Government researchers are pushing to test chelation therapy, an as yet unproven treatment on autistic children.
The treatment removes heavy metals from the body and is based on the theory that mercury in vaccines triggers autism. Many parents of autistic children attest to the success of the treatment, and the head of the National Institute of Mental Health now supports testing it on children provided the tests are safe.
For now, the proposed study has been put on hold because of safety concerns.
Any study of chelation in children would have to exclude those with high levels of lead or mercury, which would require treatment and preclude using a placebo.
Sources:
* USA Today July 8, 2008
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