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What Is Chelation Therapy?

Chelation therapy is a treatment where the amino acid ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid, or EDTA, is put into the bloodstream to grab onto toxic metals in your body. According to the American Cancer Society, "Chelation therapy using EDTA has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for lead poisoning for more than 40 years." While it has been approved as a treatment for removing toxic metals from the bloodstream, chelation therapy has not been approved to treat heart disease or cancer.

  1. What Is Chelation Therapy?

    • The word "chelation" comes from the Greek word "chele," which means to claw or grab onto something. When EDTA enters the bloodstream, it attaches itself to lead, iron, magnesium, zinc, mercury, calcium and other substances that can be toxic. EDTA grabs onto these minerals and metals and stays attached to them so that you urinate them out later.

    Toxic Metals and Minerals

    • Many minerals and metals can be toxic to the body, especially in large quantities. Proponents of chelation therapy believe that an excess of these minerals in the blood can cause hardening of the arteries, cancer and heart disease, as well as toxic metal poisoning. One reason they believe that chelation therapy works to cure hardening of the arteries is that the plaque that causes the hardening is partially made up of calcium deposits. If the calcium is removed from the bloodstream, proponents of chelation therapy believe it will improve the health of your arteries. The American Heart Association disagrees with this premise.

    The Process

    • Your chelation therapy should be done by a qualified, licensed physician. When you have chelation therapy, you will go to your doctor's office and have an IV (intravenous drip) placed in your arm or hand. A slow drip of EDTA will cycle through your bloodstream. You will rest comfortably in a chair for up to three hours while the IV drips into your vein. EDTA will flow through your bloodstream and grab onto toxic substances that you will urinate out later. Chelation therapy varies, but you can have as many as 50 treatments in a few months' time.

    Side Effects and Risks

    • Since chelation removes the good nutrients along with the bad, your doctor will give you a vitamin and mineral supplement to replace any essential nutrients lost.

      The risks involved with chelation therapy are: kidney failure if done improperly, excess removal of calcium leading to cramps or future bone loss, swollen and inflamed veins, low blood sugar or insulin shock, and congestive heart failure.

    Proponents of Chelation Therapy

    • According to Holistic Health online, "Chelation therapy, when administered by an experienced therapist at the proper doses, is very safe ... American College for the Advancement in Medicine estimates that over 500,000 patients have undergone chelation therapy safely nationwide ... No fatalities have been reported."

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