Dimethylglycine (DMG), a nontoxic metabolite, and autism

[Guest guest]

I found this and other information on this website quite

interesting. I thought to check it out as some people say/think there is a

connection

between CFS and autism, plus that some of the protocols which are helpful in

autism would also be helpful to those with CFS. There is also an interesting

article on vitamin C plus one on B 6. I am thinking of trying this - I am truly

fed up with this so-called 'brainfog' . Given how it seems to effect the

brain, I don't see it as a stretch that it might also effect positively short

term

memory and/or cognitive functions. Has anybody tried this or know something

about it?

blessings

Shan

Autism Research Review International, 1990, Vol. 4, No. 2, page 3

Dimethylglycine (DMG), a nontoxic metabolite, and autism

http://www.danwebcast.com/

Bernard Rimland, Ph.D.

Autism Research Institute

4182 Adams Avenue

San Diego, CA 92116

 

 

DMG is a rather sweet-tasting substance that was described in a recent

article in the Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine (1990, 481-86) as a

“

natural, simple compound with no known undesirable side effects.†The article

did

not pertain to the use of DMG in autism, but instead described an experiment

in which DMG was used to try to enhance the function of the immune system of

laboratory rabbits. It worked—the immune systems of the animals given DMG

showed

300% to 1,000% better response to infection than the controls.

 

DMG is readily available in many health food stores. It is legally classified

as a food. It does not require a prescription. It is manufactured by several

companies, and comes in various forms, most commonly in tiny foil-wrapped

tablets about 1/3 the size of an aspirin.

 

The taste is pleasant and children chew the tablets readily. At about 25

cents per tablet, the cost is minimal, since only one to eight tablets a day are

usually taken (eight for adults).

 

“So far so good,†you may be saying, “but what does this have to do with

autism?â€

 

In 1965, two Russian investigators, M. G. Blumena and T. L. Belyakova,

published a report showing considerable improvement in the speech of 12 of a

group

of 15 mentally handicapped children who had not been able to use speech to

communicate. The children had been treated with a substance variously known as

calcium pangamate, or pangamic acid, or “vitamin B15.†In addition to

enriched

vocabulary, the children began to use simple sentences, their general mental

state improved, and there was better concentration and interest in toys and

games. Subsequent research has shown the essential factor in calcium pangamate

to

be DMG.

 

Soon afterward psychiatrist Allan Cott visited Moscow and brought back a

small supply of pangamic acid, which he tried on a number of children in his

practice, some of whom were autistic. Many of Cott’s patients responded in the

same

way the Russian children had. One mother wrote, “It’s the most exciting

thing I’ve ever experienced. He was repeating words and he answers questions

now….

â€

 

At about this time pangamic acid, or B15, entered the U.S. market. Chaos

ensued. Every manufacturer touted his product as “the original Russian

formula.â€

There were at least four different formulas on the market, partly, it is

believed, as a result of deliberate deception and obfuscation on the part of the

Russians. DMG, in small amounts, was a component of some of the formulas. The

FDA stepped in and lengthy legal battles ensued. One outcome is that the term

B15 was outlawed. (Although DMG resembles the B vitamins in many ways—it is

found in the same foods, for example—there are no known overt symptoms

characteristic of a DMG deficiency.)

 

The significant outcome of the legal battles is that the sale of DMG is now

permitted, as long as it is not referred to as a vitamin, and as long as it is

sold as a food and not a drug.

 

I have been following the pangamic acid-DMG situation for almost 25 years. I

have mentioned it in some of my lectures, and told parents and professionals

about it in conversations and correspondence. Always I would ask, “if you try

it, please let me know what results you see, even if no improvement is found.â€

 

I am now so firmly convinced that DMG is helpful to a substantial proportion

of autistic children and adults that I have decided to “go public†in the

Autism Research Review International —to tell people about it freely and

openly,

so they may try it if they wish.

 

Some who hear of this boldness may be aghast: “Where are the double blind

placebo-controlled scientific studies showing it to be effective in autism?â€

they

will ask. My reply is simple. “There aren’t any, and none are needed.â€

There

are, of course, numerous double blind non-autism studies of DMG in the

scientific and medical literature, using not only humans, but many kinds of

laboratory animals, often given very large amounts of DMG. As noted earlier, no

adverse side effects have been found with even massive intakes of DMG. (I say

“

intakes†rather than “dosages†because “dosage†implies that DMG is a

drug, which

it is not.)

