The unorthodox practice of chelation

But despite the position of mainstream science on chelation, for Jim Adams and some other scientists, the verdict is still out.

Jim Adams: It’s a very controversial topic. There have been a number of epidemiology studies looking at it, Some showing absolutely no link, some showing a very strong link. It depends, I think, very much on who does the research. I think the most critical issue is looking into thimerasol.

So Jim Adams has decided to do just that. Along with Dr. Matt Boral of the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine — an accredited school of alternative and integrated medicine — he has designed the first double-blinded, placebo-controlled study of chelation. The mission: to answer the question of whether chelation really works, or whether it's just the wishful thinking of desperate parents.

John Larson, Dateline correspondent: You’ve got strong feelings about the connection between mercury and autism. Are you the guy who should be doing this study? Will critics come out and say, “Well, here, he just proved what his suspicions were?”

Jim Adams: I think that if someone else were to do the research, I’d be thrilled. But the fact is no one else has done it and thousands of families are out there using it. And so, because it’s pretty much the most highly ranked treatment according to a survey of 23,000 families, I think there’s a lot of good reason to do it.

But he already knows chelation does not work for everyone.

Chelation did not help his daughter, Kim, perhaps Jim says because it was done too late. But regardless of why it didn't work, he wants to know if chelation can help any autistic children. After all, he is not just a chemist in search of knowledge, but a father who knows the desire for a cure.

John Larson: What happens in the end, after all this hard work? If you find that there really is no relation between mercury and autistic behavior. Will you be disappointed?

Jim Adams: Disappointed, yes. But whatever way it turns out, we’ll report it. If it doesn’t help, we’ll report it. And if it does, we’re gonna report that, too.

Public health officials stress the need to vaccinate children against known diseases. Today most American children under the age of two years are automatically vaccinated with mercury-free vaccines, and parents can ask their pediatricians about getting thimerasol free vaccines for their older children. Some experts also suggest requesting mercury-free flu shots for pregnant women, infants and children.

Jim Adams predicts he'll have the final results of his study by the end of the year, and we'll have them first, here on Dateline. You should know that most children under the age of two are now automatically given mercury-free vaccines, and parents can request those shots for their older children as well.

MORE FROM DATELINE

Dateline Section Front

The Night Mary Jane Disappeared The Friday the 13th Mystery Mystery at Lost Dog Road Slideshow: Photos in the Bob Duke case When The Smoke Clears   Sneak peek: When The Smoke Clears Slideshow: The Christie Fleming murder Transcript: Dan Brown and Secrets Of The Lost Symbol Through The Pouring Rain In Plain Sight: Jaycee Dugard Dateline Section Front   Add Dateline headlines to your news reader: