I Officially Join the Mercury Militia

By Kent Heckenlively

It may seem strange that six years after I started in the bio-medical world, beginning with the gluten/casein free diet for my daughter, and encompassing just about every other known treatment, that I’d questioned whether mercury played any role in her problems.

The reason was I simply didn’t have any good proof of high mercury levels in her, despite more than three years of chelation, and forty-two UTM tests from Doctors Data.  I did have abundant evidence of aluminum retention.  She usually averaged somewhere between eight and thirteen times the normal amount of aluminum excretion, and in one test, after we’d gone after strep, excreted eighty-one times the normal amount of aluminum.

I was comfortable with aluminum as the reason for her problems because of the data, but also unsettled.  Despite getting out huge amounts of aluminum she didn’t get noticeably better.  I’d observed that accounts of kids getting better after mercury excretion usually involved somewhere between three to four times the normal amounts of mercury being excreted from their bodies and measured in the urine toxic metals tests.  Even her most extreme test, when everything else was coming out, never even made it to twice the normal amount.

This raised a number of questions for me.

Did girls simply retain aluminum rather than mercury as the boys seemed to do?  Did the aluminum do greater damage than the mercury?  Were there still vast amounts of mercury in my daughter, that for some reason I simply couldn’t get her to excrete?  The answers to these questions are vital because each one requires a different approach.

If my daughter was an aluminum kid, rather than a mercury kid, then something else had to be at work.  When other children excreted high levels of mercury, they generally got better.  Jacqueline’s levels of aluminum dropped to roughly normal levels by the summer of 2008, but there wasn’t a change.

That finding made me consider brain damage.  Maybe she was simply damaged.  How might you fix that?  Stem cells were my answer.  (Cost of $15,500 for treatment courtesy of a grant from her Grandpa Heckenlively.) In August of 2008 we traveled to Costa Rica for four days so my daughter could receive 16 million stem cells, eight million through an infusion in her arm, and eight million infused through a line in her spine so it would have direct access to her brain.

But two months after stem cells there wasn’t a change.  I was counseled to wait for more time to pass.  My regular autism doctor was also counseling me that at some time the mercury would come out.  But I’d been waiting more than three years to see mercury and
my daughter wasn’t getting any younger.

Then there were the troubling findings from the Laboratoire de Phillipe Auguste run by the French physician, Dr. Robert Nataf, which suggested she had high levels of retained mercury in her body.  But then I’d also had different people advise me that the tests by Dr. Nataf weren’t reliable.  What was I to believe?

It was at this point I ran into a doctor who told me these children were infected with viruses that hid from the immune system and lowered cellular energy.  And he had a treatment.  Illumination with UV light and his magical mystery formula put onto a plastic sheet would activate an alternative energy pathway which would go after the viruses.  But of course, he wasn’t a big believer that heavy metals formed any part of the autism problem.

I did the treatment and started seeing changes.  Specifically, she’s had about a 50-75% drop in seizures, and started to gain in physical strength.  This was shown most dramatically in her ability to hold a marker and do some coloring.  I’ve included two of her pictures so you can see the difference.

(Click the pictures for a larger view.) But I kept thinking about metal excretion.  It seemed to me that if you were increasing cellular energy, there also had to be a corresponding increase in heavy metal excretion.  Call me simple-minded, but it made sense to me.  The Hannah Poling case got everybody thinking about energy production via the mitochondria.  If you don’t have enough energy in the body, how can all those complex chemical reactions, including detoxification, take place?

So I ran her forty-third UTM test (each test costs $110, so for all the tests over the years we’re talking about $4,730 that has walked out the door) to see what came back.  Previously, her high for mercury was 8, and most of the time they were less than 1.  The doctor’s office e-mailed me the results immediately after seeing them.  Her mercury level was 23 (reference range 5) (click here).  I had previously observed that the range for recovery of kids seemed to be about 15-20.  We were finally in the recovery range.  I’ve included her test result, as well as the graphs which show her excretion of metals over those other forty-two tests.  The mercury graph is on page 9 (click here).

This finding is sending shock waves through the small, but brilliant cadre of medical professionals whom Jacqueline has long confused, causing some to question long-held beliefs.  I’m not sure where all this will lead.  Many questions remain unanswered.

