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
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...
Posted by: Karin | January 05, 2009 at 08:15 PM
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.
Posted by: CM | December 31, 2008 at 12:26 AM
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.
Posted by: Jessica G | December 30, 2008 at 03:16 PM
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??
Posted by: Michelle | December 29, 2008 at 07:06 AM
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.
Posted by: Cherry Sperlin Misra | December 28, 2008 at 01:59 PM
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.
Posted by: Kent Heckenlively | December 28, 2008 at 01:38 AM
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
Posted by: Lin | December 28, 2008 at 01:38 AM
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.
Posted by: Walking away from Autism | December 27, 2008 at 11:41 AM
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
Posted by: Lisa Arndt | December 27, 2008 at 09:25 AM
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
Posted by: Bei Wallace | December 27, 2008 at 07:11 AM
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?
Posted by: Not an MD | December 26, 2008 at 04:08 PM
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
Posted by: Kent Heckenlively | December 26, 2008 at 02:55 PM
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.
Posted by: Stagmom | December 26, 2008 at 02:24 PM
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.
Posted by: NP | December 26, 2008 at 02:16 PM
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 [email protected] 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
Posted by: Daniel Faiella | December 26, 2008 at 02:05 PM
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!
Posted by: Jeannine Olson | December 25, 2008 at 07:09 AM
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
Posted by: Maurine Meleck | December 25, 2008 at 07:09 AM
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.
Posted by: Kent Heckenlively | December 24, 2008 at 06:47 PM
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
Posted by: Ben Price | December 24, 2008 at 03:59 PM
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...
Posted by: Tammy | December 24, 2008 at 02:06 PM
One look at the Material Data Sheet on Thimerosal and a dog would know it doesn't belong in a baby.
Even if it is not your child's core problem it can do nothing but complicate GI problems, persistent measles, viruses, and Lyme.
It is a known neurotoxin, it burrows in tissue blocking nutrients and holding in toxins. UC Davis found it impeded cell mediated immunity in animals.
It was positively criminal for the FDA to grandfather it and for the CDC to falsify that it was somehow safe. Especially when the only study done on it... every subject died.
We are treating all four of our children for Thimerosal poisoning. Only one officially on the Autism Spectrum. Each one is seeing great improvements as the Mercury goes.
Parents often tell me "I'm afraid of chelation." I tell them doctor supervised chelation brought my kid back.
Fear long term Thimerosal damage.
Posted by: karenatlanta | December 24, 2008 at 11:27 AM
There are products you can buy that hang over your door (for UV exposure -> vitamin D) - not cheap but if this is something that really works for your child (and you) it might be of interest
http://products.mercola.com/tanning-bed/
I'm not endorsing this site or it's products (although the vitamin D deficiency is clearly something we should all be paying attention to) - just passing on the link here as an fyi. If circumstances allowed, I'd probably have one at home too for these long dreary winter months.
fwiw...
Posted by: Randy | December 24, 2008 at 11:25 AM
Very exciting news for Jacqueline! Ho Ho Hope for 2009!
Our mercury militia is one of a different tale. 62 UTM's to date, four years of interventions beginning at the ripe ole age of 20 months, and more Hg in yellow and red than I care to consider. While his progress is disheartening (non verbal and 6.5), I do believe that the he was (is) very sick from the toxicity, and the years of excretion have restored health. We have two porphryin tests with "little to no toxicity" results, and yet four days before one of those samples were sent in, my son excreted a 26 in Hg on a UTM. The French lab had no comment on this when I later inquired. And so the warrior in me continues on, documenting each and every aspect of treatment to share within a community of outstanding individuals! Thank you all for paying it forward and maintaining perserverance. The strength that binds our milita is like no other - faith to all in 2009!
