A 5-year old autistic boy named Abubakar Tariq Nadamas died last week, most likely from the IV EDTA chelation treatment he was undergoing. This news sent a shock wave through the autism community. This makes total sense when you read page 4 of "Treatment Options for Mercury/Metal Toxicity in Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities: Consensus Position Paper" which states in a survey of 23,000 autistic parents, 73% found mercury detoxification to be the most beneficial biomedical intervention for their autistic children.
I posted about Abubakar's death here. Ginger from Adventures in Autism, and Craig Westover especially have both done exceptional jobs tracking the story. David Kirby, Evidence of Harm author, also weighed in with thoughtful commentary. I'm sure that Dan Olmsted will be covering this story soon in his ongoing The Age of Autism series. And of course Orac, the outspoken anti-mercury/autism connection advocate, weighed in on this news by blistering Kirby for basically covering his own posterior.
Well, there's more news... Sure to be fuel for the fire for the Orac's of the world as much as it is likely to be very insightful for those on the flip side of the coin.
On Friday afternoon, my son Patrick emailed Dr. Rashid Buttar -- known by his critics as the "snake-oil selling, miracle-cream quack" -- to ask for his permission to post an email he sent to me on July 20th as both my son and I felt the contents of that email would actually help to shed some much needed light on the events of last week and the ensuing commentary.
Dr. Buttar replied back on Saturday:
Pat,
If you state at the beginning that this [July 20th email] was a personal correspondence that was posted with permission, I am fine with it.
Also, I am including [in another email] my response to a question [about the boy that died] from a UCLA doc...we sit on a committee together. Any time a chelator is introduced into the body, you are eliciting a dramatic change in the biochemistry of that individual. Thus, the process MUST be done slowly. If not done slowly, the potential for catastrophic results is almost assured, especially in a child or an elderly individual that does not have the compensatory reserve to handle the huge biochemical change that has been induced.
I am extremely aggressive in medicine and in treating patients but the first rule is ALWAYS, DO NO HARM. To give a total dose of a chelator via IV in 2 minutes is the absolute height of stupidity and is being preached by certain parties, who actually, to no surprise, are against the use of TD-DMPS and say it's dangerous, yet are recommending giving IV push EDTA. I will be putting out a statement regarding this by next week.
Hoping this letter finds you in the best of health and spirits,
Rashid A. Buttar, DO, FAAPM, FACAM, FAAIM
Medical Director, Advanced Concepts in Medicine
The Center for Advanced Medicine
20721 Torrence Chapel Road, # 101-103
Cornelius, NC 28031
704-895-WELL (9355)
www.drbuttar.com
Here is the text of the other email he forwarded. It is his reply to the Dr. Steve Coles, the UCLA doc:
> Dr. Buttar: Can you answer Thomas Dowdy's question about Dr. Kerry? -- Steve Coles
[ed. note: Dr. Kerry was the boy's doctor. The email didn't contain Thomas Dowdy's question, but after reading Dr. Buttar's reply, the question is pretty obvious.]
Dr. Coles,
I do not know this Dr. Kerry. However, Dr. Usman, one of my trainees had started this child on our TD-DMPS over a year ago and the child had done tremendously well. The mom had actually sent me an email thanking me for developing the protocol about 8 months ago since her son had responded so dramatically well to the treatment.
Somewhere along the line very recently, the child was given IV EDTA, and received 3 treatments. But from what I understand, it was an IV 2 minute push, which is absolutely IDIOTIC. We do not do IV's unless a patient is 7 years or older in our practice, but we NEVER do an IV PUSH on any individuals for any purpose using a chelator. I have over 48,000 IV treatments under my belt and I can tell you first hand, it is the IV push nature of administering any chelator that can have detrimental effect...ie, the rapid nature of administering the medication.
The child was doing tremendously well on treatment....I don't know why this doctor had to start using an IV PUSH on such a young child.
Hoping this letter finds you in the best of health and spirits,
Rashid A. Buttar, DO, FAAPM, FACAM, FAAIM
Medical Director, Advanced Concepts in Medicine
The Center for Advanced Medicine
20721 Torrence Chapel Road, # 101-103
Cornelius, NC 28031
704-895-WELL (9355)
www.drbuttar.com
If this is factual, and I have no reason to believe it is not, then that is VERY interesting! There are still more details to be learned that only Dr. Kerry himself can give. I'm sure some may view this as Dr. Buttar covering his backside, or even worse, trying to use this opportunity to promote TD-DMPS. So be it. But having spoken to Dr. Buttar myself, I just don't buy it!
Going back to the original July 20th email, here is what Dr. Buttar sent to me, in an email that he initiated:
Hi Pat...I never get on the web and look at what people are saying about me...it's usually a mix of appreciation and admiration for my defenders who understand me and sadness mixed with disappointment for my critics who simply missed the boat....so I stopped over a year ago.
I accidentally came across some type of posting board controlled I assume by some person known on line as "orac" I believe. [ed. note: He is referring an exchange/debate I had at Orac's blog on June 20, 21, and 22. And less than a year ago, I didn't know what a blog was either! ;-) ] Anyway, as you can tell by the time I'm sending this to you, my intellectual reserve is running low at 5 am and I have to get a few hours of sleep but I read much of what was posted on that exchange.
I would like to first, thank you for defending me. But my friend, it is more important for you to not waste your time and reduce your stress by attempting to abstain from engaging idiots in intellectual combat. Remember, that no one has a monopoly on God, love or stupidity. And you can't argue with stupidity...it's like talking to a brick wall...no matter what you say, it's still a brick wall. [ed. note: That comment is certainly going to tick off Orac and his clan!)
