NIH Dropping Chelation Study

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I caught a paragraph in this morning's newspaper but haven't found it on the internet. From memory: because of the wealth of anecdotal stories, the NIH was going to conduct a study on chelation as it relates to autism. However, admid concerns that the therapy could be risky to kids, the study has been dropped.

I actually have mixed feelings about it. While I agree with them about the risk, and their duty not to exposure children to it, dropping the study also leaves the believing parents at continued risk for making what most of us feel are poor choices. It would have been good to have proof that it doesn't change anything.

...or that it does, which is always a possibility!

Not passing comment because I'm in two minds over chelation and don't know enough about it as yet, but I do think it's a shame when much-needed studies are dropped.

Why can't they just count kids who are undergoing chelation regardless?

Initial testing on rats concluded it causes brain damage, so it would have been unethical to use humans in testing.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/09/17/au ... index.html

"The study had been on hold because of safety concerns after another study published last year linked a drug used in the treatment to lasting brain problems in rats."

Right now, the only parents-with-young-autistic-kids meetup strongly supports Chelation (or so I assume from the link on their website) so I guess I either have to reconsider contacting them. Scary how it almost seems like parental peer pressure.

I believe this might actually deter some parents from trying it. Bully for that.

Considering that the National Institute of Health considers chelation experiments too dangerous to carry out on the target population - children - the parents who force their belief in chelation down their children's throats are engaging in child abuse and endangerment.

Hmm ... I should put my lawyers on speed-dial...

I just think it's sad that another study is down the drain. People are going to keep doing it so they should keep the study running and find out if it does or doesn't. Then people will either have a means of helping their children if they are indeed suffering from heavy metal toxicity, or they'll realise it doesn't work and there's no point in it and children won't be put through a dangerous treatment anymore. If they're pulling studies then the ones who believe it works will say "Ah-ha, they don't want to admit it!" and the ones who believe it doesn't will say "Told you so, it's too dangerous to keep going with!"

DW you can stop people from making irresposible choices (with other peoples lives no less). Not dropping it would be irresponble.