In The Politics of Autism, I discuss autism quackery. There have been lots of bogus "cures" over the years:, including chelation.
Trump says he would give RFK Jr. a role in a future administration and let him do whatever he wants on health. His agenda -- which includes chelation -- would put Americans at risk.
FDA’s war on public health is about to end. This includes its aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything…
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) October 25, 2024
From the Autism Science Foundation:
Chelation: Chelation therapy involves administering chemicals designed to bind to heavy metals and eliminate them from the body. Chelating agents have a legitimate use in the treatment of poisoning from lead, mercury and other metals. There is no evidence that supports chelation as a safe treatment alternative because autism is not caused by metal poisoning. In 2005, a child with autism died from chelation therapy, when the chelating agent bonded with calcium in his body and caused his heart to stop. No paper published in the peer-reviewed literature has reported abnormal levels of mercury in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Moreover, symptoms of mercury poisoning are unlike symptoms of autism, making chelation an impractical way to improve symptoms.
From the Association for Science in Autism Treatment:
Chelation is not a benign intervention; it is associated with many adverse and potentially harmful side effects. Some of the side effects noted in the research include rash, gastrointestinal upset, generalized toxicity, fatigue, hypocalcemia (low calcium levels), thrombophlebitis (increased blood clots), nausea, dysgeusia (distorted metallic taste), nephrotoxicity (toxicity of the kidneys), and even death (James et al., 2015).
