It has already been fully validated through urine testing that autism is actually(caused by) mercury poisoning. 71 children diagnosed with ASDs, were examined in this study.1

Now, since we know the root cause of autism, we can treat autism by attacking mercury poisoning with the best chelator.

Unfortunately, today many well-meaning parents are often using the wrong, and sometimes very dangerous chelators in order to remove highly toxic mercury from their autistic child's fragile little body. All parents of autistic children ought to know already that the proper and safe removal of mercury is a painfully slow process.

I have written summaries of some of the most popular and less known chelators of mercury. Some of these are dangerous and others are very effective. I strongly recommend you to read each summary carefully so you can know the potential dangers of each chelator.

The Bad Chelators

IV Push EDTA 

IV Push EDTA can actually make matters worse for the patient by increasing the mercury toxic in the brain. Keep in mind that calcium EDTA is twice as concentrated as sodium EDTA.2 If you are hungry for real life proof of the potential danger of IV Push EDTA, here are a few:

In 2003, a 53-year old woman in Oregon, died of cardiac arrest due to hypocalcemia(after receiving an EDTA compound, 1500mg, by IV Push).

A 5-year old autistic British boy died after undergoing chelation therapy with EDTA.  Both deaths were reported at the Cdc.gov website.3

DMSA

DMSA stands for Dimercaptosuccinic Acid. This is a man-made substance which is not known to cross the blood brain barrier. A study conducted by Cornell University did an animal study using DMSA. Based on the results of this study, they concluded that DMSA in fact alters the immune system.4

Dr. Boyd Haley, chemistry professor, says that DMSA would not work in metal chelation since it's a neurotoxin. Dr. Rashid Buttar says he had stopped using DMSA in his practice because he has not seen clinically positive results. In fact, during his clinical observations, he had observed the signs of neurotoxicity in his autistic patients who were on DMSA. He further goes on to say: "Any discriminating and judicious physician will not use DMSA if treating a child with metal toxicity, especially given the light that a developing brain is far more susceptible than a fully developed one for instance."5

So if you are using DMSA right now on your autistic child, consider stopping this chelation treatment, and adopting a safer chelator that is non toxic.

BAL and D-penicillamine

BAL stands for British Anti-Lewisite. Both BAL and D-penicillamine have been shown in clinical experiences to be less effective for chelating mercury than DMPS. BAL, specifically has a high rate of mercury redistribution which means that it will send mercury back to different organs of your body and cause potential damage. One side effect of D-pencillamine is it can cause auto immunities in long term use by arthritis patients. Both of these chelators are restricted in their use in account of toxic side effects.6

Highly Effective Chelators

DMPS

DMPS stands for dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate. Athough DMPS does cause a few minor side effects, it is recognized to be an excellent chelator in the cases of acute metal toxicity. DMPS does not cross the blood brain barrier or cell membrances, so it offers no information about levels in the brain, organs, and cells. When tested through injections, DMPS has proven to be effective in chelating mercury from the brain, kidney, and liver.7 Beware: DMPS taken at high dosages can cause too much mercury and other toxic metals to be pushed into the kidney and liver and can permanently damage them. It's recommended to first conduct an intolerance testing by taking a small dose of no more than 100mg with a 14-day waiting period for side effects.

Drawbacks?  You need a doctor to prescribe DMPS. It's also highly expensive. In addition, it can take years to remove most of the mercury.

ALA

ALA stands for Alpha Lipoic Acid. ALA does cross the blood brain barrier. ALA is a powerful chelator for mercury removal. It chelates both intracellular and extracellular mercury in the brain and in the body. ALA has a half life of 3 hours. The higher dosage seems to make a more dramatic difference ultimately, but it takes time to get there safely. Do not take ALA after the removal of mercury fillings; it can cause more mercury to enter the brain if you start using ALA too early. It's a good idea to wait at least 3 months after your last mercury filling has been removed.8

Calcium Bentonite Clay Baths

Calcium bentonite clay bath has the unique ability to draw out heavy metal toxins from the body. In fact, one clay bath can actually release years of toxic pollutants such as mercury and other metals out of your body and into the bath tub. A lot of stress is placed on the body when taking oral chelators for the removal of metal toxins.

Jason Eaton, an expert on clay baths, recommends clay baths for detoxing and chelation. Clay baths can safely be used to remove metal toxins, treat radiation, chemical, and pesticide exposure. Certain clays can remove the toxins through the pores of the skin in a short time frame because of its remarkable drawing effect.

Dr. Miriam Jang, M.D., says: "I have put a huge number of patients on these clay baths and the level of heavy metals--mercury, lead, arsenic, aluminum, and cadmium have come down dramatically. I have been monitoring the levels of metals using all three methods (TD DMPS, oral DMSA, & clay baths) and the clay baths are way faster in the removal of metals. One particular patient had very high levels of mercury and levels of lead that were off the charts. In 3 months of twice weekly clay baths, the lead came down dramatically and the mercury disappeared."

Clay baths are very safe to take for the purpose of removing heavy metals. It's much faster than other chelators, and a lot cheaper as well. It's important to follow the instructions on how to properly prepare a clay bath for best results. It's recommended to take a good multi mineral formula when bathing in clay. But remember not all clays are the same in quality. Using a weak clay to bath in would do you little good in chelating heavy metals. You want a high quality raw clay for bathing purposes.

References

1. Urine Testing Confirms Autism is Mercury Poisoning.

2. Gordon Research Institute; Garry F. Gordon, MD, DO

3. Reports can be found at CDC.gov website

4. Cornell News Feb 23, 1999

5. Dr. Rashid Buttar Speaks on the Dangers of DMSA

6. Chelation of Lead with DMPS and BAL in Rats Injected with Lead

7. Department of Pharmacology, Centro de Investigacion Biomedica del Noreste, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Monterrey, Mexico.

8. Amalgam Illness Diagnosis and Treatment by Andrew Hall Cutler PhD PE