 

Since no company has the exclusive right to make DMG, competition keeps the

price—and profits—down. Thus there is almost no chance that anyone will

sponsor a $200,000 double blind study of DMG on autistic children. A parent can

buy

30 tablets for about $8.00. That is a sufficient supply, even for an adult

given five or more tablets a day, to determine, in most cases, if it will be

helpful. If it is felt to be helpful, fine. If not, you have wasted $8.00

(except

for the boost given to the immune system).

 

To help the parents receive unbiased input, I usually tell them to refrain

from mentioning to teachers, grandparents and others in the child’s

environment

that DMG is being tried. I have numerous letters in my files saying,

“Johnny’

s speech therapist says he has made more progress in the last two weeks than

in the last six months. As you suggested, we had told no one at his school that

we were trying DMG.â€

 

I am 100% in favor of double blind studies on drugs with considerable

potential for harm, such as fenfluramine, Haldol, or the like. However, it

doesn’t

make sense to insist on such refinements before trying a perfectly safe

substance such as DMG, apple pie, or chicken soup.

 

If DMG is going to work, its effects will usually be seen within a week or

so, though it should be tried for a few weeks or a month before giving up. In

some cases dramatic results have been seen within 24 hours: A Los Angeles mother

was driving on the freeway, three-year-old Kathy in the back seat,

five-year-old mute autistic son Sammy in the front. DMG had been started the day

before.

Kathy began to cry. Sammy turned and spoke his first words: “Don’t cry,

Kathy.†The mother, stunned, almost crashed the car.

 

A similar case: A Texas mother secured her six-year-old mute autistic

daughter in the front seat, then, before driving off, turned to tell her

husband, “I’

ll drop Mary at the babysitter’s house first.†Mary, on DMG for two days,

startled her parents with her first words: “No! No babysitter!â€

 

Although speech is the most notable positive change in those children helped

by DMG, behavioral improvement is also often reported. One father gave his son

one DMG tablet per day without mentioning it to the school. He later

requested a copy of the school’s detailed record of his son’s day-by-day

behavioral

transgressions. The correlation between outburst-free days and the use of DMG

was unmistakable.

 

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine (October 1982) reported

that a 22-year-old mentally retarded man who had 16 to 18 seizures per week on

standard anticonvulsants, experienced only three seizures per week while on DMG.

Two attempts to remove the DMG dramatically increased seizure frequency.

 

Last year I sent information on DMG to Lee Dae Kun, Director of the Pusan

(Korea) Research Center on Child Problems. He tried the DMG on 39 autistic

children, ages three to seven, for three months, with the following (summarized)

results:

 

Benefits seen: Yes: 31 (80%) No: 8 (20%)

(Improved speech, eating, excretion, willingness, etc.)

8 children had difficulty sleeping for weeks 1 and 2.

6 children became more active for weeks 1 and 2.

 

Lee Dae Kun wrote that the parents, usually skeptical, saw the improvements

clearly. He concluded that DMG is very beneficial for children with autism,

even if it is not a cure.

 

Information about the use of DMG with older persons is also encouraging. One

mother of a 26-year-old who squeezed things (people, TV sets, etc.) very hard

when frustrated, tried DMG, quite skeptically, to see if it would stimulate

his very sparse speech. It didn’t, but brought remarkable improvement in his

frustration tolerance. “Even my husband, who was even more skeptical than me,

now

is a believer,†she wrote. DMG certainly doesn’t always help, and it

certainly is not a cure, but it is certainly worth trying, in my humble opinion.

 

If you try it, let me hear from you.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Surpriseshan2

 

Thanks for the article. I'm wondering if DMG could

help my son with his speech problems. He's a covert

stutterer, and actually speaks fairly well most of the

time ( has his own radio podcast in fact). He dreams

of being a radio broadcaster one day. Do you know

where I might be able to purchase this ?

Thanks so much for the post

--- surpriseshan2 wrote:

 

> I found this and other information on

> this website quite

> interesting. I thought to check it out as some

> people say/think there is a connection

> between CFS and autism, plus that some of the

> protocols which are helpful in

> autism would also be helpful to those with CFS.

