Wall Street Journal- Chelation Deaths--Endrate

[Guest guest]

Does anyone get the Wall Street Journal by delivery or online??? There was a

small blurb in yesterdays paper (3/3/06) that stated this:

" The CDC warned a chelation drug called Endrate, used for lead poisoning and

believed by some to alleviate autism, caused two deaths last year. "

My parents and I are pretty ticked as it doesn't indicate any other information

and alludes that they were two people with autism. I would love to find out if

they provided more information anywhere else.

Jackie---

jhines@...

" In God We Trust - All Others Bring Data! " - W. Deming

[Guest guest]

Not to make light of this tragedy. But 100,000 die each year in the

USA from adverse reactions to drugs, And NOTHING is ever reported!

CHICAGO (CNN) -- Adverse reactions to prescription and over-the-

counter medicines kill more than 100,000 Americans and seriously

injure an additional 2.1 million each year, researchers say.

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9804/14/drug.reaction/index.html

Here is the story abt chelation

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11640868/

Donna

>

> Does anyone get the Wall Street Journal by delivery or online???

There was a small blurb in yesterdays paper (3/3/06) that stated

this:

>

> " The CDC warned a chelation drug called Endrate, used for lead

poisoning and believed by some to alleviate autism, caused two

deaths last year. "

>

> My parents and I are pretty ticked as it doesn't indicate any

other information and alludes that they were two people with

autism. I would love to find out if they provided more information

anywhere else.

>

> Jackie---

> jhines@...

>

> " In God We Trust - All Others Bring Data! " - W. Deming

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06018/639721.stm

Technically, this is an old story. They used the wrong drug.

[Guest guest]

There wasn't a story to go along with it. Endrate is another name for EDTA

according to the Google search I did.

Jackie---

> http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06018/639721.stm

>

> Technically, this is an old story. They used the wrong drug.

[Guest guest]

The correct chelation agent -- Calcium Disodium EDTA -- would not have

pulled the calcium from the bloodstream, she said.

The Wallstreet Journal didnt report that there was a mix up in the

chelation therapy?

I wonder why some use EDTA instead of DMSA and ALA?

Donna

>

> There wasn't a story to go along with it. Endrate is another name

for EDTA

> according to the Google search I did.

> Jackie---

>

> > http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06018/639721.stm

> >

> > Technically, this is an old story. They used the wrong drug.

>

[Guest guest]

We used calcium disodium EDTA IVs on our son because he had issues

with DMSA. Our son continuted to lose calcium on DMSA (I haven't

heard of anyone else with this issue, my older son was fine) even

thought we continued to supplement his calcium while we were doing

DMSA. I've posted this before so sorry if it's redundant, but he

broke his elbow and toe and we were urged by our physician to cease

DMSA. We did IV EDTA along with vitamin IVs and his mineral levels

were better. We eventually moved on to other chelators that worked

even better for him.

Best regards,

Debbie

> >

> > There wasn't a story to go along with it. Endrate is another

name

> for EDTA

> > according to the Google search I did.

> > Jackie---

> >

> > > http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06018/639721.stm

> > >

> > > Technically, this is an old story. They used the wrong drug.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Sounds like a great time for everyone in the world to e-mail the

journal about their editorial irresponsibility so they can go whine

about it again in their next article.

Andy

>

> Does anyone get the Wall Street Journal by delivery or online???

There was a small blurb in yesterdays paper (3/3/06) that stated this:

>

> " The CDC warned a chelation drug called Endrate, used for lead

poisoning and believed by some to alleviate autism, caused two deaths

last year. "

>

> My parents and I are pretty ticked as it doesn't indicate any other

information and alludes that they were two people with autism. I

would love to find out if they provided more information anywhere else.

>

> Jackie---

> jhines@...

>

> " In God We Trust - All Others Bring Data! " - W. Deming

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Here's the full article - is this what you needed?

CDC Links Deaths to Lead Treatment

Associated Press

March 2, 2006 9:34 p.m.

ATLANTA -- A drug that is sometimes used to treat lead poisoning --

and is also believed by some parents to be effective against autism --

caused the deaths of two children last year, the government said

Thursday.

