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Our current understanding of Autism classifies it as a "Perfect Storm" illness - more than one thing must be wrong for Autism to occur. Genetic predisposition (initially described for Metallothionine) with well defined abnormalities in the Methyl Cycle set your kid up for neurotoxicity from Mercury and invasion by viral particles and/or other microbial agents. All these forces are intertwined but I'll try to present them in a step-by-step fashion.

Autism is difficult to define, at least for me, as a non-neurologist. It's easier for me to describe the child with autism, so that's what I'll do. Autistic kids have a nervous system that is out of touch with the real world. What you and I sense or feel upon contact with others or with an inanimate object is not what the autistic child senses or feels. Autistic kids love their parents but often can't express it. Their parents call to them but they cannot respond. In response to a loving hug they arch their back, like they're trying to escape. The autistic baby may refuse to drink milk, while the autistic toddler may only drink milk. They don't play well with their siblings; they may shun contact with others. It's hard to keep their clothes on; they will go outside in the cold, without a coat, seemingly impervious to the cold. They won't eat their greens; they may only want to eat one or two foods, and if they don't get them, they'll pound, pound, pound until you give in. This inexplicable behavior, exhibited by an otherwise normal appearing child, leads to frustration, and fear, in their parents. Moms and Dads often don't get much help from others. If your kid has a broken leg, everyone understands that he can't keep up, and everyone tries to help. But when your normal looking autistic kid has a tantrum in pre-school, or gets in a fight with the kids who are teasing him/her in grade school, or has trouble taking direction in junior high, people often don't go out of their way to help. They don't understand that the kid with autism has a broken nervous system. The parents of an autistic kid often feel "on their own". They are devastated. They don't know why their child is different. No one seems interested in helping them, and the future is bleak.

This situation, or course, is changing (and it has to, now that 1 in 150 American pre-schoolers ate Autistic). People now respond to autistic kids with open arms and an open heart. School systems no longer send their autistic kids to special schools. The kids stay at the community school and classes are adapted such that the autistic kid can be "mainstreamed". The public is now aware of the factors involved in the causation of autism, the epidemic nature of this disorder, its implications for our nation's health, and how autism can be treated. I think (but have not yet proven) that we have something to offer here.

When interacting with an autistic kid, remember, they don't sense things the way you do. Their clothes may feel like sandpaper. The texture of green beans, to the kid with autism, may be the texture of rocks. They run outside without a coat because they just don't feel the cold. What they feel is upside down and backwards, because something in their nervous system is upside down and backwards.

Autism is certainly an emotionally charged illness. There is nothing rougher on a young family. People want an answer. Researchers argue with each other. Medical organizations take positions 180 degrees apart. Papers get published. Next year, the author of the paper is discredited by a group espousing another theory. A group of scientists and clinicians may propose that vaccine Mercury is a culprit. Medical societies denounce them and reassure the public that vaccines are safe. Research tells us that Mercury from our amalgam fillings is finding its way into our hearts and minds, but the ADA insists that amalgam fillings are inert. Fisherman don't have lobbyists in Washington and are easy to blame, but they point out, and rightly so, that fish Mercury is derived from the Mercury released when electric power plants burn coal to generate energy. Fingers get pointed and re-pointed. Blame gets shifted. Politics and cover-your-derriere tactics obscure scientific truths. I'm not a neurologist, and I'm not a pediatrician, but I have an open mind. I understand the problem of heavy metal overload, and I go to a lot of meetings, so here's what I think:

I think autism occurs when a child with a genetic predisposition (metallothionine or methyl cycle defect) is exposed to Mercury and/or other toxins. Some of you believe in Evolution. Some of you believe in Creation. I won't argue with either side, but I think we can all accept the notion that neither Mother Nature or a Divine Creator designed us to deal with Mercury. We were not exposed to Mercury until the second half of the 20th century. Thus a genetic susceptibility to Mercury would not manifest itself until that time, but would become more obvious as more and more Mercury found it's way into the environment, especially the environment of the developing child (my thinking is the same for other heavy metals and hydrocarbon toxins).

