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December 11, 2009
Chelation seen as emblematic of alternative therapies for autism.
The Los Angeles Times (12/7, Tsouderos, Callahan) reports, "No treatment is more emblematic of the world of alternative therapies for autism than chelation."
But, according to "pediatric toxicology experts...all chelation" medications "carry risks -- even when used to treat severely lead-poisoned children." Barbara Strupp, PhD, of Cornell University, said that when "rats with no lead exposure were treated with succimer, a common chelator given to children with autism, the animals showed lasting impairments of cognitive function and emotional regulation." In fact, after Strupp "learned that the National Institutes of Health planned to conduct a clinical trial of chelation in children with autism, she alerted the researchers to her findings," and the "study was later canceled."
Related Links:
- Chelation based on faulty premise," Trine Tsouderos and Patricia Callahan, Los Angeles Times, December 7, 2009.
Posted by admin at December 11, 2009 12:39 AM