One youngster was autistic; the other had lead poisoning.

The deaths mark the first documented link between a chelation drug

and cardiac arrest in children, according to the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention. Both children were treated with a product

called Endrate.

CDC officials are also looking into the 2003 death of a 53-year-old

woman in Oregon who was given chelation therapy by a practitioner of

natural medicine.

Brown, chief of the CDC's Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch,

said hospital pharmacies should consider whether stocking Endrate is

necessary, given its risks and the availability of other treatments.

The maker of Endrate, Hospira Inc., had no immediate comment.

Chelating agents are chemical compounds, injected or given orally,

that latch on to metals in the body and carry them out through urine

or feces. Chelation is commonly used for lead poisoning.

Some doctors have used chelation to treat autism, believing mercury

or other heavy metals cause the condition's symptoms. However,

medical evidence does not support that belief, and the drug is not

approved for that use, CDC officials said.

Copyright © 2006 Associated Press

[Guest guest]

See my post from earlier this morning that contains the url and pdf of

the CDC MMWR notice on this. The CDC notice is very informative. The

news reports, such as the one from WSJ are misleading and are perhaps

based on a CDC press release that suggested chelation was at fault.

Endrate should not be used for chelation in our children as it depletes

calcium it is disodium EDTA. The proper one to use is Calcium EDTA or

CaEDTA as this formulation does not deplete calcium.

Some physicians use " chelation " to pull calcium from adult heart

patients. That is a different form of EDTA, a different purpose of

chelation. See my post from earlier today.

RJK

On Mar 4, 2006, at 1:38 PM, Jackie Hines wrote:

> Does anyone get the Wall Street Journal by delivery or online??? 

> There was a small blurb in yesterdays paper (3/3/06) that stated this:

>  

> " The CDC warned a chelation drug called Endrate, used for lead

> poisoning and believed by some to alleviate autism, caused two deaths

> last year. "

>  

> My parents and I are pretty ticked as it doesn't indicate any other

> information and alludes that they were two people with autism.  I

> would love to find out if they provided more information anywhere

> else.

>  

> Jackie---

> jhines@...

>  

> " In God We Trust - All Others Bring Data! "   -  W. Deming

>  

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

The lead sentence of this Wall Street Journal report is terribly

misleading as is its confusion in reporting about two distinct forms of

EDTA used for two different kinds of chelation:

> A drug that is sometimes used to treat lead poisoning --

> and is also believed by some parents to be effective against autism --

> caused the deaths of two children last year, the government said

> Thursday.

The drug that caused the deaths is DIFFERENT from the one that is used

to chelate lead.

One is calcium EDTA, the one that pulls lead, the other is disodium

EDTA which is sometimes used to pull calcium. Two different drugs, two

different purposes. Endrate is the disodium forumulation used to pull

calcium from bone cancer patients who have toxic levels of calcium.

The CDC is right to warn parents about the dangers of the wrong form of

EDTA, the disodium kind that depletes calcuim and causes hypocalcemia,

the condition that resulted in the death of the little boy in

Pennsylvania.

If the CDC deliberately allowed confusion of the two forms of EDTA that

is wrong. But parents should be careful about confusing the two,

because many practitioners out there are confusing the two. This

confusion can result in tragedy, as we have seen, and unfairly give

chelation a bad name, as we have also seen.

RJK

On Mar 4, 2006, at 1:58 PM, corraocrew wrote:

> Here's the full article - is this what you needed?

>

>

>

>

> CDC Links Deaths to Lead Treatment

>

> Associated Press

> March 2, 2006 9:34 p.m.

>

> ATLANTA -- A drug that is sometimes used to treat lead poisoning --

> and is also believed by some parents to be effective against autism --

> caused the deaths of two children last year, the government said

> Thursday.

>

> One youngster was autistic; the other had lead poisoning.

>

> The deaths mark the first documented link between a chelation drug

> and cardiac arrest in children, according to the Centers for Disease

> Control and Prevention. Both children were treated with a product

> called Endrate.

