From Industrial Chemical…to Supplement
Normally, I roll my eyes when I see anti-supplement articles printed in the mainstream media. But I’m going to make an exception for this article in the Chicago Tribune by Trine Tsouderos.
An industrial chemical developed to help separate heavy metals from polluted soil and mining drainage is being sold as a dietary supplement by a luminary in the world of alternative autism treatments.
Called OSR#1, the supplement is described on its Web site as an antioxidant not meant to treat any disease. But the site lists pharmacies and doctors who sell it to parents of children with autism, and the compound has been promoted to parents on popular autism Web sites.
…In an interview, Haley said that the compound had been tested on rats and that a food safety study was conducted on 10 people. Asked to provide documentation of the studies, he stopped communicating with the Tribune.
Experts expressed dismay upon hearing children were consuming a chemical not evaluated in formal clinical trials for safety, as would be required for a drug prescribed by doctors.
Ellen Silbergeld, an expert in environmental health and a researcher funded by the National Institutes of Health studying mercury and autism at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, said she found the sale of the chemical as a supplement for children “appalling.”
Creepy…
Now, it’s possible that the stuff is perfectly safe at recommended doses… and the hand-wringing is so much ado over nothing.
BUT: anyone who knows me, also knows that I’m a stickler for good science and transparency. In addition, children represent a real gray area when it comes to drugs and – by extension – supplements. So there’s no excuse – particularly for a former professor like Boyd Haley – for failing to produce toxicity/safety data. Needless to state, controlled studies looking at efficacy are indicated too – especially when desperate people are involved. To offer false hope is cruel beyond belief.
January 19, 2010
From Industrial Chemical…to Supplement – http://blog.ultimatefatburner.com/2010/0…
January 20, 2010
It’s scary to think that this can happen. Especially to children who have parents that are desperate for some help.
I hope it has’nt caused any harm to anyone.
January 21, 2010
Autism is a terrible thing, for the people with it as well as their loved ones. I can see where some parents may actually “hurt” their child by trying every “miracle cure” out there.
I don’t know how I would handle that situation.
I totally agree with you on performing and/or publishing the appropriate test. It should be done, and the imformation should be available.
January 21, 2010
Back when we lived in CA, one of my friends was a therapist, who helped administer behavioral modification therapy to autistic kids. She used to tell me stories about one particular family she was working with – the parents were well-to-do, so could afford all kinds of crank therapies and diets on the kid. He’d be improving on the program, then be subjected to a treatment… and regress. She was completely frustrated, but there was nothing she could do – the parents were desperate and fell for every “miracle cure” and treatment they could lay their hands on.
Autism is a baffling disorder, so – simply put – there is a LOT of pseudoscience associated with it. I read several blogs by medical professionals with an interest in the topic, and it’s not for the faint of heart.
This particular agent may be harmless – who knows? But to fail to perform and/or publish the appropriate tests is reprehensible, IMHO.
January 22, 2010
More discussion of the subject here: http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/01/the_anti-vaccine_movement_strikes_back_a.php