Metallothionine is present in the cells of normal, healthy, infants. Metallothionine has many jobs, but one is to serve as a storehouse for Copper and Zinc, minerals crucial to our development. If the baby's diet (or the blood crossing the umbilical cord) contains more Copper and Zinc than the baby needs, the excess will be stored, bound to Metallothionine. Should dietary intake of Copper and Zinc fall off (say a drought occurred or the crop failed) - no problem - metallothionine will release its stored minerals and development will go on as usual. There have been a lot of droughts and famines in the history of man. Infants good at making metallothionine did better than infants not so good at making metallothionine. They were more likely to survive into adulthood and pass on their metallothionine-making genes to the next generation. Most of us are thus good at making metallothionine. You might say that evolution (or a creator) gave us metallothionine to protect the developing baby from the vicissitudes of Mother Nature's weather patterns. Of course, in Western societies, drought and famine have become relatively infrequent, say over the past 500 years. The absence of good metallothionine making genes didn't put you at that much of a disadvantage. There's been plenty of Copper and Zinc for the developing infant, so he/she grows normally and passes on the not-so-good-at-making-metallothionine genes on to the next generation. So some of us aren't so good at making metallothionine. But so what? There's plenty of Copper and Zinc around.

Evolution has not yet had the chance to adapt our gene pool to the threat of Mercury, but by chance, metallothionine, designed to bind up and store Copper and Zinc, can also bind up and store Mercury, protecting the developing baby from Mercury toxicity. If you are good at making metallothionine, and some Mercury makes its way into your developing nervous system, you can sequester it with metallothionine. Maybe your IQ won't be what it could have been, but your nervous system won't be turned upside down and backwards. But if you can't make metallothionine, any Mercury that gets into your developing nervous system will damage you. Mercury is the most toxic metal in the periodic table and it will turn your brain upside down and backwards. Low metallothionine production is a genetic predisposition to autism. Mercury is the trigger. Autistic kids are the canaries of our society (Canaries are uniquely sensitive to carbon monoxide, a toxic gas that has no smell. 19th century coal coal mines in England contained areas with high concentrations of carbon monoxide in the mine air. Upon entering such an area, the miners, without warning, would pass out and die. To protect themselves, the miners would take with them a canary in a cage. When the canary started looking bad, they knew to get out of the area fast. If the canary died, they new that they were next.). Autism was unheard of when I was growing up - 1 in 150 children born today will be Autistic!

There has been appreciable Mercury in our environment only over the past 50 years. When we burn coal to generate electricity, Mercury within the coal is vaporized into the atmosphere, to return to the ground in the form of acid rain. The Mercury makes its way into our waterways, where it is taken up by plankton, then by little fish, and then it concentrates up the food chain into the big fish that we eat. Mercury obtained from fish and seafood (organic or Methyl mercury), accounts for 1/3 of the Mercury in American adults. Blood Mercury typically reflects Methyl mercury intake from fish, and is dangerously elevated in 8% of American women of child-bearing age. And remember, it's not the "dangerous level" of Mercury that causes Autism, its the presence of Mercury in the nervous system of an infant with the genetic predisposition. It is not at all uncommon for one fraternal twin to be Autistic and the other completely normal.

Fish are a problem, but where does the other 2/3rds of Mercury in adults come form? In the early '60s, dental technology advanced such that Mercury amalgam fillings became the preferred means of filling dental cavities. The fillings are constantly off gassing Mercury vapor, 80% of which is absorbed into the blood stream, from where it enters the cells of our body, essentially never to return. The half-life, the amount of time it takes for a given quantity of Mercury to leave the brain, assuming the absence of ongoing exposure, is about 20 years. Mother Nature never planned on Mercury getting into our bodies; we have no defense against it once it makes it past the metallothionine barrier. It has been demonstrated that 2/3rds of Mercury in the body of Western adults originates from their Mercury amalgam fillings. Mercury toxicity from amalgam fillings is progressive; the more breaths you take in during this life, the greater will be your brain and heart Mercury content! To make matters worse, Mercury entering a Mother's body from her fillings, as well as from fish, has a straight shot across the placenta, actually more than a straight shot. Mother Nature will concentrate nutritional minerals, like Copper and Zinc, across the placenta. (In a famine situation, it is OK for the fully developed Mother to be low in Zinc for a short time, but it's not OK for her developing infant; Mother Nature will thus rob from the Mother to protect the baby.) Mother Nature, inexperienced in the ways of Mercury, will confuse Mercury with Copper and Zinc, and will concentrate this toxin across the placenta. Umbilical cord blood Mercury levels are greater than maternal blood Mercury levels! Fetal organ Mercury levels, and breast milk Mercury levels, correlate with the number of Mercury amalgam fillings the Mother bears.