Second, so you know...I do treat many conditions, not by desire, but default. The average person who comes to my office has seen more than 9 doctors for the condition they come to us for. And many of my existing patients don't trust the medical profession so when they want to do something elective, they only want me to do it for them or want me to check it out first. There were many things said that I would like to respond to but in all honesty, it is simply a waste of time. But next time we talk, I will be happy to discuss some of these things with you over the phone.
Regarding the Pub Med issue...[ed. note: The fact that Dr. Buttar's clinical results with TD-DMPS had not been published in a peer-review journal was a major point of contention on Orac's blog.] I have already been told that if I'm talking of mercury, I will NEVER be published in a US medical journal. I have an independent 3rd party PhD researcher who has now come into our office and reviewed cases and is in the process of writing up the case reports for submission to Lancet. Let's see what happens. But I know this will not be published in the US for at least another few years.....for reasons that you already recognized in a number of your posts.
But I will tell you this my friend.... I will publicly take thimerosal into my body, either orally, transdermally or through an injection, the same ratio of thimerosal into my body as a child gets, along side ANYONE who opposes the argument of thimerosal. [bolding emphasis is mine] Thus, we BOTH take the same amount. Only difference will be that I will take the TD-DMPS or IV DMPS. And they will not. If anyone wishes to take me up on this challenge, I am willing, any time, any place. But it must be televised. If they believe thimerosal is safe, then they should take it. I know it's dangerous as you do, but I will take it as well, since l have access to my own treatment (which I will administer immediately and continue to do so, just between you and I). Actually, I need to collect the data anyway to find out what happens with that large of a dose in an adult so it will be worth just collecting the data on myself and documenting it with our standard urine, hair, fecal and RBC metal toxicity testing.
You get my point. The H.Pylori discoverer and his method of showing efficacy of treatment is something I am willing to do and have no hesitation putting myself in the same situation. I have actually already made this statement previously. But the opposition HAS TO DO IT and abstain from treatment. Or at least, abstain from TD-DMPS or IV DMPS. Tell this to whom ever you wish...it's an open ended challenge.
Again, I sincerely appreciate your defense of my name. That means more to me than you will ever know. But even more important, I hope that you keep me in your prayers, that God continue to guide me and keep my heart pure.
Until next time my friend...
Hoping this letter finds you in the best of health and spirits,
Rashid A. Buttar, DO, FAAPM, FACAM, FAAIM
Medical Director, Advanced Concepts in Medicine
The Center for Advanced Medicine
20721 Torrence Chapel Road, # 101-103
Cornelius, NC 28031
704-895-WELL (9355)
www.drbuttar.com
When I received that email a little over a month ago, it blew me away! I'm glad that Dr. Buttar is allowing me to post it publicly, though I am sure his detractors will pounce. Nonetheless...
DISCLOSURE: I have stated on several occasions now that I have no financial ties to Dr. Buttar or anyone selling any version of TD-DMPS. That is still the case. I just believe in TD-DMPS because it is working for me and because it lines up with so much of what I have learned and experienced since I had my 14 mercury amalgams removed in 1987.
In the interest of total disclosure, my book, WELLNESS PIECE BY PIECE, makes several references to Dr. Buttar and his testimony to US Congress in May of 2004 (Autism, The Misdiagnosis of our Future Generations). For this reason, and also because I believe he is truly an innovator, I asked him to write a "blurb" of endorsement for my book in March. After calling me to talk and make sure I wasn't a "crazy" I suppose, he promised that he would write something. (I haven't gotten the "blurb" yet, but he has emailed me several times since then to assure me that it is on the way, he has just been too busy to write one. I know the feeling well Dr. Buttar!)
Now, all of that should be moot anyway considering that the proceeds of my book are going to charity! But I disclosed it anyway.
I will also mention that while Jigsaw Health -- the company of which I am the founder and CEO -- has an article about Heavy Metal Toxicity, we sell NO mercury chelating agents. We do sell a highly therapeutic multi-mineral that we designed almost exclusively for my own use on TD-DMPS off days.
So enough disclosure...let the commenting begin.
And thank you Dr. Buttar for allowing your voice be heard! My prayers go out to you.
UPDATE: See my son Patrick talk to "brick walls" at Orac's blog.
UPDATE (9/1/05 9:20am PST): Jock Doubleday has a similar standing offer. (Link: Baby Center)
***PRESS RELEASE***
THE FOLLOWING OFFER is made to U.S.-licensed medical doctors who routinely administer childhood vaccinations and to pharmaceutical company CEOs worldwide:
Jock Doubleday, president of the California nonprofit corporation Natural Woman, Natural Man, Inc., hereby offers $20,000.00 (U.S.) to the first medical doctor or pharmaceutical company CEO who publicly drinks a mixture of standard vaccine additive ingredients in the same amount as a six-year-old child is recommended to receive under the year-2000 guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(snip)
This offer, dated January 29, 2001, has no expiration date unless superceded by a similar offer of higher remuneration.
RELATED STORIES ON PAT SULLIVAN BLOG:
Autism - If not mercury, then what? (8/31/05)
Dr. Buttar gets mugged by 6NEWS Investigators (9/1/05)
Dr. Buttar on the Empirical Evidence of Chelation (9/1/05)
Dr. Buttar controversial? JB Handley of GenerationRescue weighs in (9/1/05)
Dr. Buttar Provides Numbers (9/16/05)
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