> There is also an interesting

> article on vitamin C plus one on B 6. I am thinking

> of trying this - I am truly

> fed up with this so-called 'brainfog' . Given how it

> seems to effect the

> brain, I don't see it as a stretch that it might

> also effect positively short term

> memory and/or cognitive functions. Has anybody tried

> this or know something

> about it?

> blessings

> Shan

> Autism Research Review International, 1990, Vol. 4,

> No. 2, page 3

> Dimethylglycine (DMG), a nontoxic metabolite, and

> autism

> http://www.danwebcast.com/

> Bernard Rimland, Ph.D.

> Autism Research Institute

> 4182 Adams Avenue

> San Diego, CA 92116

>

>

> DMG is a rather sweet-tasting substance that was

> described in a recent

> article in the Journal of Laboratory and Clinical

> Medicine (1990, 481-86) as a “

> natural, simple compound with no known undesirable

> side effects.� The article did

> not pertain to the use of DMG in autism, but instead

> described an experiment

> in which DMG was used to try to enhance the function

> of the immune system of

> laboratory rabbits. It worked—the immune systems

> of the animals given DMG showed

> 300% to 1,000% better response to infection than the

> controls.

>

> DMG is readily available in many health food stores.

> It is legally classified

> as a food. It does not require a prescription. It is

> manufactured by several

> companies, and comes in various forms, most commonly

> in tiny foil-wrapped

> tablets about 1/3 the size of an aspirin.

>

> The taste is pleasant and children chew the tablets

> readily. At about 25

> cents per tablet, the cost is minimal, since only

> one to eight tablets a day are

> usually taken (eight for adults).

>

> “So far so good,� you may be saying, “but what

> does this have to do with

> autism?�

>

> In 1965, two Russian investigators, M. G. Blumena

> and T. L. Belyakova,

> published a report showing considerable improvement

> in the speech of 12 of a group

> of 15 mentally handicapped children who had not been

> able to use speech to

> communicate. The children had been treated with a

> substance variously known as

> calcium pangamate, or pangamic acid, or “vitamin

> B15.� In addition to enriched

> vocabulary, the children began to use simple

> sentences, their general mental

> state improved, and there was better concentration

> and interest in toys and

> games. Subsequent research has shown the essential

> factor in calcium pangamate to

> be DMG.

>

> Soon afterward psychiatrist Allan Cott visited

> Moscow and brought back a

> small supply of pangamic acid, which he tried on a

> number of children in his

> practice, some of whom were autistic. Many of

> Cott’s patients responded in the same

> way the Russian children had. One mother wrote,

> “It’s the most exciting

> thing I’ve ever experienced. He was repeating

> words and he answers questions now….

> �

>

> At about this time pangamic acid, or B15, entered

> the U.S. market. Chaos

> ensued. Every manufacturer touted his product as

> “the original Russian formula.�

> There were at least four different formulas on the

> market, partly, it is

> believed, as a result of deliberate deception and

> obfuscation on the part of the

> Russians. DMG, in small amounts, was a component of

> some of the formulas. The

> FDA stepped in and lengthy legal battles ensued. One

> outcome is that the term

> B15 was outlawed. (Although DMG resembles the B

> vitamins in many ways—it is

> found in the same foods, for example—there are no

> known overt symptoms

> characteristic of a DMG deficiency.)

>

> The significant outcome of the legal battles is that

> the sale of DMG is now

> permitted, as long as it is not referred to as a

> vitamin, and as long as it is

> sold as a food and not a drug.

>

> I have been following the pangamic acid-DMG

> situation for almost 25 years. I

> have mentioned it in some of my lectures, and told

> parents and professionals

> about it in conversations and correspondence. Always

> I would ask, “if you try

> it, please let me know what results you see, even if

> no improvement is found.�

>

> I am now so firmly convinced that DMG is helpful to

> a substantial proportion

> of autistic children and adults that I have decided

> to “go public� in the

> Autism Research Review International —to tell

> people about it freely and openly,

> so they may try it if they wish.

>

> Some who hear of this boldness may be aghast:

> “Where are the double blind

> placebo-controlled scientific studies showing it to

> be effective in autism?� they

> will ask. My reply is simple. “There aren’t any,

> and none are needed.� There

> are, of course, numerous double blind non-autism

> studies of DMG in the

> scientific and medical literature, using not only

> humans, but many kinds of

> laboratory animals, often given very large amounts

> of DMG. As noted earlier, no

> adverse side effects have been found with even

> massive intakes of DMG. (I say “

> intakes� rather than “dosages� because

> “dosage� implies that DMG is a drug, which

> it is not.)