Maybe after more than four months the stem cells are starting to kick in.  Maybe she’s got more cellular energy and it’s causing the mercury to be excreted.  Maybe after three years of chelation we’ve drained enough of the swamp that the mercury is finally coming out.  I have my opinions about which one is really at work, but I don’t have a definitive answer.  As you can probably guess, I’m running an additional test to confirm the results. (There is a 1 in 43 chance this is a coincidence, although the cadmium and nickel excretions are similarly high, and they usually increase shortly before or in combination with mercury excretion.)

But now I finally have some proof that my daughter is mercury poisoned.  And I can proudly declare myself a card-carrying member of the mercury militia.

Kent Heckenlively is Legal Editor of Age of Autism

Comments

[Karin]

I looked at the results showing mercury being 23, and I noticed that creatinine was very low (10). Do you have an estimate of how much urine was in the jug? I always note the approximate total amount of urine after a collection, so that I can calculate the total amount of mercury being excreted post-challenge, in micrograms. If creatinine is very low but the total amount of urine is normal, the total amount of mercury excreted will be low even if the number provided by DDI is very high. To me that number does not mean anything, what counts is HOW MUCH total mercury is being dumped, which is: DDI results x total volume of urine x creatinine. If DDI results are high, creatinine is normal and there is a lot of urine, there is no doubt that a lot of mercury is being dumped. But if creatinine is low and urine volume is normal, then high DDI results are misleading...

Note: I have been chelating for two years but have my doubts, like you used to...

[CM]

Dear Cherry,
Thanks, that's good to know. I will definitely aim for at least 30 minutes a day now.
As for your question about thin bones:
I didn't find any studies linking mercury to thin bones, but here are some links about aluminum and thin bones:

The CDC says that large amounts of aluminum have been shown to cause neurological and skeletal delays in unborn and developing animals.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts22.html

The CDC also cites a study that found a "statistically valid" association between children with autism and thin bones. This study said that even the boys who were NOT on a casein-free diet had thinner bones than the control group.
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jan2008/nichd-29.htm

And the parathyroid-aluminum study I cited earlier studied patients with "aluminum related vitamin D-resistant osteomalacia" and said
"In addition, elevated PTH leads to the preferential deposition of aluminum in brain and bone. "
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6422572

"Aluminum that is absorbed by the body is usually excreted in the urine or "harmlessly" deposited in bone, which acts as a 'sink' to remove aluminium."
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=99
However, I strongly doubt the "harmlessly" part of that statement because:

"Aluminum-containing antacids remove phosphorus and calcium from your body".
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/pain-management/arthritis/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100063216

And because of your other research on vitamin D, you may be very interested in this msn article that reported a rise in rickets cases which says,
"Likewise, the body can't absorb calcium and harden bones without vitamin D. By some estimates, 30 percent of teens get too little."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21979043/
This article also talks about increased fracture risks.

So I wonder if aluminum and vitamin D deficiency could have contributed to the boy's fracture, but mercury could still be responsible for his other symptoms? And if vitamin D deficiency does lead to low glutathione levels, that could theoretically result in the higher levels of stored mercury due to impaired detoxification. (I know this still needs to be proven, but it could be a good place to start.)

I hope this is helpful.

[Jessica G]

I'm excited for Kent's family. All of this leaves me with no idea what to do anymore. We've only taken baby steps in biomed for my son who is turning 4 in a month. He's responded well to GFCF (and other things removed from diet) plus B12 shots and other supplements his DAN recommended. We haven't ventured into chelation but my gut tells me he's got mercury. There is no way my husband and I could do chelation without solid proof it's necessary much less do it for years. I read parents stories of chelating for 2 and 3 years before anything comes out. That doing initial porphyns or challenge tests don't show anything. How do you know where to on this path then? Is there any solid way to know your kid needs to chelate - any one method of testing that is the best indicator? I feel like we are running out of time with him turning four. We've made a lot of progress this past year but have a long way to go. He's still nonverbal too.

[Michelle]

Did I miss something? It seems like so many (and not just on this board) are jumping to the conclusion that her improvement was caused by the Ace Pathway study and not the stemcells??

[Cherry Sperlin Misra]

Dear CM, The article which I first read, 4-5 years back, on the importance of sunlight, appeared in Discover Magazine. The researcher stated that it took 20 or 25 minutes for the cells in the skin to begin producing Vit D- so apparently one would have to try for about half an hour of sun per day.
BTW , Does anyone out there have any good info or reference to mercury causing weak bones. I had seen a few references now, then, but did not pay much attention until a child in my school broke his collar bone after a fall that was not too severe. This child is from a family that eats a lot of fish and the child has not looked very good- expressionless face/lack of activity/ lack of interest in playing with other kids.