>

> CDC officials are also looking into the 2003 death of a 53-year-old

> woman in Oregon who was given chelation therapy by a practitioner of

> natural medicine.

>

> Brown, chief of the CDC's Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch,

> said hospital pharmacies should consider whether stocking Endrate is

> necessary, given its risks and the availability of other treatments.

>

> The maker of Endrate, Hospira Inc., had no immediate comment.

>

> Chelating agents are chemical compounds, injected or given orally,

> that latch on to metals in the body and carry them out through urine

> or feces. Chelation is commonly used for lead poisoning.

>

> Some doctors have used chelation to treat autism, believing mercury

> or other heavy metals cause the condition's symptoms. However,

> medical evidence does not support that belief, and the drug is not

> approved for that use, CDC officials said.

>

> Copyright © 2006 Associated Press

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Gee, I don't recall reading any articles about how many babies and

children die from vaccination.

> >

> > Does anyone get the Wall Street Journal by delivery or online???

> There was a small blurb in yesterdays paper (3/3/06) that stated

this:

> >

> > " The CDC warned a chelation drug called Endrate, used for lead

> poisoning and believed by some to alleviate autism, caused two

deaths

> last year. "

> >

> > My parents and I are pretty ticked as it doesn't indicate any

other

> information and alludes that they were two people with autism. I

> would love to find out if they provided more information anywhere

else.

> >

> > Jackie---

> > jhines@

> >

> > " In God We Trust - All Others Bring Data! " - W. Deming

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

I found the CDC MMWR to be misleading too. In the section describing

the individual cases (the part that the press is going to really

focus on) they fail to mention that 5-yr-old was given the wrong

drug. They talk about it as if he was intentionally given that drug -

at least that's how I read it. They talk in a later section about

how easy it is to mix up calcium EDTA with disodium EDTA. Unless you

really know the story, it's difficult to connect the dots to reach

the conclusion that he was given the wrong drug. Then in the section

at the end, when they're talking about using Endrate for chelation,

they say some doctors think it helps to chelate mercury. Really?

Has anyone here ever met a doctor that thinks EDTA chelates mercury?

None of these things is a mistake - this whole report was very

carefully written to be factual, but provide misleading and ominous

snippets for the press.

I think what they've done here is sinister.

>

> > Here's the full article - is this what you needed?

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > CDC Links Deaths to Lead Treatment

> >

> > Associated Press

> > March 2, 2006 9:34 p.m.

> >

> > ATLANTA -- A drug that is sometimes used to treat lead

poisoning --

> > and is also believed by some parents to be effective against

autism --

> > caused the deaths of two children last year, the government said

> > Thursday.

> >

> > One youngster was autistic; the other had lead poisoning.

> >

> > The deaths mark the first documented link between a chelation

drug

> > and cardiac arrest in children, according to the Centers for

Disease

> > Control and Prevention. Both children were treated with a product

> > called Endrate.

> >

> > CDC officials are also looking into the 2003 death of a 53-year-

old

> > woman in Oregon who was given chelation therapy by a

practitioner of

> > natural medicine.

> >

> > Brown, chief of the CDC's Lead Poisoning Prevention

Branch,

> > said hospital pharmacies should consider whether stocking

Endrate is

> > necessary, given its risks and the availability of other

treatments.

> >

> > The maker of Endrate, Hospira Inc., had no immediate comment.

> >

> > Chelating agents are chemical compounds, injected or given

orally,

> > that latch on to metals in the body and carry them out through

urine

> > or feces. Chelation is commonly used for lead poisoning.

> >

> > Some doctors have used chelation to treat autism, believing

mercury

> > or other heavy metals cause the condition's symptoms. However,

> > medical evidence does not support that belief, and the drug is

not

> > approved for that use, CDC officials said.

> >

> > Copyright © 2006 Associated Press

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

,

Thank you for this and I missed your earlier post. They really should

have provided the entire story IF they truly wanted to inform the

public... again IF!

Thanks again!

Jackie---

>

> > Does anyone get the Wall Street Journal by delivery or online??? 