>

> Since no company has the exclusive right to make

> DMG, competition keeps the

> price—and profits—down. Thus there is almost no

> chance that anyone will

> sponsor a $200,000 double blind study of DMG on

> autistic children. A parent can buy

> 30 tablets for about $8.00. That is a sufficient

> supply, even for an adult

> given five or more tablets a day, to determine, in

> most cases, if it will be

> helpful. If it is felt to be helpful, fine. If not,

> you have wasted $8.00 (except

> for the boost given to the immune system).

>

> To help the parents receive unbiased input, I

> usually tell them to refrain

> from mentioning to teachers, grandparents and others

> in the child’s environment

> that DMG is being tried. I have numerous letters in

> my files saying, “Johnny’

> s speech therapist says he has made more progress in

> the last two weeks than

> in the last six months. As you suggested, we had

> told no one at his school that

> we were trying DMG.�

>

> I am 100% in favor of double blind studies on drugs

> with considerable

> potential for harm, such as fenfluramine, Haldol, or

> the like. However, it doesn’t

> make sense to insist on such refinements before

> trying a perfectly safe

> substance such as DMG, apple pie, or chicken soup.

>

> If DMG is going to work, its effects will usually be

> seen within a week or

> so, though it should be tried for a few weeks or a

> month before giving up. In

> some cases dramatic results have been seen within 24

> hours: A Los Angeles mother

> was driving on the freeway, three-year-old Kathy in

> the back seat,

> five-year-old mute autistic son Sammy in the front.

> DMG had been started the day before.

> Kathy began to cry. Sammy turned and spoke his first

> words: “Don’t cry,

> Kathy.� The mother, stunned, almost crashed the

> car.

>

>

=== message truncated ===

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I don't know how old your son is or even what a podcast is but the McGuire

Programme is excellent for stutterers.

www.mcguireprogramme.com/

Regards

 

Graeme Ellis

The Goldfields

Western Australia

 

 

 

 

-

" Rebecca Dickler " <alternativebelle

;

<mcs-canada >

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 2:22 PM

Re: Dimethylglycine (DMG), a nontoxic

metabolite, and autism

 

 

> Surpriseshan2

>

> Thanks for the article. I'm wondering if DMG could

> help my son with his speech problems. He's a covert

> stutterer, and actually speaks fairly well most of the

> time ( has his own radio podcast in fact). He dreams

> of being a radio broadcaster one day. Do you know

> where I might be able to purchase this ?

> Thanks so much for the post

> --- surpriseshan2 wrote:

>

>> I found this and other information on

>> this website quite

>> interesting. I thought to check it out as some

>> people say/think there is a connection

>> between CFS and autism, plus that some of the

>> protocols which are helpful in

>> autism would also be helpful to those with CFS.

>> There is also an interesting

>> article on vitamin C plus one on B 6. I am thinking

>> of trying this - I am truly

>> fed up with this so-called 'brainfog' . Given how it

>> seems to effect the

>> brain, I don't see it as a stretch that it might

>> also effect positively short term

>> memory and/or cognitive functions. Has anybody tried

>> this or know something

>> about it?

>> blessings

>> Shan

>> Autism Research Review International, 1990, Vol. 4,

>> No. 2, page 3

>> Dimethylglycine (DMG), a nontoxic metabolite, and

>> autism

>> http://www.danwebcast.com/

>> Bernard Rimland, Ph.D.

>> Autism Research Institute

>> 4182 Adams Avenue

>> San Diego, CA 92116

>>

>>

>> DMG is a rather sweet-tasting substance that was

>> described in a recent

>> article in the Journal of Laboratory and Clinical

>> Medicine (1990, 481-86) as a â?o

>> natural, simple compound with no known undesirable

>> side effects.â?? The article did

>> not pertain to the use of DMG in autism, but instead

>> described an experiment

>> in which DMG was used to try to enhance the function

>> of the immune system of

>> laboratory rabbits. It workedâ? " the immune systems

>> of the animals given DMG showed

>> 300% to 1,000% better response to infection than the

>> controls.

>>

>> DMG is readily available in many health food stores.