An article dated September 17, 2008 shares that a controversial study regarding using chelation to treat autism has been called off by researchers. Critics of the research refer to the study as unethical.
Chelation Study
The National Institute of Mental Health abandoned the study on chelation due to safety concerns. Chelation therapy is a process used to remove heavy metals from the body. A drug used in the treatment was found previously to cause brain damage in rats, prompting researchers to discontinue its use in their study. The study’s proposal involved using 120 autistic children, ranging in age from 4 to 10. Half would be given a chelation drug and the other half a placebo. Then, before and after mercury levels would be measured as well as autism symptoms.
The group has decided to instead put their efforts toward studying other potential therapies for treating autism.
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