> > There was a small blurb in yesterdays paper (3/3/06) that stated

this:

> > " The CDC warned a chelation drug called Endrate, used for lead

> > poisoning and believed by some to alleviate autism, caused two

deaths last year. "

> >  

> > My parents and I are pretty ticked as it doesn't indicate any

other information and alludes that they were two people with autism. 

I would love to find out if they provided more information anywhere

else.

 

> > Jackie---

> > " In God We Trust - All Others Bring Data! "   W. Deming

 

[Guest guest]

In the description of the 5 year old Pennsylvania boy, posted below,

the MMWR piece clearly refers to Na2EDTA, which is the wrong kind, and

causes hypocalcemia. It would have been helpful if the CDC made clear

that this is the wrong kind, but that was done earlier in the MMWR

piece.

I agree that the CDC should have done more in this piece to help

readers " connect the dots " but as a technical matter I don't think they

attribute the Na2EDTA problems to CaEDTA. As far as the references to

Endrate all I see is a discussion of how it is confused with the right

form of EDTA for lead chelation. The form of EDTA called Endrate can be

used for " chelation " but not for heavy metal chelation for children -

it is used to " chelate " or pull calcium in bone cancer patients and may

also be used by those doctors who want to " chelate " calcium in adult

heart patients.

I agree that in a subject as confusing and controversial as this the

CDC should have gone to extra effort to make the distinctions crystal

clear. Whether their failure to do that or not is difficult to

determine. Clearly the media reports have failed miserably to make the

distinction clear - whether the CDC provoked the media confusion would

be an interesting thing to know, but is not knowable from the facts

available here.

Read with great care I do not find the MMWR report misleading. In fact

just today the MMWR report was used to help a family avoid a potential

catastrophe in a case where an ignorant physician was going to use

Na2EDTA on a heavy metal toxic child. But, again, perhaps the CDC

should anticipate the confusion this subject will provoke, unless it

seeks to provoke media condemnation of chelation in general, which is a

plausible intended by-product of their announcement.

RJK

Pennsylvania. In August 2005, a boy aged 5 years with autism died while

receiving IV chelation therapy with Na2EDTA in a physician's office.

During the chelation procedure, the mother noted that the child was

limp. The physician initiated resuscitation, and an emergency services

team transported the child to the hospital. At the emergency department

(ED), further resuscitation was attempted, including administration of

at least 1 and possibly 2 doses of IV calcium chloride. Subsequently,

the boy's blood calcium level was recorded in the ED as 6.9 mg/dL. The

child did not regain consciousness. The coroner examination indicated

cause of death as diffuse, acute cerebral hypoxic-ischemic injury,

secondary to diffuse subendocardial necrosis. The myocardial necrosis

resulted from hypocalcemia associated with administration of Na2EDTA.

The case is under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Board of Med

On Mar 4, 2006, at 2:36 PM, corraocrew wrote:

> I found the CDC MMWR to be misleading too.  In the section describing

> the individual cases (the part that the press is going to really

> focus on) they fail to mention that 5-yr-old was given the wrong

> drug.  They talk about it as if he was intentionally given that drug -

> at least that's how I read it.  They talk in a later section about

> how easy it is to mix up calcium EDTA with disodium EDTA.  Unless you

> really know the story, it's difficult to connect the dots to reach

> the conclusion that he was given the wrong drug.  Then in the section

> at the end, when they're talking about using Endrate for chelation,

> they say some doctors think it helps to chelate mercury.  Really? 

> Has anyone here ever met a doctor that thinks EDTA chelates mercury?

>

> None of these things is a mistake - this whole report was very

> carefully written to be factual, but provide misleading and ominous

> snippets for the press.

>

> I think what they've done here is sinister.

>

>

>

>

> >

> > > Here's the full article - is this what you needed?

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >  CDC Links Deaths to Lead Treatment

> > >

> > >  Associated Press

> > >  March 2, 2006 9:34 p.m.

> > >

> > >  ATLANTA -- A drug that is sometimes used to treat lead

> poisoning --

> > >  and is also believed by some parents to be effective against

> autism --

> > >  caused the deaths of two children last year, the government said

> > >  Thursday.

> > >

> > >  One youngster was autistic; the other had lead poisoning.

