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From http://www.diagnose-me.com/treat/T93234.html

Most - if not all - of the natural treatments are mild-acting or mostly of a supportive nature. More aggressive and yet safe treatment options should include the alternative medical use of strong metal chelators such as DMPS (2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid) or DMSA (2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid). Even though a medical doctor may not feel you have a problem until symptoms of poisoning are significant, some heavy metals such as mercury have no desirable place in your body. Most alternative doctors will be able to tell if your body burden of metals is high enough to warrant treatment and how aggressive that treatment should be.

DMPS and DMSA (prescription drugs) are used by alternative doctors for challenge testing (determining the body content of metals), and for treatment. In many cases, a detoxifying regimen using supportive natural chelators and a modified diet is recommended. Some patients should have their amalgams removed: this should be done by a dentist who will follow a safe protocol for the removal to avoid further mercury exposure. Consider using DMPS or DMSA at the time of removal, if available. In 80 patients with dental amalgam fillings and symptoms attributed to chronic mercury toxicity, 100mg per week of DMPS with 100mcg per day of selenium reduced symptoms after an initial 300mg DMPS oral challenge.

Reliable removal should involve the use of more aggressive/safe chelators such as DMPS and DMSA [DMPS, Scientific Monograph: Dimaval (DMPS). 1997, Houston Tx: Heyltex Corp.; DMSA, a non-toxic, water soluble treatment for heavy metal toxicity. Alt Med Rev, 1998. 3(3): pp.199-207]. Some OTC products contain small amounts of EDTA, a general purpose chelator. There is some controversy over how useful it is when used orally and EDTA is much less effective for mercury removal than DMPS or DMSA.

Caution should be exercised when taking chelators for extended periods of time as other minerals (beside heavy metal minerals) may be adversely affected. The strong metal chelators DMSA and DMPS must be used under a doctor's supervision.

An increasing number of doctors are using alpha lipoic acid concurrently with the strong chelators DMPS or DMSA. A typical program is 100mg alpha lipoic acid with 100mg DMSA every 4 hours for 3 days, or 100mg alpha lipoic acid every four hours with 100mg DMPS every 8 hours for 3 days.

Chelation therapy was first developed by the United States Navy as a way of removing toxic metals from the bodies of military personnel exposed to high concentrations of lead during the 1940's. Since that time, it has been used in the treatment of people exposed to lead paint particles and other environmental exposures, and is a recommended treatment by the American Academy of Family Practice and the American Academy of Pediatrics for this purpose. Now, however its use is being expanded to the treatment of other medical conditions such as Autism.

The chemical process that takes place in chelation is complicated, but put in simple terms, the heavy metals, such as mercury, bind to the chelating agent and then are eliminated from the body. In theory, once they are removed, their toxic effects are eliminated and the individual begins to show improvement in the areas which were exposed to these metals.

There are several products which are in use as chelators and are prescribed for use by some physicians.

One of the best and safest chelators is DMSA. While not approved by the FDA for use in Autism, it is approved for removal of lead from children who have been diagnosed with lead poisoning. Due to the nature of DMSA, however, it does not simply bind to lead, but to any heavy metal, and therefore will bind to mercury, such as has accumulated due to vaccinations containing thimerosal. It has been tested in children and found to be safe and effective when properly used.

Another common chelator is DMPS. This substance,however, has never been tested in children and has not been found to be safe and effective. It also is very expensive and can only be purchased through a compounding pharmacist. For these reasons, it is usually not covered by health insurance policies. Because of these factors, it is not recommended for use with children and is a poor alternative to DMSA according to many specialists.

Another product in use is lipoic acid. This is an excellent chelator, since it is lipid soluble, and is therefore able to cross cell membranes better than the water soluble product DMSA. In theory, this makes it more effective, since most of the mercury is stored within the cells and is harder to reach and create bonds with.

There are two steps to chelation therapy that are essential if it is to work. First, the loosely-bound body mercury must be eliminated. This can be done with DMSA. It is given in a one week on, one off pattern with dosages being administered every four hours. Once the urine mercury levels have stabilized, the next step is chelating the mercury that is tightly bound within the cells. This is done using lipoic acid.

It is important to provide nutritional support designed to counteract mercury's known effects and to use monitoring tests to check on blood counts, kidney and liver function, and mineral levels, and to gauge how much mercury is being eliminated from the body. These tests must be done under supervision of a physician, and as in any medical treatment should be closely supervised and the recommendations of the physician should be followed by the patient.

For more information on physicians who practice Chelation Therapy, contact the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM). Their database includes over 600 physicians and clinics that are certified in this treatment method. Part 2 of this article will discuss the viewpoint of the traditional medical community toward this method of treatment.

While much publicity has been given to chelation therapy within the Autism community, the overwhelming opinion of the traditional medical community is that it is an unproven therapy that should be avoided. According to Saul Green, PhD, the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM), the primary proponents of chelation, and its Board Certification program are not recognized by the scientific community.

Green also points out that the typical treatment program costs between $75 and $125 per treatment, takes between 20 and 100 treatments to show results, and is not covered by insurance. Other physicians point out that some chelation therapists attempt to secure insurance coverage by misrepresenting the patient's treatment to the insurance companies, therefore practicing insurance fraud rather than medicine.

It is interesting that none of the material discussed above is related to chelation therapy in the treatment of Autism or other developmental disorders.

It relates to claims that chelation is an effective treatment for heart disease. The implication, however is that if it is a fraudulent treatment for heart disease, then all treatments using this procedure are suspect and should be avoided.

It is obvious that more research needs to be done into this treatment. In November 2000, Cure Autism Now (CAN), a leading Autism research organization called for research proposals to finally investigate the effectiveness of chelation therapy in Autism treatment. Since there has been no research studies done to validate the claims of those who tout chelation in the treatment of Autism, this treatment should be considered unproven and the safety and effectiveness of it are still undetermined.

This viewpoint is supported by the Autism Biomedical Information Network, which lists chelation as an unproven treatment. They point out that no reliable research studies have been made on many treatments being offered as alternatives to traditional Autism treatments, and that most of the information available on their effectiveness is anecdotal rather than based on valid scientific research techniques.

While it is not illegal for a physician to prescribe chelation therapy for the treatment of Autism, without valid research studies, any treatment that has not been properly researched should be undertaken with a degree of skepticism. Until chelation is approved for use with Autistics and until valid research is conducted, the traditional medical community recommends that it be avoided.