Posted by: Tracy McDermott | December 24, 2008 at 11:24 AM
Tammy, add me to your "tanning on the sly" club. My husband & I noticed the same deterioration in our daughter every year from November thru March. We tried oral vitamin D supplementation but it wasn't enough to do the job. After lots of research, this fall we decided to try UV light(8% UVB)in a tanning booth a few times each week. The difference has been astounding. She's healthier, calmer, and happier this winter than ever before. Like you, we don't tell anyone since they'd never understand. Bad enough most people think we're nuts already. We don't need the "abusive" label tacked on. Nobody notices since she has dark skin and she doesn't get enough exposure to really tan. Our experience convinces me there's definitely something to the vitamin D deficiency theory.
Posted by: Cindy | December 24, 2008 at 09:42 AM
Hi, Gayle!!! Merry Christmas! Your card was beautiful. Kim :)
Posted by: Stagmom | December 24, 2008 at 07:26 AM
Fascinating results, Kent. Both my girls have very high levels of aluminum, but little mercury. Keep us posted on Jacqueline's progress!
Posted by: Gayle DeLong | December 24, 2008 at 07:25 AM
The UV light therapy is very interesting to me. About the same time every year starting Nov thru about Jan, I see changes in our son with autism. He starts to get eczyma and his behavior seems to go off the charts with aggression. Strangely enough, I own a tanning salon and have many clients who come in to tan to relieve themselves of eczyma and similiar skin disorders on a regular basis. So, last year I decided that maybe he was experiencing a lack of Vit D given that we live in upstate NY and there is no sun to be found starting about that time each year and decided to put my 6 year old in the tanning bed for 5 minutes at a time a few days a week. (Enough to get him some Vit D, but not enough for a tan so that I didn't have the locals on me for abuse!!) A curious thing happened. The eczyma went away, but the aggressive behavior was curbed as well. Last Jan. my DAN! Dr. gave me Vit D drops that I add to his sandwich everyday in the winter and that seems to be helping. I'm noticing some eczyma again and will start the UV treatments again after Christmas. It's truly amazing what the sun can do.
BTW, I don't let anyone know that I "tan" my son. I have enough trouble with the school and people in this small town thinking I'm crazy for not vaccinating that I don't need to give them another reason to think I'm nuts for using common sense! He "tans" on the sly!!!
Posted by: Tammy | December 24, 2008 at 06:48 AM
Cherry, thanks for the information about mercury in the GG shots.
As far as I know, the intravenous form (IVIG) does not contain mercury, but unfortunately, according to Dr. Greene, the GG shots do still contain mercury http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&action=detail&ref=102
There have been reports of IVIG treatment helping some children with autism who had persistent measles virus, (but it's not currently a recommended therapy for autism according to another site that discusses IVIG for some reason...) Since IVIG requires a hospital stay, I was hoping the GG shots would be an easier alternative, but the last thing children with autism need is more mercury.
I read one more thing about vitamin D:
Vitamin D also may inhibit autoimmunity. "There is considerable scientific evidence that 1,25(OH)2D has a variety of effects on immune system function, which may enhance innate immunity and inhibit the development of autoimmunity" http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminD/
So UV light therapy sounds like a much better choice because it produces the same benefits of GG shots, but with no mercury.
To answer your question, my husband was 3 when he got the GG shots. He was tested for an immune system deficiency because he was always sick and his allergies were so severe that the skin prick allergy test actually caused an asthma attack that required hospitalization. He didn't have any known adverse reactions to the GG shots, and he did get better. But he was given these shots back when the only mercury-containing vaccine was DTP. So he was probably exposed to less total mercury than children born later. However, my question is, what caused the deficiency in the first place? I suspect the mercury in the DTP vaccine somehow suppressed his immune system. Then my next question is why him and not every other child? And the answer to that may be some persistent virus and maybe that's why the GG shots helped him? I don't know...
I agree with you 100% that most children are not getting enough sun exposure. I know I was always very careful to keep my kids out of the sun because I didn't want them to get skin cancer. Now, I intentionally try to have them play in direct sunlight for a few minutes every day.
