Autism Tsunami Carries Away Parents' Resources

Society also faces high and growing costs
By James Ottar Grundvig
Special to The Epoch Times

Most parents at the onset of bringing their autistic child to a DAN (Defeat Autism Now!) doctor are unaware of the expense that lies ahead. The sheer outlay of money often accumulates faster than thimerosal in the tissues of spectrum kids. The costs go well beyond the visits to one or more doctors, who have developed varying protocols to treat different spokes of the autism wheel.

The commitment to treat an ASD child cannot be measured in weeks or months, but years and even decades. At a cost of $10,000 to $30,000 or more a year after taxes, with little or no insurance reimbursement, and our local, state, and federal governments giving a deaf ear, the money squeeze is on. There are myriad tests, from blood and yeast tests to stomach X-rays and brain MRI's, that balloon costs upfront. That's because doctors need to rule out a variety of ailments that either fall on the spectrum or outside it. When gastrointestinal (GI) problems, aka "leaky gut" or inflamed bowel disease, are added to the mix the expense and the course for treatment soar exponentially.

No longer are parents of leaky gut children merely treating the brain and detoxing the body of heavy metals, they are also trying to balance diets to curb a relentless diarrhea and constipation and get their aging kids out of wearing diapers. Leaky gut issues also have another hidden long-term drawback: Cost. When it comes to chelation therapy, my son, who doesn't have GI issues, takes the oral and stronger form of chelation. But the DMPS chelation pill ravages the stomach of children with leaky gut, who have yeast, bacteria and absorption problems, which in turn causes inflammation.

The majority of ASD kids who are receiving chelation therapy are forced to take it as a transdermal cream application, using the skin as opposed to the stomach as the conduit to receive the medicine. This slower acting chelator costs more than the pill and takes three to five years to work, due to the gradual absorption rate. The pill form takes approximately half that time and is given in cycles of every two weeks as opposed to every day or two. Thus the costs of chelating autistic children with gut issues are far more exorbitant and time-consuming than those who do not suffer GI ailments.

Excerpted from article available at: http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-2-27/38658.html

For information, resources and practical strategies related to autism visit www.AutismConcepts.com.