Chelation for Autism?
PORTERSVILLE, PA - MedPage Today disclosed the death of a five-year-old British autistic boy who went into cardiac arrest after undergoing chelation therapy here has placed the controversial alternative treatment under an international spotlight. There were scant details on why Abubakar Tariq Nadama, the son of a physician, died at Advanced Integrative Medicine Center. The child's family brought him from England for the chelation treatments, and he was undergoing the third of a series. Dr. Roy Kerry, in charge of the therapy, didn't comment. A few U.S. physicians have tried to treat Autism with chelation to remove mercury, which they believe is the cause of the condition. The source of the mercury, they allege, is childhood vaccines. British press reports said the boy came to the U.S. for treatments with his mother, sister, and grandparents. His father, identified as Dr. Rufai Nadama, a specialist in respiratory medicine for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, stayed home. Neighbors said the family went to great lengths to deal with the child's condition. "They found out treatment was available in America," a nurse told the Daily Telegraph. The interest in chelation therapy as an alternative approach to treat Autism has been gaining ground among parents, and even some physicians, who believe Autism is associated with a heightened sensitivity to environmental toxins, including mercury used in vaccines. However, recent data have suggested no vaccine/Autism tie. "There are some theoretical reasons to imagine the possibility heavy metal intoxication is effective in reversing symptoms of Autism, but there are no data," said Dr. Dena Hofkosh, a developmental behavioral pediatrician at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, 35 miles south of Portersville.