So fish Mercury accounts for 1/3rd, and amalgams for 2/3rds, of the Mercury in Western adults. This is a problem for the babies of Western Mothers, a problem compounded by the current practice of injecting Mercury into our babies soon after they are born and during childhood. Vaccines contain Ethyl mercury (Thimerosol) as a preservative, and give our kids a whopping bolus of Mercury with each injection. Using Mercury as a preservative in the vaccines that we administer to our children is the dumbest thing we've ever done in Medicine. The vaccine manufacturers and researchers were not mean spirited or greedy; they just made a huge mistake. This mistake is now being corrected. Vaccines manufactured for use in children are or will soon be Thimerosol free. (But check with your pediatrician, with each dose, as the supplies of Thimerosol-containing vaccines have not been entirely used up. Adult vaccines typically still contain Thimerosol).

So we have a disease that requires a genetic predisposition to Mercury and the presence of Mercury in the infant's nervous system. The neurons are damaged, as are processes in a number of other organ systems. Immune function is compromised, digestive function is compromised, the autistic kid converts proteins in wheat and dairy into compounds that have opiate and/or amphetamine like properties. It's not just heir nervous system that is turned upside down and backwards - it's their entire physiology.

Our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of autism has been advanced by an understanding of how specific defects in the methyl cycle (see Methyl Cycle Nutrigenomics) will compromise your child's ability to handle toxic metals and microbial challenges (these genetic predispositions are frequently seen in adults with chronic illnesses and in cardiac patients with difficult to lower Homocysteine levels). From a drop of blood, the commonly encountered genetic defects in the Methyl cycle can be measured. While we can't change your genetic code, we can alter its expression (a static magnetic field will promote the uncoding of "rest and repair" genes and inhibit the uncoding of inflammatory or degradative genes), and with focus nutritional supplementation and dietary modification we can begin to compensate for your genetic weaknesses as we build upon your strengths.

Chronic infection, usually with a virus, seems to be playing a key role in Autism. Again, a genetic defect leaves your child susceptible to a microbial agent that your other kids can easily clear. Lab studies will be negative, as our lab evaluation for infection measures only your body's response to infection (antibody levels). Smart bugs hide from the immune system, do not elicit an antibody response, and thus escape laboratory detection. Also, it appears that there are many, many microbial agents out there that have not been medically identified and categorized. We feel that we can identify these agents with Digital Homeopathy, utilizing Dr. Richard Hunt's Medical Bioresonance approach or with the Asyra technique taught to me by Dr. Lee Cowden (discussed in the Comprehensive Heart Care - Digital Homeopathy section of this website).

I don't understand the intricacies of Autism treatment. Practitioners associated with DAN (Defeat Autism Now) do. If your child is Autistic, seek out a DAN practitioner, or a like-minded health care professional. Learn all that you can. Get your child on the proper diet and nutritional program. A lot of people have a lot to offer you.

What can we offer you? Well, if the problem (or more precisely one of the problems) is Mercury overload, we can try to remove the Mercury from your child's nervous system. Different practitioners have espoused the use of different Mercury binding regiments. Dr. Stephanie Cave has had success treating Mercury overloaded autistic kids with DMSA. Dr. Rashid Buttar had reversed Autism (starting with his own 3 year old son) utilizing transdermal DMPS-Glutathione. I've have listened to both of these Doctors on several occasions. Both have testified before congress. Both have more brains and guts than 100 average doctors, and to both, parents of autistic kids own a lot. Both DMSA and DMPS can be used to scavenge Mercury form the body, but it is a long, slow process. It's is tough to remove Mercury from a sick, energy-starved cell.

