Chelation Therapy

Chelation therapy is a safe, painless, non-surgical medical procedure used to remove undesirable heavy metals such as lead, mercury, nickel, copper, cadmium, and others from the body.

Chelation therapy has also been used to reverse symptoms of atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) by removing the obstructive plaque that has built up in the circulatory system. Atherosclerosis is caused by many complex factors, including the abnormal accumulation of metallic elements in the body.

In atherosclerosis the formation of plaque within the arteries restricts the flow of blood, which leads to other problems such as angina and heart attack. PIaque is a fibrous tissue composed of fatty substances and cholesterol bound together (chelated) with calcium and other binding metals.

Without surgery, chelation therapy directly counteracts the harmful effects of calcium by removing it from the plaque. With the calcium and other binding metals out of the plaque, its remaining ingredients are loosened and carried to the liver for eventual excretion from the body. The symptoms of atherosclerosis are improved as the inside diameter of the blood vessel is increased and new elasticity is restored to the blood vessel wall, allowing greater blood flow.

Chelation comes from the Greek word chele meaning "claw" (as in the pincers of a crab or lobster). The chelating agent, a synthetic amino acid called ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDT A) has the capacity to attach and bind metal molecules it contacts. Utilizing the pincer effect, metal molecules are held to the EDT A molecules in such a way that an entirely new and different chelated compound is formed. This new stable compound, the atoms of which are firmly held together, can then be excreted from the body through the kidneys.

Chelation therapy is administered by intravenous infusion. A slow drip of EDT A solution, in the appropriate strength and quantity, is injected directly into the bloodstream. This is a slow but painless procedure which takes three to four hours to complete. A complete program of chelation therapy involves a broad-based health care program of regular exercise, vitamin and mineral supplements, and dietary changes.

In 1893 Alfred Werner, a Swiss Nobel Laureate, proposed the theory of metal binding which provided the foundation for modern chelation chemistry. In 1920 Messrs. Morgan and Drew specifically defined chelation as "the incorporation of a metal ion into a heterocyclic ring structure."

EDT A was first synthesized in Germany by F. Munz around 1934-35. Munz was trying to develop a substitute for citric acid, a chelating agent used by the textile industry to remove calcium from hard water. The presence of calcium in water tended to form stains with mordant dyes which were unacceptable to the makers of clothing and textile.

A different process for synthesizing EDT A was developed in the United States by Frederick C. Bernsworth in the early 1930s and was patented by him in 1941. Chelation therapy itself was introduced into the United States in 1948.

Between 1950 and 1990, numerous clinical studies have shown the benefits of chelation therapy. Chelation therapy is recognized by medical authorities around the world as the definitive treatment for heavy metal toxicity, radiation toxicity, snake venom poisoning, digitalis intoxication, and heart arrhythmia.

The benefit of increased blood flow due to chelation therapy was detected by Dr. Norman E. Clarke in the 1950s. While treating patients for lead poisoning he observed that their general health improved. One of them, suffering from coronary artery disease, had his symptoms of angina disappear. Because proper circulation is a prerequisite to health regardless of what an individual's physical problem is, chelation is an effective adjunctive therapy to the treatment of all chronic degenerative diseases. Clarke was aware of the connection between calcium and plaque formation and speculated that removing the calcium might be beneficial to patients suffering from atherosclerosis and its attendant symptoms.

Unfortunately, the most beneficial effects of chelation therapy, those of preventing and reversing the problems of degenerative diseases caused by diminished blood circulation, are not currently recognized by the medical establishment. These include diabetes, gallstones, kidney disease from poor circulation, stroke, emphysema, Parkinson's disease, cataracts, senility, osteoporosis, and hypertension.

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