Linda is a very active mom who believes autism is caused by mercury in vaccines. She is using an array of natural and alternative treatments to lower Adam's heavy metal counts.

On a beautiful day in Kansas City, it's anything but pretty for Adam.

"He will start chewing his fingers nails off so we know he is a little tense this morning," Linda said.

"I just got a bit of a bellyache!" Adam replied.

Once a month, Adam goes to a clinic to draw blood to check his heavy metal levels, including mercury. Since Adam only has his blood drawn once a month, it's not part of his daily routine. Routine is important for autistics. Even though drawing blood is not new to Adam, the change in schedule can mean overload.

"I don't need to settle down! I don't want to do another stick. You have got to get me out of here. I just want some time alone," Adam said.

While it seems like blow-out rage, Linda calls it a mini-melt down and it lasts around 60 seconds.

A typical child should have mercury levels between zero and 15. When Linda began checking Adam's levels two years ago, he was at 46. But his latest lab work shows he is at 24. Linda points to this as proof of how alternative treatments like chelation and growth hormones are effective.

"It took about two and a half years of just really intense treatments both natural treatments and chelation and the growth hormone and something to get his blood sugar under control. He still has thyroid issues but we were just at the doctor last August and she says everything is perfect except the thyroid so he is coming back, and he is really healthy and you can tell he looks like his brothers," Linda said.

She believes the chelation and other medications are helping Adam rid his body of heavy metals.

"You get forced to go away from mainstream medicine because their lack of interest in helping. You start researching and you start hearing stories about people's kids coming back, and you start trying it and you start seeing improvements. Then you realize you got to go where you are getting help," Linda said.

But that help doesn't come cheap.

The family spends about $700 a month for Adam's medications. Even a sauna for treatment is more than $3,000. Linda started off small with the alternative treatments, with vitamins.

"We just did B2, B12 and B6, and he seemed not so nervous or flighty. His stems were not so bad. He used to just flap his hands constantly. He just seemed calmer," Linda said.

Adam's levels of other heavy metals such as lead and copper are going down too.

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