Every year in the US alone, over 110,000 patients receive chelation therapy to treat heavy metal poisoning. FDA-approved use is limited exclusively for this treatment modality.
Chelation drugs such as EDTA bind to metal toxins and flush them out of the body through detoxification processes, according to alternative health practitioners. They believe it may also work to treat heart disease, autism and Alzheimer’s.
What is Chelation Therapy?
Chelation therapy is a medical procedure in which medicine is injected directly into the bloodstream to remove heavy metals like mercury or lead from your system. Chelators bind with these poisonous metals before being flushed out through urine by kidneys. Chelation therapy has been FDA-approved as a solution for some forms of heavy metal poisoning as well as iron overload (hemochromatosis).
Alternative health practitioners claim that chelation therapy can also treat autism, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and diabetes; however there’s little evidence supporting such claims; in fact some studies indicate potentially hazardous side effects from such treatments.
Chelation therapy uses an agent known as EDTA as its chelating agent, which is administered through injection into a vein in either hand or arm. Sessions usually last several hours but patients usually return home soon afterward; most commonly experienced side effects include burning sensation at injection site as well as low blood sugar or calcium levels, headache, nausea, kidney failure or organ damage as well as irregular heartbeat or seizures.
Proponents of chelation therapy for heart disease claim that EDTA binds with calcium deposits found in fatty plaques on arterial walls, loosening and dissolving them to help prevent atherosclerosis, where hardened arterial walls block off blood flow to heart or brain. Furthermore, they state it may remove substances harmful to both cardiovascular and circulatory systems, including uric acid, homocysteine and LDL cholesterol which could also harm them.
Recent research revealed that those receiving EDTA chelation therapy experienced 26% lower risks of experiencing another heart attack or stroke compared to those receiving placebo infusions, though this study had numerous limitations, such as a high dropout rate; hence its results should not be taken as conclusive.
National Institutes of Health is undertaking a larger trial to demonstrate whether chelation therapy really protects against heart disease. Their National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has initiated funding for such an endeavor that is scheduled to launch later this year.
How Chelation Therapy Works
Chelation therapy typically uses the synthetic amino acid EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid), which binds with heavy metals and other minerals that have entered the bloodstream, enabling their expulsion through urine. FDA has approved it for certain medical situations including lead poisoning; people have also tried it as a possible treatment for heart disease; one study claimed it reduced risk of death associated with coronary artery disease – though later clinical trial results refuted such claims.
As yet, it remains unknown whether chelation therapy has any bearing on preventing heart attacks or strokes, though some theories speculate it does so by clearing away excess calcium, which contributes to atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), thus restricting oxygen-rich blood flow into the heart, brain and limbs causing chest pain (angina) or blockages that lead to strokes and heart attacks.
TACT was a multicenter trial that studied chelation therapy for heart disease. Researchers concluded that its use reduced atherosclerosis but not overall cardiovascular outcomes. A doctor administered 20 to 40 weekly intravenous infusions of EDTA over several months while patients also took high-dose pills of vitamins and minerals to complete this trial.
Other practitioners of chelation therapy have claimed it can treat various conditions, including autism and Alzheimer’s disease. Their claims, however, are based on incorrect theories as to the causes of these conditions; no scientific proof exists to back up such claims.
Chelation therapy should only ever be used as part of an approved treatment program and for approved uses only, as any unintended use could prove deadly. Chelation can bind and remove needed minerals like calcium and lower protein levels in the blood, which in some cases has proven fatal. Chelation is only approved by the FDA to treat certain forms of metal poisoning; its use for other conditions should always be approached cautiously due to potential side effects and risks involved with its usage; proven treatments should always be preferred over unproven ones.
Chelation Therapy Side Effects
Chelation therapy entails injecting substances that bind with metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic to allow the body to excrete them through urine. It is FDA-approved as a treatment for heavy metal poisoning; some metals like copper and iron serve a useful purpose but too much exposure can be toxic. Chelation therapy is sometimes also used by alternative healthcare practitioners as a therapy option to address autism, Alzheimer’s and heart diseases; although there is limited proof that it works effectively against such conditions.
Chelating drugs such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) are administered intravenously. Once they attach themselves to heavy metals, they’re excreted through kidney filtering systems and excreted in urine – although this process could become dangerous if the wrong type of drug or process are used or done incorrectly; furthermore, chelating agents cannot pass through the protective “blood-brain barrier”, making them ineffective at treating neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s.
Some individuals use chelation therapy to try and prevent atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Proponents claim it works by binding to calcium present in plaque, helping remove it from artery walls. Unfortunately, this has yet to be proven, with large-scale trials such as TACT showing no positive correlation with cardiovascular outcomes when using EDTA-based chelation therapy.
TACT2 was recently conducted to confirm that chelation does not prevent atherosclerosis and included 1,708 patients at high risk for heart attack. Unfortunately, its results have yet to be released publicly.
Even without empirical proof of its efficacy, chelation therapy continues to be promoted by companies selling it over-the-counter. Such products often come as part of a detox package designed to promote general wellness and prevent future disease. Before undertaking any detoxification regimens it is wise to consult a functional medicine physician first – they use advanced diagnostic testing and comprehensive health assessments to design personalized plans designed to treat current issues while supporting long-term wellbeing and disease prevention.
Chelation Therapy Benefits
Chelation therapy has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as an FDA-approved remedy to treat metal poisoning, including lead and mercury poisoning, arsenic poisoning, iron overload (hemochromatosis) and certain forms of anemia. Chelating drugs (usually ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, or EDTA) administered intravenously bind to toxic heavy metals in the body and remove them from circulation, with kidneys filtering out bound metals to be released through urine. Naturopaths and other alternative health care providers often prescribe chelation therapy to treat conditions other than heavy metal poisoning, such as calcium deficiency or renal failure. Chelating drugs may bind with and remove essential minerals like calcium, copper and zinc from the body that it requires – potentially leaving it deficient and leading to problems like low bone density or renal failure.
Proponents of chelation therapy to treat heart disease claim that EDTA “binds” calcium deposits found in plaques lining arteries and leading to atherosclerosis. When present in large amounts, such deposits can block blood flow to vital areas like the heart, brain, limbs and legs, leading to chest pain (angina) or restricted circulation in legs and feet (intermittent claudication). Proponents claim EDTA effectively “cleanses” blocked arteries similar to how drain cleaner clears out blocked pipes.
As the only way to accurately assess whether chelation therapy actually works, a scientific trial must first be conducted. A randomized controlled trial randomly assigns participants either chelation therapy or placebo therapy; one such trial called TACT published results eleven years ago that seem to demonstrate its benefit on cardiovascular outcomes.
Closer examination of TACT revealed serious flaws which rendered its findings invalid. Most sites offering chelation were neither hospitals nor research centers but rather alternative medicine clinics or practices like naturopathic. Furthermore, treatment itself wasn’t standard either: JAMA noted this fact with its editorial: it included not only EDTA as an antichelator agent, but also high doses of vitamins and minerals along with various chelating agents such as DMP or other forms. These factors made any apparent benefits seem artificial.
