Chelation Treatment:
EDTA chelation IV therapy:
EDTA has been successfully used in the treatment of atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis for over 50 years. Yet there is a very select few Medical Doctors and even fewer Naturopathic Doctors who have received proper training in this wonderful technology. It will be difficult to find a doctor who practices EDTA because the AMA and FDA do not promote this technology to Medical Doctors. EDTA is administered directly into the blood veins and must be administered in a medical office, hopefully under the direction of a doctor who has been trained in EDTA IV chelation therapy. Available from: a few, very special and open mined doctors who believe in Alternative Care Medicine.
Oral EDTA:
Orally administered EDTA is only absorbed 5% into the bloodstream, limiting it's use as a treatment. Therefore oral EDTA is best if only used for prevention of re-absorption of heavy metals during a regular chelation session. Most heavy metals are imbedded within various cell walls where they do their damages to those cell, and are not freely moving around in the body. All heavy metals have varying stability constants with the chelation molecules. During the normal chelation process, the chelator picks up heavy metals, then when a metal with a higher stability constant comes in contact with the chelator molecule, the chelator will drop the metal with the weaker stability constant in favor for the metal with the higher stability constant. Thus, during a normal chelation session, some unbound heavy metals will be freely moving around in the body. Due to the normal perfusion of blood and body fluids through the intestines, some heavy metals will find their way into the intestines where they will eventually be re-absorbed back into the blood stream. The very fact that oral EDTA is only absorbed 5% makes taking oral EDTA good preventative practice under these conditions. If oral EDTA is taken shortly after a normal chelation session, any unbound heavy metal toxins found in the gut will be bound (chelated) by the oral EDTA, and then safely excreted. Depending on the dosage, these oral EDTA capsules could be sold a food supplement, or a prescription. If the dose is high and a prescription is needed, it must be through a doctor who is licensed to prescribe EDTA in the state of his or her licensure. Oral EDTA can also prevent normal absorption of needed minerals in your diet. Therefore, taking oral EDTA on a daily basis is contraindicated. Oral EDTA is best used under the direction of a doctor who has this understanding. Available from: Currently only from a few selected Alternative Care minded doctors.
EDTA suppositories:
Each suppository is 1/10 a normal IV dose. Suppositories come packaged ten to a box. Therefore one box is equivalent to one medically administered EDTA chelation IV therapy. The suppositories can be administered in the privacy of your home. There are a few doctors who do not agree with this delivery method because they feel the EDTA is not very well absorbed via the rectum. (It is only minutely absorbed in the stomach, which is why the manufacturer produced the suppositories.) The manufacturer has doctors who do believe, and some evidence to back up their claims, that suppositories deliver 90% of their EDTA into the bloodstream. Available from: a few selected Alternative Care minded doctors.
DMPS chelation:
An IV push form of chelation therapy which must be administered under the supervision of a doctor who is licensed to use DMPS in the state of his licensure. The Journal of Chelation Therapy, produced by the American College for Advancement in Medicine, advises that DMPS be used only as a diagnostic tool to determine current levels of heavy metal toxicity. Also, if you have old silver amalgam dental fillings, it is strongly advised you do NOT receive DMPS as DMPS has been found in saliva and is believed may actually leach out mercury from the old fillings, thus causing a RISE in mercury toxicity in the body.
DMSA chelation:
An oral form of chelation therapy which is the most gentle form of chelation, yet is highly effective. DMSA must be administered under the supervision of a doctor who is licensed to use DMSA in the state of his or her licensure.
Chelation therapy is a treatment that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for heavy metal poisoning. An estimated 1 million people in the United States are treated with chelation therapy, every year. About 10% of this total are treated for heart disease (not FDA approved). Many of the providers of this therapy are trained and certified by the American College for Advancement in Medicine(ACAM).
Proponents of chelation therapy for heart disease claim that EDTA, in combination with vitamins and minerals, helps dissolve plaques and mineral deposits associated with atherosclerosis (blockage of arteries that can lead to heart attack or stroke).
Some uses of EDTA are listed below:
- Heavy Metal Toxicity
Chelation therapy using EDTA is the medically accepted treatment for lead poisoning. EDTA is injected intravenously in a medical setting such as a clinic or a hospital. Once in the bloodstream, EDTA latches onto lead and other heavy metals, to form a compound that can be excreted in the urine. The process generally takes between 1 to 3 hours. Other heavy metal toxicities treated with chelation include mercury, arsenic, aluminum, chromium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, selenium, zinc, tin, and thallium. Chelating agents other than EDTA are also used to clear several of these agents from the bloodstream. In the case of chromium, selenium and zinc, which are essential elements, they must be added back, as they are essential for life itself. - Digoxin Toxicity
Although not considered standard therapy, EDTA has also been used to treat digoxin toxicity. In this case, EDTA helps remove excess levels of digoxin, a medication known as a digitalis glycoside, that is used to treat abnormal rhythms of the heart. digoxen toxicity occurs when the body accumulates more digitalis, than it can tolerate. - Atherosclerosis
Proponents of EDTA chelation therapy for heart disease, believe that this process may help with atherosclerosis or peripheral vascular disease (namely, decreased blood flow to the legs) by clearing clogged arteries and improving blood flow. - Available Forms
EDTA is synthetic and not found naturally. Most doctors will administer EDTA chelation intravenously. However, some doctors use oral chelation which is generally considered to be less than 10% as effective as intravenous. There is also a lesser known form of chelation therapy Called (DETOXAMIN SUPPOSITORIES) or (MEDICARDIUM SUPPOSITORIES), that are administered rectally and is generally considered to be about 90 % as effective, as IV chelation. - Precautions
EDTA treatments will remove both toxic and essential elements. So, caution should be taken to make sure essential elements are not depleted. This can be assured by testing the blood levels, before chelation is started and after chelation has been completed.
Food Chelators
There are also some food products that add to the process of chelation. These products would be classified as mild chelators. Apples and chlorella are just two of these foods. Apple pectin reportedly helps retain cholesterol in the stomach, binding cholesterol to itself and carrying it through the digestive tract to be eliminated and is also reported to help the body rid itself of lead, mercury and other heavy metals prevalent in modern water, food, and air. Chlorella reportedly does the same thing, or has the same result.
For information on Essential Elements:Chelation Therapy.
For more information, see Chelation Therapy.
For more information:Heart Disease (Chelation Therapy Trials) - U.S.A.
For more information:Chelation Therapy - British Columbia, Canada
For more information:Chelation Therapy - Ontario, Canada
For more information, see Detoxamin Suppositories.
For more information, see Medicardium Suppositories.