Enter Dr. Bonlie. His study of the scientific literature showed him that sick cells, when exposed to a properly aligned, static magnetic field, respond with an increase in the generation and utilization of energy. It takes energy to eliminate Mercury and other toxins out of a sick cell. Thus drug-mediated Mercury removal should be enhanced by concomitant exposure to a static magnetic field. Dr. Bonlie tested his hypothesis by measuring overnight urine Mercury levels in adult subjects, the first night on their usual mattress, the second on a negative field magnetic mattress, and the third on the magnetic mattress with 500 mg of DMSA taken at bedtime. More Mercury came out on the magnetic mattress, and even more with combined magnetic and DMSA exposure.

So our protocol for the child with Autism (essentially the same as that for adult patients with cardiovascular or neurological disease - see Preparing for MME section) includes the child sleeping on a negative field only sleep pad, while taking a Mercury binding agent (oral DMSA or topical DMPS-Glutathione), aiming to clear Mercury out of the child's body. This makes sense to us. If Mercury is the culprit, then Mercury detoxification should help. The next step is MME, exposing the child's brain to a magnetic field strength 500 times that of the sleep pad, with concomitant DMSA therapy. Our hypothesis is that the stronger MME field will help mobilize brain Mercury left behind following sleep pad therapy. We also feel that the powerful MME field will stimulate Hippocampal stem cells to replace irreversibly damaged cells (a concept discussed elsewhere on this site). With sleep pad-metal binding therapy followed by MME, our goal is to detoxify and regenerate the child's Mercury damaged nervous system.

Dealing with Mercury and carrying out MME, while helpful, does not surmount all the waves of the Autistic perfect storm. We feel that genomic testing, with subsequent focused nutritional intervention, and addressing the chronic infection issue with a digital homeopathic technique are critical to obtaining our best outcomes. Time, and further research, will tell if our hypothesis is a correct one. We are permitted, under our IRB, to treat children with Autism, and we will report to you their outcomes on this page. If the funds were available, we would love to carry out a randomized, controlled, eventual cross-over study of our approach to the treatment of Autism (if any of you have a lot of money and want me to do something intelligent with it - this study would be it).

I learned about the causes and treatment of Autism as an outgrowth of my study of the causes and treatments of adult cardiovascular disease. From the biochemical perspective, both disease states are similar. To treat Autism effectively, the same diligence and attention to detail that works in adult Integrative Cardiology needs to be applied. Half way measures will not work. If you want me to try my best to help your child, you need to understand that we will need to apply the principles of detoxification, nutrigenomic testing, nutritional support, homeopathy (Medical Bioresonance or Asyra/LED therapy) along with MME. This will require a lot of work from us and a lot of work for you. Treatment cost will be significant - somewhere between $12,000 and $15,000. Partial or half way measures will not be effective, as autism is not a partial or half way disease. Your insurance company will not provide you with support in this endeavor. These diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers are discussed in detail elsewhere on this website. Our current approach is as follows:

    A. Office visit and review of prior health records (usually covered by insurance).
    B. Methyl Cycle Genomic analysis and nutritional management ($1125 - not covered)
    C. Medical Bioresonance Evaluation ($350 - not covered) and in older kids an Asyra evaluation ($50 - not covered).
    C. Basic screening lab studies (complete blood count along with kidney and liver function chemistries - usually covered by insurance).

    A. Transdermal DMPS-Glutathione and nutritional supplements guided by the results of genomic testing.
    B. Begin sleeping on a 5-10 Gauss negative field only magnetic sleep pad.
    C. Digital Bioresonance Patch Therapy and/or
    D. Sublingual drop homeopathic treatment and LED therapy in older kids.

