What Is EDTA Chelation Therapy?

EDTA, EthyleneDiamineTetraAcetic Acid, chelation therapy is a amino acid based therapy that uses specific amino acids to locate, leech onto and expel harmful toxic waste out of the human body. It has been used for decades to treat lead poisoning. Although the history and practice of using EDTA chelation therapy for other uses is short and inconclusive, there is some evidence that it cleanses the body of other heavy metals as well as scaling down debilitating chronic pain and disease symptoms.

Potential

• Removing toxic substances is one of the human body's naturally occurring processes. In an ideal environment, this elimination process would completely eradicate every life threatening toxin as it was introduced into the body. However, because we live in a polluted world with exposure to toxins, our bodies do not excrete toxins at a rate that keeps our internal cleansing processes running at their most optimal levels. EDTA chelation therapy has the potential to mimic and extend elimination abilities that have been taken out of the reach of the human immune system by toxicity overload. It is, however, unclear how EDTA really works, according to Vanderbilt University's Psychology department.

History

• EDTA chelation therapy was originally developed by German scientists in 1931 to eliminate heavy metal poisoning, such as aluminum, lead, cadmium and mercury, from the body.Then, according to EarthTurns.com, in 1948, EDTA chelation therapy became popular in the United States after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the admininistratation of intravenous EDTA chelation therapy for heavy metal toxic removal. Around the same time, the U.S. Navy recognized EDTA chelation's effectiveness on removing its sailors' heavy metal toxicities. Also during this time, doctors began experimenting with EDTA chelation therapy on arteriosclerosis patients and announced the improved conditions their patients were experiencing with their memory losses and angina. Then, in 1955, researchers confirmed that EDTA chelation therapy was indeed capable of removing metastic calcium, which is a major part of atherosclerotic plague. This has led to the last 50 year scientific study and practice of EDTA chelation therapy to eradicate not only heavy metals and arteriosclerosis from the body, but a vast array of other toxins and disease components as well.

Theories/Speculation

• EDTA chelation therapy is approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for the removal of heavy metal toxicity only. It is not approved by the FDA for any other treatment but alternative health practitioners do use different types of EDTA chelation therapy to treat different diseases. These alternative health practitioners have many personal theories as to the validity and effectiveness of these treatments, but these theories vary widely and there is not a widespread accepted scientific backing for any of them.

Types

• While EDTA chelation therapy is still widely used for heavy metal toxin removal as well as atherosclerotic plague removal, different types are now widely used by alternative medical practitioners for a variety of other ailments. These alternative medical practitioners use EDTA oral chelation therapies for the reduction of symptoms of such diseases as senility, Alzheimers, Pick's Atrophy, high blood pressure, leg pain, leg numbness, leg cramps, macular degeneration, scleraderma, calcified necrotic ulcers and rheumatoid arthritis and autism.

Considerations

• A study was conducted by the researchers Seely, Wu and Mills in 2005. There were five randomized EDTA chelation controlled trials. Out of the five, only two trials favored the use of EDTA chelation therapy. The other three trials did not show any significant benefits of the use of EDTA chelation benefits over the placebo.