> > >

> > >  The deaths mark the first documented link between a chelation

> drug

> > >  and cardiac arrest in children, according to the Centers for

> Disease

> > >  Control and Prevention. Both children were treated with a product

> > >  called Endrate.

> > >

> > >  CDC officials are also looking into the 2003 death of a 53-year-

> old

> > >  woman in Oregon who was given chelation therapy by a

> practitioner of

> > >  natural medicine.

> > >

> > >  Brown, chief of the CDC's Lead Poisoning Prevention

> Branch,

> > >  said hospital pharmacies should consider whether stocking

> Endrate is

> > >  necessary, given its risks and the availability of other

> treatments.

> > >

> > >  The maker of Endrate, Hospira Inc., had no immediate comment.

> > >

> > >  Chelating agents are chemical compounds, injected or given

> orally,

> > >  that latch on to metals in the body and carry them out through

> urine

> > >  or feces. Chelation is commonly used for lead poisoning.

> > >

> > >  Some doctors have used chelation to treat autism, believing

> mercury

> > >  or other heavy metals cause the condition's symptoms. However,

> > >  medical evidence does not support that belief, and the drug is

> not

> > >  approved for that use, CDC officials said.

> > >

> > >  Copyright © 2006 Associated Press

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

I'm sure too they did this to downplay the NBC piece as well. Funny

how that always seems to be the case. Weasels.

CG

> >

> > > Here's the full article - is this what you needed?

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > CDC Links Deaths to Lead Treatment

> > >

> > > Associated Press

> > > March 2, 2006 9:34 p.m.

> > >

> > > ATLANTA -- A drug that is sometimes used to treat lead

> poisoning --

> > > and is also believed by some parents to be effective against

> autism --

> > > caused the deaths of two children last year, the government

said

> > > Thursday.

> > >

> > > One youngster was autistic; the other had lead poisoning.

> > >

> > > The deaths mark the first documented link between a chelation

> drug

> > > and cardiac arrest in children, according to the Centers for

> Disease

> > > Control and Prevention. Both children were treated with a

product

> > > called Endrate.

> > >

> > > CDC officials are also looking into the 2003 death of a 53-

year-

> old

> > > woman in Oregon who was given chelation therapy by a

> practitioner of

> > > natural medicine.

> > >

> > > Brown, chief of the CDC's Lead Poisoning Prevention

> Branch,

> > > said hospital pharmacies should consider whether stocking

> Endrate is

> > > necessary, given its risks and the availability of other

> treatments.

> > >

> > > The maker of Endrate, Hospira Inc., had no immediate comment.

> > >

> > > Chelating agents are chemical compounds, injected or given

> orally,

> > > that latch on to metals in the body and carry them out

through

> urine

> > > or feces. Chelation is commonly used for lead poisoning.

> > >

> > > Some doctors have used chelation to treat autism, believing

> mercury

> > > or other heavy metals cause the condition's symptoms. However,

> > > medical evidence does not support that belief, and the drug

is

> not

> > > approved for that use, CDC officials said.

> > >

> > > Copyright © 2006 Associated Press

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

1. wrong chelating agent. stupid doc.

2. oral chelation over 3 month period has never produced severe adverebre4action.

Sincerely,

H.H. Fudenberg, M.D., D.D.G., I.O.M.

226 Edgewater Road

Inman, SC 29349

864-592-8076

nitrf@hotmailcom

From: "Jackie Hines" <jhines@...>Reply-EOHarm To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>Subject: Wall Street Journal- Chelation Deaths--EndrateDate: Sat, 4 Mar 2006 13:38:21 -0500

Does anyone get the Wall Street Journal by delivery or online??? There was a small blurb in yesterdays paper (3/3/06) that stated this:

"The CDC warned a chelation drug called Endrate, used for lead poisoning and believed by some to alleviate autism, caused two deaths last year."

My parents and I are pretty ticked as it doesn't indicate any other information and alludes that they were two people with autism. I would love to find out if they provided more information anywhere else.

Jackie---jhines@...

"In God We Trust - All Others Bring Data!" - W. Deming