    A. Repeat basic chemistries.
    B. Possible repeat Repeat Medical Bioresonance Evaluation ($200) or repeat Asyra ($50).
    C. 24 hour (or 1st AM) urine studies of amino acids, toxic metals, and nutritional minerals (depending upon nutrigenomic findings).

If you wish us to treat your child in this fashion, then we will knock ourselves out to help you. However, it will be necessary that you make a commitment to follow the entire program. Experience has taught us that partial measures will not be effective. Carrying out some, but not all, of the above measures will not work, and is not a good use of time, energy, and resources - for you, for myself, and for my staff.

JE has Asberger's Syndrome, a form of Autism associated with high intellectual function. JE's mom, Mary, had no problems carrying JE. Labor and delivery were uneventful, as was JE's early childhood. Speech was delayed, not beginning until JE was 2 & 1/2, and later JE just stopped talking. JE's medical evaluation led to the diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. Appropriate medical and behavioral therapies were then initiated. JE was mainstreamed through grade school; he is attending high school at a center designed for kids with Autism, currently working at the 4th grade level. JE has a labile mood and quite a temper; he works with a psychiatrist and has improved with Effexor (which raises serotonin levels). Difficulty voiding on the basis of a neurogenic bladder has responded to Flomax. JE received the usual childhood vaccinations and Mary has multiple amalgam fillings.

JE's baseline RBC mineral study was non-revealing. His post-topical DMPS urine challenge study returned with modest spills of Antimony, Mercury, and Tin (see JE's graphics). Of course, we don't expect large spills early on, because we understand that the problem is not Mercury overexposure (a quantitative problem), but rather a genetic inability to detoxify heavy metals (a qualitative problem).

Our usual protocol involves 2-3 months of oral DMSA or topical DMPS-Glutathione, administered in the evening, with the child sleeping on a negative field only sleep pad. In JE's case, only 10 days of pre-MME sleep pad therapy was possible, as we wanted to treat JE with 300 hours of MME before school started.

JE tolerated MME reasonably well. He received 500 mg of oral DMSA at the beginning or each overnight session, with a second dose half way through. Topical DMPS-Glutathione was added at the 120 hour point, and JE was maintained on a program of antioxidant vitamins and minerals. At JE's 150 hours visit, subtle but definite improvements were apparent. At JE's 300 hour visit, we made and held eye contact, and JE and I had a discussion. We talked about school and the other kids. JE had a number of questions regarding his treatments. His thoughts were coherent and he got his points across to me. Mary related that JE's mood had improved; temper outbursts were less severe and less frequent. The adults who interact with JE feel that he is getting better and JE related to me that he thinks that he is getting better. I'm a cardiologist, not a pediatric neurologist, but JE's improvement is obvious to me.

JE will keep up with topical DMPS-Glutathione/negative field sleep pad based Mercury detoxification. Folic acid and B12 supplementation has been initiated, aiming at the defect in methylation (a detoxification pathway) typically seen in autistic kids. Mineral supplementation will be continued. Further improvement is anticipated, as additional Mercury is cleared from JE's nervous system.

We learned about Dr. Richard Hunt's digital homeopathic (Medical Bioresonance) program approximately nine months after JE completed MME. Dr. Hunt's evaluation revealed a frequency consistent with a chronic bacterial infection in JE's brain. Topical homeopathic therapy was applied, and JE improved further. If we see JE in the future we will offer him nutrigenomic testing, with the expectation that he would improve further (we learn these new techniques only because our current best methods don't work completely in every patient every time - this is how we get better).

VK's grandfather is under my care for coronary insufficiency. VK senior's program includes standard drug therapy for hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and type II diabetes, along with a number of nutritional treatments - with this integrative program VK senior's angina has resolved. VK senior and I both feel that static magnetic field assisted (VK senior takes a chelating agent at night and sleeps on a negative-field only magnetic sleep pad) metal detoxification has made a major difference in his cardiovascular health. It is my feeling that heavy metal overload plays a major role in atherosclerosis, poisoning the enzyme systems involved in reverse cholesterol transport.

