Aspies For Freedom

Just a "conspiracy theory" that striked me.

I've seen some ideas to how chelation and GF/CF could be beneficial for some autistics which actually seem more rational than the usual "neurotoxins" and "drug-effect" theories.

Such theories often seem to be more about relieving stress from constipation. There are anecdotes from parents who said that constipation issues have stopped right after having started GF/CF or done chelation. I don't know if we should take such anecdotes any more seriously than parents who say they have seen a "reduction in autism symptoms" , but such anecdotes definitely seem more specific.

So if these alternative practioneers were aware that these ideas were correct, would they publish it?

If chelation became a mainstream treatment that was used to help autistic patients with gastrointestinal issues wouldn't alternative chelation practioneers lose income? Maybe the whole of DAN! would actually collapse?

A mother at the chatroom has had alot of experience with DAN! I'm not sure if she's still around and she was abit unpopular because she supported the possibility of some DAN! treatments being valid treatments.

For the alternative DAN! treatments many different medications are often given which are all very expensive. The mother at the chatroom told that she carefully removed several medications from the daily meds of her daughter and found that some had benefit (I didn't ask how) and some didn't have any effect whatsoever.

I remember from having read James Laidler's "My involvement with autism quackery" that parents often monitor the medications out of the behavior of their child. So parents might be over-focused on the changes in behavior of their child to see that it is unrelated to the medications. Which could probably make her anecdote unreliable.

Still she also mentioned that her daughter's gastrointestinal issues declined just after having had some kind of treatment. But that this treatment would probably never hit mainstream in any few years because of the controversy around the DAN! organisation.

Theories of some kind of drug effect from eating bread and milk and mercury neuro-poisoning, even conspiracy theories about the government trying to cover up that thimerosal in vaccines are dangerous, are things that probably prevent mainstream medicine from even considering DAN! treatments.

Intresting post erkolos

quite ironic the fact that the very treatment DAN is trying to preach could very well ruin them.

also what kind of controversy is there around DAN? (other than the insulting B.S they usually spout! )

The bottom line about chelation, is that its a dangerous process, no matter what the reason for it is, sometimes its justifued, e.g BAL therapy in arsenical poisoning, in autism, its not been proved, and its dangerous, therefore IMO it should not be done.

Right now I'm not sure whether these death accidents are all related to mixups between disodium and sodium EDTA.

sorry i should have said aside from that as well!

I have to say I despise chelation and every parent who allows it to be used on their child. in my opinion parents should love their child no matter what granted I can accept that you want to make your child feel better but pumping them full of whatever chemical chelation has in it (some type of acid?) no sane parent should risk their childs life so that they are "normal"

may their ears turn green and their face develop tiger stripes!

I don't know about chelation, but for some people it seems probable that there is a food sensitivity to gluten that would cause stress on their gastrointestinal system, thereby causing stress on the whole person. I know when I am sick I tend to be less able to talk, or to put much effort into things. I use my energy up from dealing with the stress on my body, and so I have less in reserve than I usually do, which sometimes gives the appearance of "regression".

So, for some the diet thing might make sense, though most of the "theory" that DAN people give for it sounds much like quackery (I have seen people claim that it is the digestional problems that CAUSE autism, rather than making it more difficult for autistic people to DO certain things).

From what I've heard, it's not all that dangerous a procedure when conducted by a competent specialist doctor. But the fact that it is not accepted as an autism treatment by mainstream medical authorities makes it much more likely that a doctor willing to chelate an autistic child is going to be incompetent...

If I ever start an official organization,i might call it "Defeat DAN! Now !"