Dan Docs/biomedical Question

[furrowed]

Hi guys - I don't think DAN docs are too well regarded here, but thought I'd ask

I'm basically a skeptic about unproven autism treatments, but I'm so desperate to see progress with my son, that I'll try anything right now. I know this isn't a good situation to be in - being vulnerable and desperate, but, well, here I am.

2 Questions

Would you please weigh in with testimonials, pro and con, regarding your DAN doc experience?

Anyone know of any in the DC/VA/MD area which they recommend?

Thanks everyone

[chicmom]

We started seeing a DAN dr. about 2 months ago. Our son was diagnosed with ASD back in December 2009 @ 28 months old. He is located in NJ and it is a really nice practice. I am now a believer in a lot that they recommend. My son had 2 word prior to starting the GFCF diet Jan 1, 2010. Once we started the diet, he started using single words within 3 days. Today, 3 month later, he is now starting to string 2-3 word phrases together. He is on a ton of supplements, most of which are vitamins and minerals that autistic children are typically low in. We have tried digestive enzymes, but they are very gross and I can't get him to take them. He has also had a urine and stool test, and hair sampling. All of these were ordered by our DAN doctor. They gave us a really good idea of what is going on in our little guys body. Only negative about our experience so far is the cost. HOLY !! Two appointments ran us about $1100. The supplements are over $300/month. Lab tests were about $1000. They do not take insurance.

Maybe you should check out the DAN! Conference next weekend. It is @ the Marriott in downtown Baltimore. I am sure that you can find out TONS of info there.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[moss]

we saw a naturopath with DAN training and she was amazing. her own son is on the autism spectrum and she really knew what she was doing. she actually listened, and had answers to my questions about ds's symptoms and gave us things to try that actually worked. our ped has been pretty much useless.

if you cant make it to the dan! conference, there are lots of online videos from previous conferences that you can watch in the comfort of your own home (for example: http://www.youtube.com/user/AutismConference )

maybe try the 'finding your tribe' area for a specific recommendation to a dan doc in your area as well

[rainbringer]

We are looking into biomedical treatments now - I wish I had done it earlier. We now learn that my six year old has lead and cadmium poisoning - none of the other doctors we saw including a very expensive developmental pediatrician ever suggested checking for heavy metals.

The book that presented biomedical treatments in an understandable way for me was Healing the New Childhood Epidemics by Kenneth Bock.

If you are considering chelation, the autism mercury yahoo group is a good resource.

[tanyalynn]

I've never been to a DAN doctor, but I am using very similar vit/min supplements for myself and my kids and I am chelating all three of us (Cutler-style, frequent, low dose oral chelation). I got sick due to the mercury in my amalgam fillings and both my kids have health and behavior issues due to that.

I am very pleased with my own progress since I got my amalgams out and have been chelating myself. I hope to be done by the end of this year, done with myself and both the kids. Neither of my kids has enough going on to have a diagnosis, and I really don't know why I got so sick that I could not ignore it while they have many subtle things that are off, but not blatant things. That I do not understand--but so progress for them is subtle improvement, while for me it's been becoming more functional, more able to be a good parent--improvement in fatigue, depression, thyroid function, things that have markedly changed our family life and my health and happiness.

IMO, it's a buyer beware market, both in terms of finding a good HCP, and in terms of deciding on supplements and approaches. I lucked into a very knowledgeable, safety-conscious HCP (who's not a doctor, she's an acupuncturist with a background in environmental medicine), but there are less-than-great HCPs out there. I have been very pleased with my HCP (she's in Iowa, though, so not helpful to you) but I still work hard to understand why we're using the supps we are, and sometimes do things on my own that seem appropriate to our situation. Depending on the complexity of the health problems you're dealing with, and how much testing you need to do, you may be able to find a knowledgeable HCP who costs less than a DAN.

[sbgrace]

I think you can do a lot of this yourself. I agree that it's buyer beware. Ask for recommendations. You don't want someone who does a "canned" approach w/ their pet project and/or sells you things unnecessarily. Are there specific symptoms you're seeing? Maybe someone will have a suggestion. Do you have a doctor who will order some labs for you?

[BookGoddess]

Dr. Mary Megson is in the VA area. She has done DAN treatments for over 12years. She is also a board certified pediatrician.

We've seen real improvements from DAN treatments. However, some of the tests they order can be ordered through your pediatrician, assuming you have an open minded doctor who is willing to do that. Some labs, like Great Plains Lab, will bill your insurance for the lab tests. That saves quite a bit of money for us. Most of the stuff our DAN doctor orders for us is covered by insurance and we pay anywhere from $5 - $15.
The best results we've had come from targeting treatments to what we see in lab tests. The doctor shouldn't do a cookie cutter approach.

Healing the New Childhood Epidemics book by Dr. Kenneth Bock has been very useful to my family as well.

[wytchywoman]

We took G to see someone who, while not a DAN! physician, followed the same general guidelines. We did this when G suffered a vax injury and completely stopped speaking. He immediately put G on a GF/CF diet and high quality vitamins. Within 6 weeks of being on the diet he started speaking again and a lot of the other symptoms he had were starting to resolve. I truly think that G suffered a neurological injury from the vax and ended up with Alice in Wonderland syndrome because of it. He says his mouth shrunk and went away and that's why he couldn't speak. Anyway, as far as the DAN! and the diet, we'll never know if it was coincidence or if the diet "healed" him or if it took enough stress off of his body to allow it to heal itself. I am pretty sure that GF/CF diets are pretty standard amongst DAN! physicians and that is something that you can institute yourself. You can also go to a health food store and get a high quality vitamin and probiotics yourself as well. Pros are that DAN!s are pretty well versed in naturopathic treatments, they know their stuff. Cons, they are expensive, I have yet to hear of an insurance that will pay for a DAN! visit. One con we went through is that G lost sooooo much weight we had to take him off the GF/CF diet, we just couldn't get him to eat and after awhile the weight loss trumped the benefits.

[logan&jordansmommy]

I have a few friends that their insurance cover dan appts. The dans are usually md's or naturopaths and the out of network part of some insurances cover it.