Well autism is not fatal, so I dont see how not using it will cause deaths.
It is not worded for a ban on chelation for others uses, but on autistic kids and adults.
You said - "But chelation therapy, if administered by somebody who knows what he is doing, and who is not doing it just to make a ton of money, has helped many people."
The problem is that so many do not know what they are doing, and are out to make a ton of money, again I am only asking for a ban relating to autism, not to heart treatments, or other uses.
A man whose heart condition could be fatal, and who wants to risk a treatment in order to potentially save his life, is in a very different position from a healthy 5 year old autistic boy.
The wording on the petition is clear -
Please sign this petition against chelation use on autistic children and adults.
Also wouldn't it'd be best to wait for the autopsy results in order know what the actual cause of death was before people started doing these sort of things?!. I mean I've been keeping an eye on the autism forums over this case and from what I've heard "Evidence of Harm" has immeadiately been trying to go on the defensive. This seems like a counter offensive which could in turn create a ******* media, religious, political , )(you name it they'll be in it circus) just like in the case of Terri Schiavo!!. :mad:
However one thing I would personally call for is better regulation of this type of treatment to ensure that only people who need the treatment get the treatment and the ones that provide the treatment are skilled to do it without significant risk to the patient instead of an outright ban. So if the petition were reworded it might be much more able to get more signatures but at the moment sorry Amy but I can't see this petition going anywhere and it's current state to be honest I'm relieved that won't.
Asp if you had children, and people had told you that you were a bad parent for not having them chelated, as has been said to me, I think you would see the matter with more urgency.
The results of an autopsy could state 'heart failure', it is what caused that heart failure that is the issue, not the actual cause of death. While in the chelating doctors office, a healthy 5 year old does not have heart failure as a coincidence.
(If the argument was made that he wasnt healthy in the first place, then he should NOT have been having the treatment at all).
Today there will be more kids having this treatment, how long do we have to wait to be disgusted and express how we feel?
Good point about me not being a parent Amy but that doesn't reduce the validity of my second point about calling for much better and tighter regulation on the use of Chelation in the US instead of an outright ban. I wasn't saying remove the petition I was saying "rewrite" and I think quite a few people including parents would agree with me on that one.
Asp said " Speaking of NT parents here's one parent who we all know to some degree. I wouldn't say he's a moron, would you?"
Subataai did say most, not all. And emotions and reactions do run high when something like this occurs.
I have heard of cases of maltreatment and illness from chelation numerous times before. Its not like this tragic case is the first thing to have been a problem with the treatment.
This is from a news article about this case -
"Chelation for autism is a fraud," said Stephen Barrett, a retired Lehigh County psychiatrist and founder of the Quackwatch Web site. "Many doctors who treat children for autism claim they are suffering from mercury or lead toxicity. There is no sufficient evidence that autism is caused by mercury or lead toxicity."
When Nadama went into cardiac arrest, those in the office immediately began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which was continued when paramedics arrived and took him to the hospital.
Barr said Kerry told him that he was administering the treatment to remove lead and mercury from Nadama's body.
"From my conversation with them, he had some kind of lead in his system, and they also said his system contained mercury," Barr said.
An autopsy yesterday was inconclusive and more tests will be needed to determine exactly how Nadama died, Barr said. "It'll probably be a month or two months before you know anything," he said.
Barr said state police are investigating the death.
and
"Parents should be clear that when considering any experimental medical treatment for a child, we are placing that child at risk," the study states.
Collin, who is the editor and publisher of the magazine, admits chelation therapy "is a controversial topic. It is something that is accepted in the alternative medicine camp but admittedly not by the American Medical Association or the Pediatric Association."
Barrett, who lives in Allentown, Lehigh County, is blunt in his criticism of chelation therapy.
"Basically, chelation has nothing to offer," he said. "The treatment is worthless and has some potential danger. Here is a case that demonstrates that.
"I'll bet you that every parent with an autistic child is going to hear about this case. This is a very serious matter. I think it is going to have a tremendous impact on the autism community."
Both Barrett and Collin said this is the first time they have heard of an autistic child dying after undergoing chelation therapy.
Barrett, who said he suspects there have been other cases that were never reported, also questions the tests that show a preponderance of lead and mercury in the bloodstream of a child.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved chelation as a treatment for lead poisoning.
"There is a little bit of mercury in fish and little bits of heavy metal here and there (in the body) that is of no consequence," Barrett said.
"It's very unlikely that the child had lead poisoning ... unless the child was eating paint. Generally, the tests that are administered are bogus," Barrett said.
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-revi...67277.html
Sibylle, if a child is truly poisoned, then any reaction they showed would be some form of brain damage, if you actually look at the symptoms of mercury poisoning it is not similar to all the features of autism.
It is well known (as the person from quackwatch states above) that test results supposedly showing levels of toxic metals are often bogus. It is used as a result to get around insurance restraints, that will only pay for treatment for certain conditions.
Thanks for posting that Kev, certain groups like Generation Rescue create confusion with their myths, as we can see the reality is very different.
How do you know you had metals in your heart and that now they are going? :shock:
Have you been checked by a doctor, a funny feeling in the heart could be numerous things, and to be honest, heavy metals in the heart would be low down on the list of probabilites.
Almighty, I think there is the facility to remove names, if you pm me the name you signed with I can remove it if you wish.
This is the petition -
http://www.petitiononline.com/aff/petition.html
The day at Jodrell Bank would not solely be aspies, but families of aspie and autie kids too, and it would still be open to members of the general public.
However if we had enough people we could easily be in the majority.
betwixt, there is no proof that mercury leaks, you need to check up on these things, the mercury is bonded to become a safe alloy, in the vast majority of cases there is no problem at all.
betwixt, I didnt get it from quackwatch, I get my information from many sources including asking dentists in real life.
I do not know who Stephen Barrat is, I think its better to not just look at one source when seeking information, but a variety.
I think common sense needs to play a part, nearly all adults in the UK have fillings, unless they have lost all their teeth, and they are not suffering from mercury poisoing, that is extremely rare.