decorah, My son has had all of those tics that you mention and more. After much testing and on going of testing, we have our son on an elimination diet, vitamin/mineral/amino acid supplements, do epsolm salt baths nightly, and are currently detoxing. Turns out he came up with toxic levels of lead, mercury, etc.... He improved with every new thing that we did but it is a long road but a road worth the travel. Read the posts on this site. There is alot of information that you may be of interest of you. Oh by the way, after 5 months of heavy detox my son has went from having high levels of lead in his body to none detected and he also detoxed 4 other metals out as well.

Fireflyway, I have no allergies or medical issues that I know of. However, I have noticed that for the last 20 years or so that I can not handle perfumes or perfumed products myself as well. I do not know what they put into them now but I get headaches and my sinus hurt. I hope that you continue to post here. You seem to have alot to share and you share it in a positive manner.

Hi Firefly, and welcome to Latitudes. I took a brief look into your posting and saw this on the internet: "Carnosine (please don't confuse it with Carnitine) is a natural amino-acid that has been known about for decades. But it is only through recent Australian and British clinical and laboratory studies that the benefits of carnosine have become better known. Carnosine has a number of interesting actions, it is a potent anti-oxidant, it helps to chelate ionic metals (i.e. flush toxins from the body)"... So what is working for you may be a natural chelater. I also noticed two other substances that were listed in your product:alpha lipoid acid, acetyl carnitine. Both of these substances are used by DAN doctors. Thank you for your posting. I found it very informative and will look into Carnosine myself as a long term solution for my son and perhaps something I could use to stay healthy. Currently I have NDF-Plus lined up for my son but had to discontinue it due to gut issues. Using NDF-Plus myself however as I get my remaining mercury silver fillings removed. Once again thank you for your honest posting.

I would like to welcome Vickie and SDK to this forum. I found this forum to be very informative and productive myself. Following the creed do "unto others as you want to be done to you" I continue to post even if my son is close to a full recovery. Amazing progress can happen with real medical care for your child. Most of us here have found real medically tested procedures to help our kids or themselves. Unfortunally, mainstream medicine is not following real medicine with TS,ADD, OCD and autistic kids. In fact not a month goes by where I have not seen on the news for a few seconds or read a small article about how a mainstream medicine that was "medically approved" was found to be causing strokes, creating sucide depression, or just plain killing it's users. So take your time and take the jump to alternative medicine. Some of which used to be by the way "mainstream medicine" but was to inexpensive to dispense. There are no crystals or prymids here only time tested procedures that have been test worldwide.

As far as I know: Tests for mercury can be done with hair; however since mercury poisoning is usually mercury in the body that the body can not get out this is not a good test for the hair test tests mercury levels that already were excreted. Tests for mercury can be done with blood, this is a good test for recent exposure but if you came down with an issue years ago, the blood may not show much due to the fact that the mercury would now, if there was mercury in the first place, be in the body’s tissues, bones, and fat cells. Tests for mercury and heavy metals can be done with a urine provocation challenge test. This test is a 6 hour urine sample that is usually taken 2 hrs after a chelating agent such as DMSA or DMPS is given orally or thru IV injection. DMSA was developed in this country and is a sulfur agent that is used for detoxification of lead, mercury, arsenic, tin, nickel, and other toxic metals. DMPS is also a sulfur agent and was developed in China and in Russia for detoxification of toxic metals. Usually only a DAN doctor will do this type of procedure. However, it is possible to buy oral DMSA on line without a doctor from a few sources and one can do the urine test themselves by using direct labs: "Toxic Metals - Urine DLS Price $92 Retail $110 You Save $16 Urine mineral levels are useful to monitor losses during therapy and for special mineral uptake testing. Analytes reported: Aluminum, Antimony, Arsenic, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, Nickel, Platinum, Thallium, Thorium, Tin, Tungsten, Uranium, Creatinine. To view a sample report, click here." ORDER ONLINE I viewed this myself over a year ago but stayed with the doctor to ensure proper chleation dosing levels were used. It is based upon body weight and there is a list out there but I would not refer to that due to the possibility that it might be dated on old research that has been since updated. For the extra money I would used a qualified doctor to get the plan rolling. Then one could go from there.

I give my kid alot of probiotics. Not as much as we used to but still alot. I figure that the recommend dosage doesn't fly with a kid with his gut issues for he didn't have the good bacteria in the first place. Just a different view point from Chemar, whose viewpoints I respect very much. As for the food issue, that sucks. It took my wife a year to get it and her mother 2 years to see that yes good food can be bad. Vent to let out the pain or frustration for venting can be good for our health but as you know recovery is a long trip but a trip that needs to be taken and a trip that has unexpected turns and bumps along the way.

I am happy for you. It looks like you are taking control of your life and being proactive. I had made many mistakes in my life but it is better to make a mistake and recover to try something new then for a person to be afraid of making a mistake and ends up doing nothing. With that said, I am sure that you are taking the right steps since you seem so happy.

We just ordered some enzymes from our doctor's office after having a phone conference. I am hoping that the enzymes will help repair my son's insides and then be used to help break down food's that right now are forbidden to him. It would be nice to change the elimination diet to a rotation diet down the road.

Thanks for the information. I will have to pay Walmart a visit and spend a few bucks for my son's food intake enrichment!

hi. Sorry to hear about the chronic head and eye tic that your daughter is affected by. With us, the supplements never made anything worse before it got better. The supplements always made things better to a degree or for a period of time. The things that made things worse before it got better was chelating and I have heard from people killing the excessive yeast in the gut caused a temporary reaction in thier kids as well. WE do not use Bonnnie vitamins for our son has delayed food allergies to some of the ingredients. Off hand I do not remember what they are since it is over 2 years since I have looked at the product. We buy supplements individually in capsule form and usually most of them end up mixed in shakes.

Great post Kim, you gave alot of people confirmation on the enzyme question on can it repair damage.

Below is some of the rational on why the NDF-plus replaced the once a month DMPS IV for my child. Taken from www.healingedge.net "The average dose is 6 drops twice a day in an 8-10 ounce glass of reverse osmosis or distilled water on an empty stomach. A one ounce bottle will last for 32 to 64 days at this dosage and cause the excretion of metals equal to one IV push of DMPS per month. Dr. Victor Marcial-Vega MD recommends beginning at 1 drop a day and slowly working up to 6 drops twice a day based on symptoms. This is certainly the safest way to do it." My kid is not a water drinker so we are using juice instead and the funny thing is he is not aware that we have added anything to his treatment plan. He is 6 years old and we figure why mention it while we are still unsure of the success rate of NDF-plus. He is happy thru that we stopped the DMPS IV treatments!