Solomon,
That's great news about your son! Thank you for sharing this information. It sounds like increasing glutathione (either through lotion or UV light therapy) is really helping.
I'm praying that 2009 will be a year of recovery for all these precious children.
Thank you both
Posted by: CM | December 24, 2008 at 06:48 AM
Dear Steve D:
I used the strep protocol of Dr. Amy Yasko. You should be able to find it at her web-site, www.holistichealth.com
Kent.
Posted by: Kent Heckenlively | December 24, 2008 at 01:26 AM
What happened around the time of the 08/06 test that caused such dramatically elevated measurements of Aluminum, Antimony, Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Nickel,Thallium, Thorium, Tin, Tungsten, and Uranium, and such low levels of Creatine?
Posted by: Steve D | December 24, 2008 at 12:48 AM
Thanks Kent so much for your kind words and thanks also to AoA for your dedication on providing "current news, innovative treatments, and hope, on a daily basis."
***please add that last part to my AoA contest choices-;)
Posted by: Teresa | December 23, 2008 at 11:11 PM
Kent,
Thanks for sharing and updating us with all the treatments that you are trying and I wish you all the luck in recovering your daughter.
CM,
Your post is interesting regarding glutathione levels. My son is not into UV light treatment but an interesting thing happened. Our DAN!doctor suggested that we increase the amount of glutathione lotion that we use by applying it twice a day. My wife thought it is better absorbed if she apply it to my son right after the Epsom salt baths (everyday in the afternoon)when the pores of the skin are still open and in the morning before he go to school. Approximately two weeks after that, my son is more focused, more verbal and even his behavior chart that the school teachers fill up on a daily basis has improved. Our hunch is that glutathione is doing its job..
Posted by: Solomon | December 23, 2008 at 07:06 PM
Dear CM, Your comments about Vit D and Gamma Globulin are very interesting. I became interested in sunlight because I read about its beneficial effects and then noticed how many children- and adults ! both in the US and in India get extremely little sunlight on their bodies.In an article in Discover magazine a researcher states that one needs about 25 minutes a day of sunlight on two arms or two legs. I wonder how old your husband was when he got the GG injections? and if he had any effects of mercury poisoning. As I understand it GG injections had mercury in them. I had a series of injections at about age 3 that would probably have been GG -- and tho I cannot prove it now, I believe that this would have been prior to the time when I had head banging, night terrors and skin peeling off the hands. I also wonder if this caused me to be very shy and rather happy to be alone. My parents were quite baffled that I never liked group activities. I suppose that GG's in the US no longer contain mercury, but I would imagine that in India they still do and that worries me because they are used to treat Kawasaki Disease, which itself seems to be caused by mercury.
Posted by: Cherry Sperlin Misra | December 23, 2008 at 05:50 PM
Thank you for sharing this -- very interesting! Keep us posted.
with very best wishes!
Twyla
Posted by: Twyla | December 23, 2008 at 02:36 PM
I seem to recall Dr. McCandless talking about the affinity that the (measles) virus and the metals apparently have for one another - others might want to clarify or expand on that.
Kent thank you for the information - and good luck with your daughter's recovery
Posted by: Randy | December 23, 2008 at 01:35 PM
Teresa:
I'm very happy you were able to read my article. Of all people, I hoped it would get to you and it might help in your situation.
All the best,
Kent.
Posted by: Kent Heckenlively | December 23, 2008 at 01:35 PM
Kent,
Amazing and a beautiful thing to read! I am so happy for your family. My 15 year old daughter is very affected so this news is much appreciated. We had improvement after going after Strep (aluminum) but it has seemed an insurmountable task to cross the moat of mercury and into the land of recovery. Reading about mercury and viruses over the years has led me to think that there is some process (es) that have not been looked at, ie- the possibility of "adsorption" of thimerosal into the virus, and/or an increase in viral replication. It has not been studied enough so your deductions are excellent and so pertinent for many of us.
Have a wonderful holiday season and may 2009 be the year that we see more progress for our children on all horizons!
