Dietary Therapy Instead of Chemical Therapy in Treating Autism Spectrum Disorder

Change from chemical therapy to dietary therapy in treating Autism Spectrum Disorder
Institution
Date
Problem statement
Autism spectrum disorder continues to pose a serious challenge to medical practitioners all over the world. Treatments for autism come in various forms and one of them is a chemical treatment that is linked to the belief that autism is caused by components of mercury found in the vaccines shots (Mutter et al., 2005). The belief that autism is caused by mercury poisoning has led to the creation of a myriad of chemical induced treatment in an attempt to flush off mercury components. Scholars linking mercury with autism claim that the first diagnosis of autism took place at the same time mercury thimerosal was added to vaccines. Chemical therapy treatment for autism includes use of Lupron (Mutter et al., 2005) and chelation therapy (Mutter et al., 2005). These chemicals have adverse effects on the patients, and there is no scientific proof that they indeed cure autism or that mercury causes autism. The purpose of this policy is to draw to the attention of practitioners the dangers of chemical therapy and highlight the need to shift and concentrate on dietary therapy in treating autism spectrum disorder.
Impact of chemical treatment on patients
There is little research to justify the continual use of chelation therapy in the treatment of autism. Chelation therapy is linked to autism by the belief that mercury causes autism in children through bouts of vaccines given to them. Having established that vaccines do not cause autism, (DeStefano, 2007, Andrews et al., 2004) it would be unethical to continue administering the expensive drugs to gullible parents who are desperate to find solutions to their children. The federal law has also banned the use of chelation for non-approved use like in the treatment of autism. Some deaths have also been recorded that arose from hypocalcemia which is caused by chelation therapy. In August 2005, a patient, five years old died while undergoing intravenous chelation therapy with disodium edetate. The cause of death was determined as necrosis resulting from very low calcium level in the blood (hypocalcemia) (Beauchamp et al., 2006). In a similar case, a woman with no evidence of coronary artery disease succumbed to hypocalcemia moments after being given a dose of intravenous EDTA (CDC, 2006).
Exploring alternatives
Although there is documented cure for autism research shows some mitigation factors that might be used to improve the situation. Early diagnosis and intervention can enhance and modify behaviors associated with autism. Other than chemical therapy, there are other various treatments that have been applied over the years to treat autism such therapies are a dietary treatment which is carefully removing food substances that are toxins prone and that might aggravate toxin level of the patient.
Processed foods and food with additives increases toxin level which might exacerbate behavior in the patients. Artificial colors in food, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and artificial preservatives and sweeteners all amplifies the response of the patient by either causing mood changes, increases hyperactivity like in preservatives, and gastrointestinal symp...