Summary of chelating children safely

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Interesting link. This sums of low dose chelation.

http://livingnetwork.co.za/chelationnetwork/chelating-children-safely/

Safely chelating children with Andy Cutler's oral chelation protocol

1. Do my kids need chelation?

Andy Cutler's books for order

Mercury toxicity is commonly found in children with developmental delays, ADHD,

Autism, PDD-NOS, Aspergers, Apraxia/Dyspraxia, mood disorders and other health

problems. One of the best, least invasive ways of testing for mercury toxicity

is to get a hair test through DDI and this can be achieved without a

prescription by going through Direct Labs. The hair test will help you determine

if there are excessive metals in your child, although it is not always

conclusive, and signs & symptoms and trial chelation need be to considered in

the diagnosis. For help in interpreting the hair test, obtain Andy Cutler's

book, Hair Test Interpretation: Finding Hidden Toxicities and consult Frequent

Dose Chelation group for help in determining if metal toxicity is a

problem. Often a trial of proper chelation, as per Andy Cutler's protocol, is

the best way to ascertain if there is a metal component, since you expect some

response from chelators if metal toxic – which can be improvements in symptoms

or side-effects. Mercury in the brain, will not go away without chelation, and

can be made worse with improper methods of chelation e.g. chlorella. Please

become informed before you begin this process.

2. What is Andy Cutler's chelation protocol?

Andy Cutler is a PhD biochemist who experienced mercury poisoning from dental

fillings and consequently discovered how to safely remove the mercury from the

body (chelate) using chelators properly, that being according to their

pharmaceutical half-life. The Cutler protocol, as detailed in his book, Amalgam

Illness: Diagnosis & Treatment , thus involves giving low doses of chelator(s)

frequently, which helps the body safely excrete mercury and/or other metals.

That means dosing every 4 hours for DMSA, every 3 hours for ALA and every 8

hours for DMPS, for a minimum of three days at a time, which is known as a

'round'

When given in this way, and at a low enough dose, blood levels of the chelator

are kept at a low and stable level, thus allowing for a net movement of metals

out of the body. Most parents would start a round with their children after

school on Friday and stop the round on Monday just before school. Many children

have been helped with this protocol, resulting in many behavioral improvements,

and many have gone on to lose their diagnosis.

3. Is chelation safe?

There are many protocols `advertised' for chelation. Some are definitely not

safe and do cause harm. Cutler's protocol, if strictly adhered to, is very safe,

as only low doses of the chelators are used orally and troublesome supplements

such as glutathione, chlorella and cilantro are avoided. Side-effects are

minimized by keeping the dose low, and should any side-effects occur while on a

round, the round can be stopped immediately without further damage. This gives

you, the parent, a great sense of control over your child's treatment and

ensures maximum safety throughout.

4. How do I get support for this protocol?

Once you have obtained Andy's books join the , which are free email

support forums where you can interact with many people with similar interests.

You will receive daily emails from other participants and become part of an

ongoing global discussion.

5. How do I know chelation is working?

Most parents notice improvements within only 5-10 rounds of chelation. You will

know it is working simply by observing your child's behavior. No other medical

tests are needed to chart chelation progress.

6. What worrying signs should I be looking out for during chelation?

Chelation can cause a temporary slight worsening of some children's symptoms,

which will wear off a day or two after the round. Chelation can also cause yeast

flare-up in susceptible children, and it is often helpful to have a good yeast

protocol in place i.e. lots of probiotics, low-sugar diet and natural yeast

fighters such as grapefruit seed extract or oil of oregano. Many other tips for

problems that may arise are in Andy's books and available for discussion in the

.

7. What supplements should my child be on?

There are some `basic supplements' that Andy recommends that will make chelation

more comfortable for your child.

The water-soluble basic supplements: these should be taken 3-4 times a day.

· Vitamin C: 500-1000 mg/day

· Magnesium: 400 mg/day and

· Zinc: weight in pounds +20 mg/day.

These are total doses for the day that should be given in divided doses 3-4

times a day.

The fat-soluble basic supplements: these can be given once per day (as the liver

stores and releases it as you need it)

· Vitamin E: 400IU/day, (the natural form: d-alpha tocopherol, not

dl-alpha tocopherol),

· Fish oils: Although not part of the `basic supplement' list, it is

generally considered very, very beneficial.

Other particularly helpful supplements include Milk thistle, molybdenum, and ACE

(Adrenal Corticol Extract).

You will need to obtain Andy's books to learn about other supplements, with

specific reasons for their use

There is also a supplements file in the Recovery from Autism group, that

can be accessed for more information and dosage instructions.

8. What medical tests might I need to do and who could help me do these?

The Hair Elements Test from DDI is an essential part of the protocol.

A baseline CBC (complete blood count) is helpful before starting chelation, but

not absolutely necessary. Any pediatrician or doctor can order a CBC, though it

is often difficult to find a doctor competent in dealing with mercury toxicity,

and most parents use the to support and manage treatment on their

own.

9. How long will this take?

Chelating safely is a slow and long process. You are looking at 100-300 rounds

overall, which translates into 1-3 years, but improvements often come quickly,

making the process rewarding.

10. Are you sure there isn't an easier and/or quicker method?

Unfortunately, there is no easier way to chelate that is also safe. Other

methods such as the DAN protocol encourage the use of chelators without paying

attention to their pharmaceutical half -life. Not paying attention to this

pharmacological law, causes spikes and troughs of chelator levels in the blood

and corresponding redistribution of mercury, which causes symtoms and damage.

Challenge tests are also very dangerous, yet often recommended by uninformed

individuals and medical practitioners. They yield no valuable information and

put your child in significant risk. Please do not attempt them. For more

information on the dangers of injecting chelators visit the DMPS backfire

website.

11. Should I pay attention to diet?

Diet is often a critical part in managing the health of your child and is often

intimately connected with behavior Andy has a lot of information on dietary

restrictions in his books and there are dietary files and people with experience

in the that can make suggestions to help you. One important dietary

consideration that Andy points out is the high-thiol foods more commonly known

as sulfur foods. Sulfur sensitivety can cause a lot of problems for a mercury

toxic child and you are encouraged to rule out this possibility early in the

process.

12. How do I know if my child has a sulphur sensitivity?

Sulfur foods (e.g. broccoli, dairy, beans etc and certain supplements (e.g. NAC

and glutathione), contain a high concentration of free thiols. Thiols have the

ability to stir mercury up and loosely drag it around, but do not help with the

excretion of it, which causes a lot of distress for a mercury-toxic person. True

chelating agents (e.g. DMSA, ALA and DMPS) are double thiols and capture mercury

tightly, allowing for its excretion, but only if they are used according to

their half-life.

Simply put, people who naturally happen to have high plasma cysteine do badly

when extra thiols are added to their body via their diet, as it causes lots of

mercury redistribution, making them feel much worse. However, those that happen

to have low plasma cysteine, actually require more thiols for regular body

functions, and may feel better by adding more through diet and possible even

through supplements such as NAC.

The only way to test this right now is to do the sulfur food exclusion diet and

this is a vital component that can remove a lot of daily misery if figured out

early..

Andy used to advise a medical test known as the `plasma cysteine test' which

was done as part of the Great Smokies Liver Detox Profile, to help you ascertain

if there was a sulfur sensitivity. However this test is no longer available and

the similar test now done by Genova, is no longer accurate, according to Andy.

Andy has a good explanation on page 199 of Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis &

Treatment about the difference between single thiols and double thiols, and

their effects on the body.