GOLD SALTS AND OTHER
BIOMEDICAL INTERVENTIONS
Gold salts
Gold salts have recently come into focus as a
potential treatment for Autism although they lack the evidence required
by rigorous research to qualify as an evidence-based approach. Boyd
Haley, a University of Kentucky professor and leading proponent
of the mercury-autism
hypothesis, has suggested that gold salts may reverse conditions
attributed to mercury administration in the form of thimerosal that
was used as a preservative in vaccinations until recently.
Currently, Dr. Mady Hornig of Columbia University
is testing gold salts on mice specially bred to be susceptible to
thimerosal. Dan Olmsted reported a 1947 case of a 12 year old patient,
the first person ever diagnosed with Autism, who was treated for
arthritis using gold salts at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tennessee.
According to the patient’s brother, the “extreme nervousness” and
excitability that had afflicted him cleared up as well as the arthritis.
However, Haley cautions “please note that I am not recommending
using gold salts to treat autistics, but it would certainly be worth
a project if carefully monitored by a physician in a good clinic”.
Anti-fungal Treatment
A common comorbid disorder with Autism Spectrum Disorders is gastrointestinal
problems. Supporters of theory behind anti-fungal treatments
believe that the overgrowth of fungi and other microbes. They believe
that fungi can create compounds that are hallucinogenic and could
result in autistic behavior. To date, there has not been any rigorous
research that has confirmed a link between fungi and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
derived from ergot, and psilocybin from mushrooms.
The theory that fungi are producing the compounds which are creating
autistic behavior is not so far-fetched. Desmorphin, discussed earlier,
is an hallucinogenic substance occurring more frequently among autistic
children.
Some believe that autistic symptoms are made worse
by the overgrowth of Candida albicans, a yeast-like fungus normally
kept in check by the immune system. Because it is impractical to
expect anyone to stay on a totally yeast-free diet, ongoing medication,
anti-fungal supplements, and avoidance of sugars are often used
to control Candida.
As with other biomedical interventions, it is
difficult to know if the effectiveness of an anti-fungal treatment
in a particular case is imagined, or whether it comes about because
it is addressing the symptoms of a a comorbid disorder (ie. gastrointestinal
problems) instead of the core symptoms associated with Autism itself.
Rigorous research is needed on these interventions to establish
them as evidence-based treatments for Autism, for comorbid disorders,
or as not effective an treatment at all. Some researchers propose
that a small number of Autism Spectrum Disorders may be caused
principally by Candida.
Click here for the full
range of Asperger's and Autism fact sheets at www.autism-help.org
This autism fact sheet is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation. It is derivative of an Autism and Asperger's
syndrome-related articles at http://en.wikipedia.org |