It is also my feeling that heavy metal overload plays a major role in autism, poisoning the enzymes involved in neuronal maturation and metabolism. VK was 3 years old in 8/06 when VK's parents and his grandfather, my cardiac patient, brought him in to see us. VK required ventilator support and surfactant therapy (his lungs were not mature at birth) for a short period of time after birth, but his infancy was otherwise unremarkable. At age 1 and 1/2, however, his parents noted that VK was not speaking well - in fact VK had lost some words that he had previously been vocalizing. This verbal loss occurred soon after VK received a series of mercury containing vaccinations. VK's twin sister is vibrant and vocal while VK has lagged behind, way behind. VK underwent an extensive evaluation and was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. His parents began him on a number of nutritional supplements known to be of value in this condition, and VK was enrolled in a pre-school program designed for Autistic kids.

VK's routine lab studies were normal. We omitted heavy metal testing as the results would not effect our therapy (we accept that the absence of mercury in the blood, urine, or hair of an autistic kid does not mean that mercury is not a problem). VK began to sleep on a 10 Gauss negative field only magnetic sleep pad. Transdermal DMPS-Glutathione was begun at 2 drops every evening and advanced to a maintenance dose of 25 drops. Mineral and B-vitamin supplementation was continued. VK's Medical Bioresonance evaluation revealed frequency anomalies associated with the R1H2 virus, a situation that we see in the majority of autistic kids tested in this fashion, along with evidence of viral induced memory loss and a mood disorder. The corresponding Bioresonance patches were added to VK's nutritional and detoxification program - this integrative approach to VK's autism worked, about as well as did our integrative approach to VK senior's atherosclerosis.

By 10/06 VK was a different kid. Words were coming out. VK could now point to a picture in a book and verbalize the corresponding object. When you call VK, he now turns his head and looks at you. VK gave me a high five along with a "Hi" and "Bye". His repeat Bioresonance evaluation demonstrated clearing of the viral frequency signature and an improvement in overall vitality score form + 4 to + 24. VK's parents weren't the only ones to notice these changes. VK's teachers were delighted (but a little puzzled) at all this progress. His objective, standardized scores confirmed our subjective impressions:

	Fall ‘06	Feb. ‘07
Fine Motor Domain	87%	100%
Gross Motor Domain	87%	98%
Adaptive Domain	57%	81%
Cognitive Domain	46%	86%
Social Communication	46%	61%
Social Domain	34%	80%

VK received the above described metal detoxification and medical Bioresonance program for a full 6 months before he began MME. We put MME off for a reason. We wanted VK to get the most he could out of MME, so we delayed MME for 6 months to allow enough time for our ancillary measures to clear the infection present and to remove heavy metal from his brain and other internal organs. It's certainly a plus that our ancillary, or "setting the table" measures were of value to VK.

VK received 300 hours of MME in 3/07 - wonderful things happened. After 115 hours his teachers reported that VK was "crossing the midline" - now regarding activities on both sides of his body, no longer just one side or the other. You might predict that cutting the hair of an autistic kid would be a challenge - it was for VK's barber - but now it isn't - after 125 hour's VK's barber mentioned to VK's Dad that VK "seems like a different kid". At 135 hours we began to hear phrases such as "What soon?" and "Good Morning", along with a whole lot more "Hi" and "Byes". AT 145 hours VK ate three hotdogs for supper and asked for "white milk". At 165 hours, at nap time VK asked the cat "Do you want to sleep"? In response to "Who works at the office"? VK replied "Pierce and Rick". In response to "who is the girl who works there"? - VK replied "Ashley". After 300 hours VK was speaking in short sentences, he was potty trained, and with training wheels he could manage a two wheeled bike. VK can now understand discipline (he got spanked for pulling his sister's hair and felt bad afterwards - previously he couldn't really understand that certain behaviors where wrong). VK now makes eye contact when you speak to him, and he is playing better with other kids at school. VK's teachers repeated his objective testing in 6/07 (note that the 2/07 scores are presented both on the birth to 3 year and three to six year scales). You can see that VK was improving pre-MME, but with MME he moved forward another level. VK's Mom summarized his progress in communications written in 5/07 and 6/07 (see Letters from VK's Parents).

