A parent asked on the KL Biomed forum recently, “My son has been doing biomedical for 1 year, but he only just prescribed DMG now. Why the doc hesitate prescribing chelation for my son ?” 

After several feedbacks, it turns out that they have only consulted their biomedical doctor twice, once every 6 months. So yes, technically they have been doing Biomed for 1 year, but the progress has plateau because they are still sticking to the same set of supplements for many months.

Biomedical treatments are evolving in nature, it is never static. Many parents consult with our doctor every month or at least every 2 months. At each consult, we review our child’s past progress and reactions, we then work out new issues to address and prioritize the next steps of treatment. The doctor will then prescribe a new protocol and replace or add on to your supplements regime and any other dietary changes needed. This way you see continued progress and don’t get stuck. At times, a supplement may stop working for you, or it is no longer necessary. Or worse, your child has built a tolerance for it so it’s no longer effective.

Chelation is a Tier 3 protocol, not something to be prescribed in the first few consults. We need to address the basic issues and heal some of the gastrointestinal issues first before you can even start preparing for chelation. Not to mention the many other nutritional issues, infections, metabolic issues and many other considerations before you are ready for chelation. Once the doctor ascertains that the time is appropriate, he will work towards prepping the body for chelation. This may take a couple more months. There are several tests that is required pre-chelation too, such as kidney and liver function, complete blood count, red blood cells elements, perhaps a urine pre and post challenge test. The other tests mentioned all require blood draws. During chelation, you are also required to do regular blood draws to check for kidney and liver function.

The parent has also mentioned that they prefer not to do blood draws. Since they expressed reluctance to do blood draws, the doctor is somehow limited. A good doctor will listen to the parents and not push you if you impose restrictions eg. don’t want to do GFCF diet, no budget to do certain supplements or testing, fear of needles, opposed to chelation etc. Therefor, your child’s treatment choices will be limited as well.

So if a parent adamantly states “no needles!” the doctor will not prescribe Mb12, nor other treatments that will require blood draws. I urge everyone when consulting any doctor, to have an open mind. Don’t let your fears hold you and your child back. 

Yes, blood draws and injections are terrifying, but many senior Biomed parents here will tell you that initially it is difficult but it will get easier. For some, even though it still terrifies us to do blood draws on our kids, but we are better equipped to handle it and know what to expect. 

It you cannot commit to consulting with your doctor regularly, then you are not ready to commit to chelation which requires close supervision. Many of us consult with biomedical doctors overseas, yet we still make the effort to see our doctors without fail regularly. If your doctor is in the same city as you, then it should be easier for you. I highiy suggest reading Dr Julie Buckley’s Healing Our Autistic Children, it gives us an overview of how each consult visit goes and how a doctor would prioritize treatments http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Our-Autistic-Children-Restoring/dp/0230616399/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

All of us want cheap, fast, easy solutions, but there’s no magic pill in Autism. It takes a lot of hard work, commitment, dedication and nerves of steel. Biomedical intervention is hard! ABA therapy is time consuming. Everything in Autism is difficult. But in my mind, there is nothing easy about Autism. The disorder itself is terrible to live with, the solutions are harder still. But, it does get easier over time. But the possibilities are endless, the benefit may be enormous. So, hang in there my friends….