[Kent Heckenlively]

Lisa:

The web-site for the treatment is www.acepathway.ca and the doctor is Dr. John Martin. You can look at articles under my by-line, or read his bio on the site.

I also worry that seizures may one day end my daughter's life. It's not my place to recommend therapies, but I do believe in aggressively searching out information and sharing it with all of you. What happens from that point is up to parents, and any medical professionals you may wish to consult.

All the best,
Kent.

[Lin]

Kent,

Thank you. One day, perhaps we will piece together the mystery of each and every child with autism. Every clue uncovered, every positive reinforcement, every success, brings us that much closer.

Lin

[Walking away from Autism]

Praise God! Who cares what worked for Kent's daughter, his daughter is seeing results that directly improve her quality of life. There is enough evidence that it was ACE Therapy as his results fall inline with others in that study. Kent is a hero and his daughter is his biggest fan! Kent, you have my respect and to all parents who try anything to help their children, you have the respect of many but most of all the love of your child.

[Lisa Arndt]

Kent - thank you for your article. Could you please share more information regarding the physician who you worked with for the UV protocol and energy pathways. My son has struggled with seizures or 6 years - no med's even touch it. We have done two rounds of stem cells. Seizures rule our lives and without a change will most likely end his so any info would be greatly appreciated. Lisa

[Bei Wallace]

Dear Kent.

I have a 11 year old severe autistic child , we have tried most protocols with little results. Recently we found that my son has severe bacteria and virus infection that has caused extremely high ammonia in his urine. We always do his anti- bacteria with herbs but that is not strong enough to kill. I am interested in your UV light treatment ( ACE protocol) do you have any detail of this doctor doing this ? Any information would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Bei

[Not an MD]

To NP - Mr. Heckinlively does have proof his daughter was mercury poisoned. He has bonafide, multiple lab test results confirming it. Urine, blood and hair tests are recommended to prove mercury exposure by our own CDC and ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry). The ATSDR states, "after two days, urine is a better indicator of past or cumulative elemental mercury exposure."

Many of us have proof of mercury exposure in our children, even if we do not live near coal burning power plants, and even if we do not let our children consume any fish. Mercury is neurotoxic, so denying it as a likely cause of brain damage is not very scientific, is it?

[Kent Heckenlively]

The purpose of the articles on Age of Autism is to answer the question of how to best achieve recovery for all children.

I've been blessed that the gluten/casein free diet achieved recovery for my son Ben who was starting to develop autism after his 18 month vaccination, but my daughter seems to have been resistant to recovery, despite many different types of therapies.

I believe it is in the best interest of all concerned that information be shared freely so that we may answer the vast question of how to best achieve recovery for all children. I do not pretend to know all the answers, but there are developing clues, and if I can add a piece of information that allows others to find answers, then I will have done my part.

All the best,
Kent Heckenlively

[Stagmom]

Dear NP - Thank you for disagreeing politely. None of us undertakes treatments for our kids willy nilly. We work with MDs, PhD's, NDs, DCs and other legitimate professionals. Unfortunately, since much of mainstream medicine continues to ignore the neurobiological and co-morbid features of the diagnosis, there are few "mainstream accepted" treatments other than ABA and drugs. That's slowly changing thanks to the work of many doctors with the DAN! and its corollaries. For now, we need to see our kids' health improve. Kids are recovering every day. Waiting is not an option. Thanks for commenting.

[NP]

Kent,
I empathize with your struggle and I can see that you love your daughter very much. Nonetheless, issuing a rallying cry for people to experiment with the same treatments that you have subjected your daughter to is in nobody's best interests. If you think this is "proof" that she is "mercury poisoned", then the standards of evidence must be pretty low. Even if it were the case, you cannot establish that her autism is due to this. I am glad to hear that she is doing better, and I understand that you are trying to help other parents in a similar plight. But no matter how good your intentions are, your advice might turn out to be bad advice especially since there is no evidence that it was any one of those treatments actually worked.

