Desperately seeking to mitigate their children’s autism, some parents are turning to an industrial chemical marketed as a dietary supplement.
The supplement known as OSR#1 was originally developed as a chemical used to pull heavy metals from soil and polluted mines. It is now sold in pill form to be used as an antioxidant and many parents are giving it to their children with autism.
The practice is linked to the belief that autism is caused by the existence of toxic metals in the body stemming from mercury in childhood vaccines and other sources. Though science has disproved this theory, many parents continue to seek out various forms of chelation, which pulls heavy metals from the body.
There are no studies looking at the effects of human consumption of OSR#1, but because it is sold as a dietary supplement, the Food and Drug Administration does not require the same level of safety testing that a traditional drug would undergo.
Parents report success with OSR#1 on various autism blogs, but doctors are concerned about the use of an untested chemical in children.
Meanwhile, the FDA requested more information from the manufacturer of OSR#1 about the product’s safety in 2008 and has yet to receive a response, reports the Chicago Tribune. To read more click here.
I don’t blame the parents. They are doing this in desperation. I do blame unscrupulous physicians and therapists who pass off Vu-Du medicine, which can harm, delay meaningful intervention and even kill.
There is no magic bullet that will make autism go away or cure their child. I wish there was one but there isn’t.
Here are some good websites to help parents–no promises just facts and guidance:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/
http://www.autismsciencefoundation.org/
I know I am going to get flamed by the chelation therapy, crystal waving nut jobs out there but I really don’t care–so don’t waste your time.
Marc
While I don’t know anything about this chemical OSR#1, I can say definitively that a comment that was made in this story is incorrect. You stated that science has disproved the theory that toxic heavy metals can cause autism. Nothing is further from the truth. There have never been any studies disproving that at all. Furthermore if you look at the research of Dr. Jim Adams at ASU and Dr. Richard Deth at Northeastern University and Dr. HV Aposhian at U of Arizona Medical School, there is a mountain of evidence that continues to build that there is some correlation between these toxic metals and autism.
In my own child we performed chelation through an MD and saw significant amounts of mercury come from my son. He has never been around coal fired power plants, eaten large amounts of fish or had mercury amalgam dental work. The only source of mercury he had was from his vaccines. Surprisingly, he developed autism immediately after receiving those vaccines. He has since recovered after chelation and treating his gastrointestinal issues. I would say that this specifically states that your information is incorrect. I would strongly recommend parents to find a good DAN! doctor an utilize medically approved chelation to help their child after treating that child’s gut issues. I would never recommend using a non-medically supervised chelation treatment of any sort.
Marc,
I am so sorry that you have not found the right doctors to help your child. However, there is help and hope. If you are willing to make the effort, autism is treatable. You are right, there is no “Magic Bullet” but there are bio-medical therapies that can make all the difference. They don’t work in 100% of all children but no medicine does. Chelation is an important part that can make a big difference. I would find a good DAN doctor in your area or find a TACA chapter that can walk you through these therapies and help. They don’t waive crystals or practice voodoo. We just help families to help their kids.
Or, you can do absolutely nothing and hope for the best. If you do nothing to change your child’s future, then it’s all but guaranteed. It’s your choice.
I find this article really offensive since it has only expressed one side of the argument. If you’re going to post such a piece, at least interview the founder of OSR or interview paretns who have had wonderful results with it.
Aslo ridiculous is the fact that the author of this article believes that the FDA actually protects us from harmful substances. This must be a joke. What about genetically modified foods. bisphenols, lead in toys, arsenic in chicken, factories that spew mercury along with coal burning plants and on and on and on…….. I’d trust OSR long before I’d trust a piece of tyson chicken from the neighborhood grocery. How about Vioxx, the recent recall of tylenol etc?
This is about one of the trashiest articles I’ve seen to discredit a brilliant scientist.
What’s all this about? Did someone get hurt or sick from this supplement? Anyone know what’s dangerous about it? Best I can tell it must be working if people are using it. I mean my gosh, is this stuff more dangerous than say, Pepsi or how about something like what they put in vaccines? You know aborted fetus tissue, monkey kidneys, formaldehyde stuff like that?
Weird what makes the headlines now a day. I guess they missed the one about the government suing Johnson & Johnson for robbing as much as 180 million from medicare by throwing $50 million in kickbacks to a company prescribing anti-psychotics to elderly people. Let’s rip the little guy offering non-toxic supplement to help kids get neuro-toxins out of their bodies and overlook the big fat cats killing old folks in nursing homes. Which one is it that spend tens of millions in advertising with the Tribune?
The NIH and FDA are a joke! NIH and FDA and most traditional medical doctors( who prescribe drugs and vaccines) are mere profiteer puppets for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers! FDA can not even adequately govern our food supply and what is and isn’t safe for human and animal consumption.
There should be consumer protection laws in effect that govern the makers of drugs, vaccines, foods or any substance whether consumed, injected, inhaled, absorbed, or taken into the human body by any means. The law should be that the proprietor (owner/maker) of all proprietary medicines, compounds, vaccines etc. be responsible for testing/experiment for efficacy and safety of their products on themselves and their families for a period of no less than two years before marketing the product to the general public.
If this law had been preexistent then maybe our children would not have been used as experiments of the insult’s of toxins such as Formaldehyde, Ethylene Glycol, thimerosal, aluminum, antibiotics … that were injected directly into the bloodstream.
Calling for safety and efficacy studies of Mr. Haley’s product from NIH and FDA is kind of like ,’the pot calling the kettle black.’
NIH, FDA, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and some medical establishments are more taken aback of the simple fact that they can not profit from Mr. Haley’s product. Guess Mr. Haley found a loop hole to keep big businesses from profiting off his product.
:):) I am really scared to take any drug now that Pharmaceutical Manufacturers have full immunity to whatever their drugs may do to humans , even if their drugs or vaccines kill you. Parent’s need to stop and seriously think about the meaning of “mandatory vaccines for children.” Mandatory is the key word to consider.