FDA Crackdown on Chelators

Sadly for the hopes of many parents, the GFCF (gluten-free, dairy-free) diet has not passed any medical testing as a cure for autism. The claims made by the people who tout the diet are suspect anyway, because they try many different things at once. This is quite natural and understandable, but it makes nonsense of any chance of separating out what works from what doesn't.

The evidence suggests that not much works, which makes piling pills upon the other attempts even more problematical.

Here's a quick rule that should work in almost every situation. If someone says you need to "detoxify," put your hand on your wallet and run in the other direction.

Chelators are powerful chemicals that are designed to remove heavy metals from the body. They work for the few individuals who really do have heavy metal buildup. There is not the slightest evidence that autistic children do or that their bodies have to be detoxified of them.

That doesn't prevent unscrupulous companies from selling chelators to parents to give to their children. The FDA has stepped in to put a stop to the quackery. The article by Deborah Huso on AOL Health said:

[Thursday, October 15, 2010] the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cracked down on eight companies marketing purportedly dangerous over-the-counter treatments for autism. The companies sell products, known as chelators, touting them as effective in the treatment of autism as well as heart disease, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and macular degeneration.

The FDA warned eight companies, including World Health Products, LLC, and Evenbetternow, LLC, to correct violations that misled consumers into believing unproven treatments for autism and other diseases are safe and effective. One of the companies cited for violations, Artery Health Institute, LLC, claims on its website that its oral chelation product can reverse atherosclerosis. ...

"The companies advertising these products claim that these diseases are the result of heavy metal contamination in the body and that chelators will 'detoxify' them," FDA spokesperson Siobhan DeLancey told AOL Health. "There is no proof that 'detoxification' using these products is effective to prevent or treat any of these conditions."

DeLancey warns any consumers currently making use of these drugs to treat themselves or their children to cease their use and consult a physician immediately. The use of chelators can lead to dangerous dehydration, kidney failure and even death.

Please do not use these pills for any purposes for which they are not intended by prescription. Dump them out of your medicine cabinets if you already have them. Trying anything is not always better than trying nothing. Some things are truly dangerous.