	Fall ‘06	Feb. ‘07	Feb. ‘07	June ‘07
	B-3	B-3	3-6	3-6
Fine Motor Domain	87%	100%	33%	50%
Gross Motor Domain	87%	98%	76%	79%
Adaptive Domain	57%	81%	42%	65%
Cognitive Domain	46%	86%	26%	30%
Social Communication	46%	61%	22%	34%
Social Domain	34%	80%	52%	61%

VK received an additional100 hours of MME in 8/07. He improved further, although not as dramatically as with his original 300 hours in 3/07. It is now 1/08, and our science has progressed. Nutrigenomic testing demonstrated several abnormalities in VK's Methyl Cycle - this knowledge will radically change VK's treatment program (for a more detailed discussion click VK's Methyl Cycle Findings and Treatment Program). We had been giving VK folic acid and methyl-B12. This is a standard recommendation, because it has been observed that many autistic kids respond favorably to supplementation. This may be the case, but for VK these nutritionals was actually counterproductive. VK cannot convert folic acid in to its active form, 5-methyl folate, so the folic acid that we have been giving him could not do any good. Thus we will stop folic acid supplementation and instead give him 5-methyl folate. VK also has trouble activating B12; specifically he cannot add methyl groups to B12 to create the methyl-B12 that his biochemistry needs. Thus the methyl-B12 included in VK's original program made sense - except that VK also has a genetic inability to consume methyl groups in the metabolism of dopamine. This means that he will have too many methyl groups floating around, so that by giving VK methyl-B12 we have been "overdosing" him with methyl groups. A better idea will be for VK to receive hydroxy-B12, which will bind up the free methyl groups floating around to form up the methyl-B12 that he needs. Even more important, all of the methyl cycle intermediates that VK can create are being drawn down a genetically overactive trans-sulfuration pathway (this is the CBS up mutation). This means that all the "good stuff" that we are giving to VK is being converted in to "bad stuff", specifically ammonia and sulfur breakdown products. Ammonia produces "brain fog" and depletes from our system a critical intermediate (tetrahydrobiopterin - BH4) which is needed to generate neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. Our approach here will be to put VK on a low protein (avoid anything with eyes) diet, and to treat him with agents (Yucca, charcoal, and Dr. Yasko's Ammonia Support RNA) that neutralize ammonia. This CBS up mutation also leads to the over production of sulfur breakdown products. The DMPS that VK has been receiving to remove mercury adds extra sulfur to VK's system, a negative. Our approach here will be to switch VK to a metal chelator that does not contain sulfur, or to put DMPS on hold until his sulfur pool has been depleted after several months of a low protein diet.

If you can't follow the biochemistry - don't feel bad. For myself, understanding methyl cycle genomics was like learning a new language. But now that I can speak this language, we can use it to improve patient outcomes. Now that we understand VK's genetic weaknesses and strengths, we can also understand that several of our treatments we actually counterproductive. We will now individualize VK's program, based upon his methyl cycle findings, and I anticipate that with these maneuvers VK's improvement will be accelerated. These methyl cycle defects are basically the reason that he became autistic - they explain his sensitivity to mercury and viral overload. VK's sister developed in the same environment as did VK - but she is not autistic, presumably because she does not have these (or as many) methyl cycle defects. As we better understand the causes of autism (and there are certainly other causes that we do not yet know about) the more effective should be our therapies. We can now do a lot more than to just treat autistic kids with MME as a mono-therapy.

DJ is a cute kid. He has big brown eyes, but he won't look at you. He won't make eye contact. He might even just ignore you, and he doesn't play well with others. DJ is autistic. DJ's parents recognized early on that a problem was present. DJ's Pediatrician initiated an extensive workup. DJ's MRI revealed no evidence for structural brain disease; an EEG returned negative for a seizure disorder. Chromosome analysis returned normal, as did an evaluation for an inherited metabolic disorder. DJ's development is at the 8th percentile for his age. He signs more than he speaks, and uses flash cards to express his wants. DJ was evaluated by a DAN physician. A nutritional program was initiated and DJ's was put on a gluten and dairy-free diet. These measures helped, but did not solve DJ's problem.

