Treating Autism: The Search for Safe & Effective Treatments

Many are aware of the death this week of Abubakar Tariq Nadama after receiving intraveneous EDTA in Pennsylvania. Articles are appearing in every paper across the nation and beyond reporting this event. The incident has many parents confused and concerned, wondering how best to treat their ASD kids.

Papers are reporting that Howard Carpenter, executive director of the Advisory Board on Autism-Related Disorders, has stated, "It was just a matter of time before something like this would happen. Parents of children with autism are desperate. Some are willing to try anything,"

This is true. As I am sure you well know, parents ARE desperate for ways to treat autism largely because the majority of the medical community has left us alone to search for answers and treatments for ourselves. We scramble for information from other parents for answers, and find many in the same tragic situation: left with an enormous beast to kill (autism) and being turned away by doctors, brushed off and misled to by government agencies supposed to protect us, and told that we can't sue to cover our medical expenses for our children. The media often sides with "Big Pharma", The president stays mum, and pediatricians don't know what to do other than promote the ever-expanding and equally questionable barrage of vaccinations, including the newly recommended flu shot containing thimerosal.

Of course we are desperate!

Many autism-related organizations are fighting for the truth to come about about what happened to cause this epidemic of autism, and to remove thimerosal from vaccines. These are extremely worthy causes and should continue. I applaud you again and again. But right now, parents like me are looking to you for answers on what to think about this recent death of this small autistic boy.

The procedure used, intraveneous EDTA, was quite risky, overlooking far safer (and slower) methods of chelation such as transdermal applications. In many papers covering this story, however, this difference is not being reported. Many parents are right now hanging on the edge of our seats wondering what we should do and trying to understand chelation. Parents have a need to know the specifics of each type of chelators, including the methods of administration (IV, oral or transdermal). There is a tremendous difference in terms of safety between a transdermal chelator and an intraveneous chelator.

I ask autism organizations consider joining to work on safety in the treatment of autism. I know that autism is treatable because my son has already greatly improved with special diets and MB12 shots. The evidence is before my eyes, but many parents do not know where to turn for truth. Many are looking to you.

I urge parents to educate themselves as much as possible before beginning treatments. I find the Autism Research Institute to be an organization that I personally trust. Parents can go to http://www.autismwebsite.com/ari-lists/danus.html to see a list of physicians who have attended one or more DAN! conferences, as well as a number of other health practitioners whom we believe to be sympathetic to the DAN! approach. DAN! stands for "Defeat Autism Now!" and follows biomedical treatments as researched by the Autism Research Institute. This is what I do, but as a parent, you must be the gatekeeper for your own child's health.

It's sad to say that parents must do the reseach that would be best done by gov't organizations, but the fact is, they haven't helped out in this area and we HAVE to do it.

I am concerned that there are people out there who will rob us blind if we are not vigilant, not to mention endanger our kids. We have to pay attention and do our homework before putting our kids in the hands of a doctor .. or proceeding with a treatment for that matter.

Some parents may not have the time or resources to do the reseach, and there is some danger in promoting a treatment in that they may fall prey to the sharks who don't know enough to properly administer or prescribe biomedical approaches. Personally, I just want to be careful how I proceed on my own blog. I believe that biomedical treatment have greatly improved my own son and I hope that more people consider them...but I want them to do it wisely.

Each organization is fighting a battle against autism, but it's time to unite forces to bring light the topic of finding safe treatment for the disorder. I believe that educating people on exactly how to find good doctors willing to walk with us in the journey, and how to watch out for the sharks, because let's face it, the sharks are out there.