In WWII, Navy sailors who coated ships with lead paint experienced metal poisoning and were successfully treated with chelation therapy. The treatment involves administering a drug called a chelator, which can bind or “grab” a metal that is later excreted in the urine. The most common chelator used is disodium EDTA.
Recent research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests that this time-honored treatment may particularly benefit patients with diabetes mellitus and prior heart attacks.
How can chelation therapy help?
Some complications of diabetes may be caused by chemical reactions that happen when excess sugar is in the blood. These reactions are facilitated by metals and may facilitate heart disease. EDTA chelates or removes these metals, especially lead and cadmium. Chelation has become a favorite treatment for heart disease patients.
Many people erroneously think that chelation works like a “roto rotor” in the arteries, cleaning them out. That is incorrect. Chelation works to remove heavy metals which act like a monkey wrench in healthy metabolic functions.
How am I exposed to heavy metals?
The environment is polluted with metals that are toxic to our health. These metals find their way into our bodies, and can play havoc with some systems. Metals may be found in contaminated food and water and common household items such as:
* Lead – gasoline, plumbing, paint, some cosmetics
* Arsenic – water, rice, chicken, apple juice, tobacco
* Mercury – many fish, dental fillings (silver amalgams), coal plants
* Cadmium- cigarettes, and in the manufacture of pigments, plastic, and rechargeable batteries
Have there been chelation studies?
Yes, a big one in 2002. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded a $30 million clinical trial of chelation therapy in patients 50 years of age or older with a prior heart attack. The goal was to finally understand whether EDTA chelation for coronary disease was safe and effective. So, the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) was born.
Did chelation work?
It turns out it did. And it was safe. TACT enrolled 1,708 patients who were at least 50 years old and had a prior heart attack. Overall, patients received 55,222 intravenous infusions in 134 centers across the USA and Canada. The study lasted 10 years.
- Overall, there was an 18% reduction in heart events (death, another heart attack, stroke, stents or bypass, and hospitalizations for angina) by EDTA infusions alone.
- Compared to the placebo, there was a 26% reduction in the group that received EDTA infusions plus oral vitamins.
But the effect was even more striking in patients with diabetes.
- They had a 41% reduction in clinical events including a 43% reduction in death over 5 years with EDTA alone.
- Those who received EDTA infusions and oral multivitamins had a 51% reduction in cardiovascular events.
Learn more about the multiple benefits of chelation therapy and how your symptoms may be related to heavy metals. Make a consultation today to assess the state of your health and metal toxicity. Let your journey toward a healthy and vital life start today!
