Posted on 08/24/2005 3:09:44 PM PDT by Born Conservative
Then some people are idiots.
My sister's son, now grown, has Asperger's and she commented to me a few times that he might have been better off if he had Down's syndrome. Down's children get all kinds of special attention and everyone understands they can't help how they are. In order to get any help for her son she had to constantly convince everyone that her son was autistic (this was before Asbergers was known) and needed special attention. The view was, he was just strange and had no social skills.
The instincts of the parents of autistic children need to be considered.
I have an autistic grandson. He's doing well.
Thirty years ago my sister had a son and at two weeks she was saying there was something wrong with him. He didn't seem to react normally in her mind and he was passive. She was treated with contempt by every doctor she visited and the almost universal diagnosis was that my sister was not a good mother and finding problems where there were none. In those days she had to fight for everything and it was only through her dogged determination that he ever got any help from schools and doctors. I hope things have changed in that regard.
You may not know, but the coroner does:
| "We determined there's a direct correlation between the EDTA and the lack of oxygen to the brain and the heart muscle damage. It's a total package, based on the autopsy, the histology [tissue sampling] and the toxicology [blood sampling]," Mr. Strimlan said. |
One person I know who had chelation has a daughter who is a pharmacist and the daughter was all for her mom doing this and is pleased with the results.
That's fine if an adult with normal reasoning abilities chooses to take the chance to have themselves chelated, but this child had no choice; an unproven, DANGEROUS treatment that has no scientific basis whatsoever was performed upon him, resulting in his DEATH. (chelation IS proven to remove toxic heavy metals; in fact, I've administered Calcium EDTA and BAL in Oil numerous times to children with lead toxicity). There is no scientific evidence whatsoever that chelation will do ANYTHING to lessen the symptoms of autism, much less to cure it.
Other sources:
Sadly, it was only a matter of time: An autistic boy dies during chelation therapy
"Time to debunk the mercury myths"
And, for a really cool graphic, click here.
In August 2005, a boy aged 5 years with autism died while receiving IV chelation therapy with Na2EDTA in a physician's office. During the chelation procedure, the mother noted that the child was limp. The physician initiated resuscitation, and an emergency services team transported the child to the hospital. At the emergency department (ED), further resuscitation was attempted, including administration of at least 1 and possibly 2 doses of IV calcium chloride. Subsequently, the boy's blood calcium level was recorded in the ED as 6.9 mg/dL. The child did not regain consciousness. The coroner examination indicated cause of death as diffuse, acute cerebral hypoxic-ischemic injury, secondary to diffuse subendocardial necrosis. The myocardial necrosis resulted from hypocalcemia associated with administration of Na2EDTA. The case is under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine.
There you go; now you know the how this child died. Double standard?
Source: CDC MMWR Deaths Associated with Hypocalcemia from Chelation Therapy --- Texas, Pennsylvania, and Oregon, 2003--2005
I've heard that a teaching hospital in our area did a study with chelation and heart disease.
I would never tell anyone to do chelation nor would I ever tell anyone NOT to do chelation as I don't have a clue if it works or not.
I do know I don't take anyone's word for anything any more. I do not trust traditional medicine to know what they are doing. They may in certain instances, but then they may not in other instances. I think their method of treating patients has become to reach for their prescription pad and start writing. I've seen too may family members messed up.
I'm a RN at a tertiary care facility (the type of hospital that gets referrals for more complicated cases from smaller hospitals). Currently, I work in an outpatient clinic, but when I worked in the hospital, we frequently treated kids with lead toxicity (chelation).
I've heard that a teaching hospital in our area did a study with chelation and heart disease.
There's a difference in performing an experimental treatment based on sound scientific evidence/theory in a controlled environment (such as a teaching hospital studying the effects of chelation on cardiac patients) vs. an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor performing chelation to treat autism. There is no conclusive evidence that mercury causes autism, and there is no evidence that chelating will ease the symptoms of autism. Furthermore, this quack should not have been performing this procedure in his office; it should have been done in a facility that had the resources available to resuscitate the patient if they were to arrest (as in this case).
I realize that parents want to do anything they can to find both the answer to the disease, as well as to find a viable treatment (been there, done that with myself). However, this doctor preyed on their misfortune. Objectively speaking, it just doesn't make sense to go to an ENT doc for an autism treatment (much the same as going to a gynecologist for a heart attack).
Which is why it is so important to find a doctor that is both good and trustworthy.
I think their method of treating patients has become to reach for their prescription pad and start writing. I've seen too may family members messed up.
If that's the case, it's time to find a new doctor.
Exactly. Can you help guide me? I'd love to find one. I saw a doctor in July for a case of pink eye. Otherwise, the last time I saw a doctor was in 1996. I would like a medical doctor who has an open mind and will use the best method possible to treat me in a manner that is in my best interest--not his(or hers) and in the best interest of a drug company.
I used to listen to a radio show of a Dr. Ronald Hoffman. I want a doctor like him.
If nutritional supplements are the best treatment, use that. If I need a drug, use that, if I need surgery, use that.
I know with absolute certainty that I can treat most inflammations with Vit C. I've even read about intravenous Vit C. I'm not sure about that but I certainly know, first hand that Vit C can do some marvelous things for joint problems. Throw away the drugs. There are better alternatives.
ISMP MEDICATION SAFETY ALERT - CONFUSION BETWEEN TWO FORMS OF "EDTA" We learned last month about a 5-year-old boy who died from a drug mix-up. During chelation therapy for autism, the child was given edentate disodium instead of edetate calcium disodium (CALCIUM DISODIUM VERSENATE, also referred to generically as calcium EDTA). Edetate calcium disodium is used to treat acute and chronic lead poisoning and lead encephalopathy, while edetate disodium is used in the emergency treatment of severe hypercalcemia. The potential for confusing these medications is high as both are commonly referred to as "EDTA." Although the latest death of a 5-year-old boy took place in a physician's office, this tragedy indicates that warnings about potential confusion between these products are worth repeating, especially since the drugs are occasionally used in acute care settings. Edetate calcium disodium is used to treat acute and chronic lead poisoning and lead encephalopathy, while edetate disodium is used in the emergency treatment of severe hypercalcemia. Unfortunately, both are commonly referred to as "EDTA." In order to distinguish between the products and avoid improper use of nomenclature, nurses and pharmacists must have an understanding about why the drug is being prescribed. Reminders about potential confusion should appear on the computer screen whenever orders are processed for either drug. We would also suggest that packages of each drug have an auxiliary label affixed to remind staff about the need to match the drug with the patient's diagnosis.
ISMP Medication Safety Alert!(R)
February 9, 2006 Volume 11, Issue 3
They took her to the hospital and someone administered the wrong drug and she died. As I remember, the family did not sue. They did not have the strength in them to even consider it. Their grief was too great. As I recall it was their only child and she was born when the mother was in her 40s.
I guess it shows terrible accidents can, and do happen.
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