Having doubts about chelation

I have been having some doubts lately about whether the Cutler protocol can be considered safe to try. I have read a lot of the success stories but it's hard to tell just how many there actually are. I realize many of the regular members here believe the protocol has worked for them. I wonder if they could be a minority compared to the overall number of people who attempt the protocol. Couldn't some people that have positive effects just be responding to other supplements?

Have many parents had success with chelating their autistic children? I have never heard definitive results about this.

That said, I'm sure it is normal to have doubts but I really don't want to make my situation worse. I recently read this doctor's opinion ( http://www.drbuttar.com/blog/?p=96
) that DMSA is a neurotoxin. I also read a response from Cutler where he indicates it is not a neurotoxin and that it would compromise the immune system before the brain. Are there studies that show this? Should I be worried about a compromised immune system as well? Neither Cutler nor this doctor seem to have great evidence either way. I understand Cutler's approach is to present this information in layman's terms but it can sometimes feel unprofessional.

With all of the talk about the dangers of using ALA inappropriately, I thought surely there would be negative reviews of the product in online stores. I don't see any negative reviews out of hundreds on the iherb reviews of the various brands. Once again, this isn't any kind of proof, but adds to my doubts (not that I am about to take ALA outside the protocol).

I understand that there is bound to be conflicting information. I don't mean to make any claims one way or another, just to say it is difficult not to be a little overwhelmed by the vast amount of unknown variables. I am currently going through a several week period of brain fog after my first round of DMSA and wondering if I made the wrong move. It is quite upsetting because before the round there were times when I felt quite good, now that is much more rare. I guess I'm torn on what I should do next.

-Mac Tweet