www.SeekingHealth.com : Product Research

Treatment Options for Mercury/Metal Toxicity in Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities:

The Autism Research Institute has been evaluating various biomedical treatments of autism since 1967.

One approach has been simply to have parents rate the effectiveness of each of the biomedical treatments they have tried. Over 23,000 parents have responded to our questionnaires.

Of the 77 biomedical interventions rated for efficacy by parents, mercury detoxification received a far higher rating than any drug, supplement, or special diet.

Mercury detoxification was rated helpful by 73% of parents, with the gluten/casein-free diet coming in second with 63%. A remarkable and encouraging finding that must not be ignored!

The Autism Research Institute convened our first mercury detoxification Think-Tank in February 2001, in Dallas Texas, in response to the need for information on how best to treat mercury toxicity. The resulting Consensus Report published in May, 2001, has been widely distributed in hard copy and on the Autism Research Institute website. A second mercury detoxification Think-Tank was held in Los Angeles in September 2004 to consider recent advances in detoxification technology. This report presents the findings of that Think-Tank.

Ben's Note: Click the hyperlink in the article to download the Consensus Paper. Bring it to your physician and improve your child's chances of regaining health.

Source: Autism Research Institute, autismwebsite, December 2006

Central Nervous System-Immune System Interactions: Psychoneuroendocrinology of Stress and Its Immune Consequences

The past 20 years has witnessed the emergence of the field of psychoneuroimmunology (48). This field deals with the influence of the central nervous system (CNS) on the immune system, or more specifically, whether and how thoughts and emotions affect immune function. Studies have concentrated, for the most part, on the effects of stress on the immune system. Stress is defined as a state of disharmony or threatened homeostasis provoked by a psychological, environmental, or physiologic stressor (12, 40). It has also become apparent from these studies that the immune system can influence the CNS, and thus, a circuit exists between these two systems. Regulatory molecules or cytokines elaborated from activated immune cells evoke a CNS response which, in turn, affects the immune system (26). It is likely, therefore, that the brain is normally part of the immunoregulatory network.

Source: ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY, seekinghealth, December 2006

Thyroid Hormones in Pregnancy in Relation to Environmental Exposure to Organochlorine Compounds and Mercury

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated pesticides, and mercury are global environmental contaminants that can disrupt the endocrine system in animals and humans. However, there is little evidence that they can interfere with endocrine status in pregnant women and neonates at low levels of exposure. The aim of this study was to examine thyroid hormone levels during pregnancy and in cord blood in relation to blood concentrations of organochlorine compounds (OCs) and Hg in healthy women recruited during pregnancy. We found a significant negative correlation between maternal total triiodothyronine levels and three non-coplanar congeners (PCB-138, PCB-153, and PCB-180), three pesticides (p,p´-DDE, cis-nanochlor, and hexachlorobenzene), and inorganic Hg independently, without any other changes in thyroid status. No significant relationships were observed between OCs and cord serum thyroid hormones. Cord serum free thyroxin was negatively correlated with inorganic Hg. These results suggest that at even low levels of exposure, persistent environmental contaminants can interfere with thyroid status during pregnancy.

Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, seekinghealth, May 2005

The Scientific Case Against Amalgam

Dental amalgam has been controversial ever since it was introduced, early in the nineteenth century, because of its mercury content. People of the Napoleonic era knew full well that mercury was poisonous, and the best that anyone has ever claimed about amalgam is that the mercury exposure may be too small to hurt anyone. Over time, though, a great body of evidence has accumulated showing that mercury is released from amalgam in significant quantities, that it spreads around the body, including from mother to fetus, and that the exposure causes physiological harm. A growing number of dentists, physicians, researchers, citizen activists, politicians, and regulators have come to the conclusion that the time has come to consign dental amalgam to the “dustbin of history.” This article will sketch out the main points of the scientific case against amalgam.

Source: The International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology, seekinghealth, December 2006

Selenium Supplementation in Patients with Autoimmune Thyroiditis Decreases Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies Concentrations

In areas with severe selenium deficiency there is a higher incidence of thyroiditis due to a decreased activity of selenium- dependent glutathione peroxidase activity within thyroid cells. Selenium-dependent enzymes also have several modifying effects on the immune system. Therefore, even mild selenium deficiency may contribute to the development and maintenance of autoimmune thyroid diseases. We performed a blinded, placebo-controlled, prospective study in female patients (n 70; mean age, 47.5 0.7 yr) with autoimmune thyroiditis and thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) and/or Tg antibodies (TgAb) above 350 IU/ml. The primary end point of the study was the change in TPOAb concentrations. Secondary end points were changes in TgAb, TSH, and free thyroid hormone levels as well as ultrasound pattern of the thyroid and quality of life estimation. Patients were randomized into 2 age- and antibody (TPOAb)-matched groups; 36 patients received 200 g (2.53 mol) sodium selenite/d, orally, for 3months, and 34 patients received placebo. All patients were substituted with L-T4 to maintain TSH within the normal range. TPOAb, TgAb, TSH, and free thyroid hormones were determined by commercial assays. The echogenicity of the thyroid was monitored with high resolution ultrasound. The mean TPOAb concentration decreased significantly to 63.6% (P 0.013) in the selenium group vs. 88% (P 0.95) in the placebo group. A subgroup analysis of those patients with TPOAb greater than 1200 IU/ml revealed a mean 40% reduction in the selenium-treated patients compared with a 10% increase in TPOAb in the placebo group. TgAb concentrations were lower in the placebo group at the beginning of the study and significantly further decreased (P 0.018), but were unchanged in the selenium group. Nine patients in the seleniumtreated group had completely normalized antibody concentrations, in contrast to two patients in the placebo group (by 2 test,P0.01). Ultrasound of the thyroid showed normalized echogenicity in these patients. ThemeanTSH, freeT4, and free T3 levels were unchanged in both groups. We conclude that selenium substitution may improve the inflammatory activity in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis, especially in those with high activity. Whether this effect is specific for autoimmune thyroiditis or may also be effective in other endocrine autoimmune diseases has yet to be investigated.

Source: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, seekinghealth, October 2002