Alpha Lipoic Acid—A novel therapeutic agent for intervention of early pediatric allergies

Abstract

RATIONALE: Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)has been shown to be beneficial in early severe allergies in infants & children diagnosed to have heavy metal overload. METHODS: Retrospective review of 416 patients with hair mineral analysis from April 2002 to September 2003 for a wide variety of chronic illnesses. 42 of these had severe allergic diseases. They included chronic tic-like cough, prolonged steroid dependent asthma with frequent exacerbation, infantile asthma and intractable generalised eczema. RESULTS: Mineral hair analysis had identified elevated heavy metals(Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, Antimony, Arsenic) in these patients. The sources of heavy metals were transplacental transfer from overloaded asymptomatic mothers and ingestion of fish and birds' nest. Successful management depends on abstinence of the contaminated food and a therapeutic regime including ALA serving as chelating agent. Most of the patients, especially those diagnosed and started treatment early had complete eradication of the severe allergies, a phenomenon seldom achievable in conventional treatment. Moreover, this novel management has been observed to improve the other parameters of health such as improved appetite, growth, sleep quality, scholastic aptitude and immune resistance to common infection. Bruxism in children would be cleared at the same time with the remission of the allergies. CONCLUSIONS: Heavy metal overload in infants and children recognizable by mineral hair analysis has been shown in this study to cause early allergies. Timely intervention by a safe chelator would likely break the propagation of the allergy cascade by restoring the naural immune development hampered by the heavy metal overload. Further research on the role of ALA would be warranted.