[Daniel Faiella]

After reading this article from Kent, this is clearly a message to parents on what not to do when you embark on stem cell therapy. Stem cell therapy is not a magic pill, for someone to think their daughter was going to get cured or see HUGE results in 2 months has irrational expectations. First of all the doctors in Costa Rica tell you that you may not see results until 6 months but some will see some in just 3. A few cases like my son, have seen it earlier but that is not the norm. This is the most state of the art treatment the world has ever seen. Why would you after spending 10's of thousands of dollars, traveling to foreign countries, come home and try new therapies for your child and not let the stem cells take its course and work. If you wanted to do chelation, diets that cause die-off, colonics, and ACE pathway treatment; it should have been done well in advance of stem cell therapy and never done immediately after. You run the risk of killing the new cells. That is why you don't even do hyperbaric therapy until 3 months after. It is now just coming up on 4 months for Kent's daughter (he did the treatment the week of August 18th) and what he doesn't tell you, which I know because of conference calls with him; is immediately after the treatment he said his daughter was calmer, also her seizures went from 30 in a month down to 7 (WOW). The gains he's contributing to the ACE pathway treatment (physical strength, ability to hold a marker and do some coloring, less seizures) was actually the benefits of stem cell therapy which you can see from many other reports of people who have done this treatment on StemCell_for_Autism2@yahoogroups.com also you can read this police officers blog http://startelegram.typepad.com/my_fight_with_ms/about.html as well as see Patricia Cabrera's video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0ZanIBoGHU who had some of the same results. Kent wouldn't know this because he did too many different treatments at one time. Adult Stem Cell treatment is not an injection today and cure tomorrow, it is real science and it works, BUT it takes time. Each individual is unique in the damage they have suffered. Let's look at Duke University where a boy named Dallas got his own stem cells from cord blood and they believe the child will be cured but not today or tomorrow but years down the road and yes he is showing good results now, as well as Kent's daughter is too. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23569985#23569985 I know he wants his daughter recovered today, just like we all want our kids back to us immediately; but running around trying every treatment is not going to help our kids. Especially treatments that counteract the state of the art treatment of stem cells. There are treatments after so many months, that will enhance stem cells like hyperbaric therapy and silver according to Dr. Becker http://www.hydrosolinfo.com/pdf/1.pdf

As far as him belonging to the mercury militia, as I said before if you fix the body's immune system, the body will clean out the heavy toxins on its own. What really upsets me about this article is the lack of knowledge about stem cell therapy gives false ammunition to those who oppose this treatment for our kids and this will further delay clinical trials!!!

Daniel Faiella

[Jeannine Olson]

Stunning and amazing writing. I am sending to a friend from grade school who found me on Facebook last week and asked me about this exact information. Merry Christmas---you made mine. Jeannine w/ Nourishing Hope in Montana!

[Maurine Meleck]

Thanks Kent for this informative piece. I empathize with you on the difficult and confusing aspect of all of this. I haven't seen high levels of mercury excreted in my grandson either after years of bio-med. Sharing all this information about our children is so important and I appreciate your latest efforts.
Wishing you the best for the New Year.
maurine

[Kent Heckenlively]

Ben:

I was doing mild chelation with a cup of Epsom's Salt in a bath, as well as a scoop of Dr. Amy's EDTA soak two to three times a week.

All the best,
Kent.

[Ben Price]

Kent,
Great post. Thank you. To summarize for me you have seen:

- treat for strep (Yasko protocol) and dramatically increase aluminum excretion

- UV treatment (ACE protocol) and dramatically increased Hg excretion.

Both measured via Doctors Data UTM. Were you chelating at the time? If so how?

And, of course, the usual disclaimers that this is just what you saw, one action may have nothing to do with the results you saw. (Which would be interesting in itself as it could imply the stem cells were working or something else.)

I have a 12 y.o. son. similar test history except high antimony and nickel w/o meaningful Hg. Various chelation, and other treatments over past 8 years. We have started with Thoughtful House and seen PANDAS type titer readings and his brother just had strep throat. So I will be looking at the Yasko protocol.

Will post if we have anything to add.

Ben Price
Boise, ID

[Tammy]

Another thought about the Vit D deficiency... I think it's not a coincidence that both of my kids (my daughter has pretty severe ADHD and some spectrum-like concerns as well) were very jaundice as babies. My son, who has autism, was affected about twice as long as my daughter. I believe he started off with a Vit D problem...