|  | Alternative Medicine | Fasting Cleansing

What Is Oral Chelation?

The Food and Drug Administration approves the use of intravenous chelation therapy, using calcium-disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (or EDTA), for the treatment of lead poisoning. Recently, some patients are choosing oral chelation, a newer and less-researched alternative, in hopes of achieving similar results or eliminating other heavy metals from the body.

  1. Chelation Defined

    • Chelation therapy involves the use of chelating agents--chemicals that "grab" heavy metal particles--to enable their removal.

    Theories

    • Over-the-counter nutritional supplements, such as alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), cysteine and EDTA have chelating effects, and may help to flush heavy metals out of the body when taken orally.

    Effects

    • No peer-reviewed trials have documented the effects of oral chelation. Intravenous chelation therapy is controversially used to treat heavy metal poisoning, heart disease, autism and other disorders.

    Safety

    • Oral chelation therapy is not endorsed by the FDA, and intravenous chelation therapy is only considered safe for the treatment of medically diagnosed heavy metal poisoning.

    Potential Hazards

    • Orally administered amino acids like ALA and cysteine are considered safe. However, self-diagnosis and self-treatment of heavy metal poisoning can be dangerous because patients may fail to seek medical attention for serious complications.

Fasting Cleansing - Related Articles