Posted by: Teresa | December 23, 2008 at 12:29 PM
Kent
if possible I'd like for you to write me.
Your daughter's path sounds very much like my son's.
Keith
Posted by: Keith | December 23, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Dear Sign Lady:
You can go into the Kent Heckenlively/Legal Section for my previous articles on stealth viruses and UV light therapy, or go to the web-site for the current study at www.acepathway.ca
All the best,
Kent.
Posted by: Kent Heckenlively | December 23, 2008 at 11:32 AM
Kent,
Congratulations on your daughter's recent progress. Your perseverance is clearly paying off! Would you mind sharing with us what her chelation protocol was as well as a link to (or the name of) the doctor who did the UV light etc. therapy?
Thanks so much.
Posted by: sign lady | December 23, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Kent, thanks for the update and please keep them coming. It's giving a lot of hope and encouragement to those of us with kids who are "tough cases".
Posted by: Harry Hofherr | December 23, 2008 at 10:41 AM
Can you post more information about the UV therapy? I would try anything that could potentially lower seizures by 50-75%!
Posted by: Libby | December 23, 2008 at 10:41 AM
The UV light portion of the treatment that seems to be helping Jacqueline reminded me of the Vitamin D theory for autism that David Kirby had covered.
Sun exposure (which includes UV light) is used by the body to make vitamin D. Read this study about vitamin D increasing glutathione levels (which are responsible for metal detox and healthy immune function):
"Accumulating data have provided evidence that vitamin D is involved in brain function. Vitamin D can inhibit the synthesis of inducible nitric oxide synthase and increase glutathione levels, suggesting a role for the hormone in brain detoxification.
**The study shows that vitamin D helps remove mercury from your body safely by radically increasing the amount of intracellular glutathione.**
Neuroprotective and immunomodulatory effects of this hormone have also been described in several experimental models, indicating the potential value of vitamin D in helping neurodegenerative and neuroimmune diseases. In addition, vitamin D induces glioma cell death, making the hormone of potential interest in the management of brain tumors.
These results reveal previously unsuspected roles for vitamin D in brain function and suggest possible areas of future research."
http://www.giveittomeraw.com/forum/topics/has-anyone-tried-this-heavy?page=2&commentId=1407416%3AComment%3A603819&x=1#1407416Comment603819
I had previously read another study that found that elevated levels of circulating parathyroid hormone (PTH) INCREASED aluminum absorption. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6422572 According to the Mayo Clinic, hyperparathyroidism can be caused by a vitamin D deficiency. (I think this is because vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption and low calcium levels signal the parathyroid gland to secrete more PTH in order to raise blood calcium levels.)
So maybe these studies can help explain why UV light therapy would help, both with the removal of heavy metals (from increased intracellular glutathione which also helps fight viruses), and by preventing excessive absorption of heavy metals.
For a similar reason (increased immune function), has anyone out there tried Gamma Globulin shots? They're supposed to boost the immune system (which could conceivably help fight off any persistant viruses or bacteria, and GG shots have even successfully treated certain auto-immune disorders. My husband was given GG shots as a child and the shots restored his IgG deficient immune system back to normal. So I'm curious to know if these shots could help children with autism (who also have weakened immune systems). I wrote much more about GG shots in a comment to another post if anyone wants more information.
This is an amazing finding, and I'm so glad to hear Jacqueline is showing signs of improvement!
Posted by: CM | December 23, 2008 at 08:32 AM
Kent,
I wish you the best of luck with your mercury excretion. That is fantasitic news!
My son is also a an aluminum kid. It just won't stop. First it was tin...then lead...now aluminum. NO mercury?
Please continue to let us know, the progress your daughter is making.
You have always inspired me with your writing and you continue to do so with your advocacy.
Your daughter is very lucky to have such dedicated - loving parents.
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy - Healthy New Year!
Posted by: Carolyn | December 23, 2008 at 08:32 AM