Chelation Therapy Medical vs. Homopathic

I have heard a lot pro's and con's concerning Chelation Therapy.

I was wondering if anyone found a study as to the effects of Medical (Medication) induced Chelation vs. Homopathic Chelation?

I am not sure if we are going to do either but, I am interested in learning about all the helpful and harmful practices involved in both practices.

We have done Chelation of the Blood and that has had little effect. As far as I know there is no test developed to find out wheter or not there are heavy metals in the Brain?

The scary part about Chelation is that you have to do it not knowing if its needed. I really don't like that Idea.

If anyone has any suggestions as how to get out of this pickle, I would greatly appreciate any and all help.

Hi funtimes09, and welcome to IAN.

Chelation, in any of its forms, is considered an "alternative" therapy for autism. There have been no rigorous randomized controlled clinical trials (the gold standard of research) to test whether a certain type of chelation works to improve autism symptoms, or whether one type is better than the other.

To read about why randomized controlled clinical trials are important, see: http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/understanding_research/randomized_controlled_trials

Because a portion of the autism community has expressed interest in chelation, and is using it in the absence of clinical trials, the National Institute of Mental Health, had planned to conduct such a trial. (When people are already investing time and money into a therapy, and their children are already being exposed to whatever risks or benefits come with it, it's important to find out whether it has value.) As reported in a letter to the Journal of the American Medical Association...

"The mercury chelation study was intended to test a theory - embraced by some antivaccine activists but rejected by most scientists - that a vaccine preservative containing mercury (no longer in use) can cause autism, and that removing mercury from the body would improve social reciprocity and language skills in children with autism. In the trial, 120 children with autism spectrum disorder and detectable (but not toxic) blood levels of mercury or lead were to receive a chelating agent (succimer) or placebo." -- Mitka, 2008

The trial was cancelled when a study on the use of succimer in rodents showed gains in some areas, but lasting cognitive impairment, too. It was thought the trial would be too risky.

In general, there is scant evidence in support of this therapy at this time.