DJ's Mother had a number of Mercury amalgam fillings placed three months before she conceived DJ. She ate fish, as do most health conscious Americans (the CDC warning came out just one year ago), and DJ received the usual complement of pediatric vaccines. A red cell metal study (see DJ's graphics) revealed the presence of Lead, Arsenic, and a trace of Mercury and Cadmium, and low Selenium (wasted by Mercury). A post topical DMPS urine analysis returned with several metals, at levels not felt to be toxic in adults, but likely far beyond what Mother Nature ever intended for the developing brain. In interpreting these lab studies, we must keep in mind that A) it is not the quantity of Mercury present, it is the presence of Mercury and other toxins in the child who has no endogenous defense against Mercury, that determents the amount of brain damage that will occur, and B) the child with Autism has difficult getting Mercury out of their brain cells and into their blood and out of their body. Children with Autism have lower hair Mercury levels than do normal kids. Mercury appears in their hair, and in their urine, only following a period of detoxification, as enzyme systems involved in detoxification have themselves been inactivated.

DJ continued his prior nutritional and dietary program, with an increase in his mineral supplement. DJ began sleeping and napping on a 10 Gauss negative field only magnetic sleep pad, and he was treated with topical DMPS-Glutathione, at a weight-based dose of 19 drops every 48 hours. Routine lab studies were monitored.

I saw DJ and his parents two months into this program. DJ was doing better. It was clear to me, as it was clear to DJ's parents, and to all the adults who see DJ on a regular basis. Eye contact is better. DJ is doing a better job of making his wants known, using either sign language or body language. He plays better with his siblings. Repetitive behavior, characteristic of the autistic kid, is displayed less frequently. At the pool, DJ wanted to be dried off and cuddled by his Grandmother. He walked up to her with a towel in hand, signaling his intent; DJ didn't do things like this before. DJ is not a normal kid, far from it, but something good is happening. DJ will keep up with this program (more accurately stated, DJ's parents will keep DJ on this program), aiming to clear Mercury from his system, and we will monitor his status. In a few more months, at a point that works out well for DJ's family, DJ will receive 200 to 300 hours of MME. I'll give you updates as we go.

11/05 Update: DJ received 300 hours of MME over 30 evenings in October '05, and moved up a level, neurologically and socially. He is interacting with other kids for the first time and playing games. When he wants his parents to take him somewhere he will grab their hand and lead them. He now has a three word vocabulary of "Mama", "Dada", and "his sister's name" - three words isn't a lot but three words is a lot better than no words. Ongoing sleep pad, topical DMPS-Glutathione, and nutritional therapy is planned, and we expect DJ to continue to improve. DJ's Mom summarized his progress in an e-mail to me:

:Hello Dr. Roberts,

You had asked me to get you a list of improvements that we've seen in DJ since the DMPS & MME. Here you go. Please feel free to call/email me with any questions or anything you would like help with. This is a subject that is obviously very important to us.

*More verbal sounds - stating to talk saying "mama" "dada" appropriately
*pointing and inquiring about what things are called
*more agile gross motor function
*improvement in fine motor
*HUGE social improvement
*initiating play
*Paying attention to other children
*starting to interact with other children and people
*much happier mood, less frustration
*looking for and initiating social cues
*increased attention span, will actually initiate looking at a book and sit thru the whole thing!
*increased desire for learning/playing - less "zoned out"

Here are most of them, I'm sure there are more. We are very pleased with his progress and continue to see new things daily!

Thanks! DJ's Mom

AMRI of NW Ohio provides MME treatment under the guidelines of an Investigational Review Board, consistent with FDA regulations.

Please note that MME treatment is considered to be experimental by the FDA. Although many patients have improved, no guarantee of success is implied.