Introduction

WHAT IS CHELATION?

Chelating (pronounced key-layting) agents are substances which can chemically bond with, or chelate (from the Greek chele, claw), metals, minerals, or chemical toxins from the body. The chelating agent actually encircles a mineral or metal ion and carries it from the body via the urine and feces.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Chelation therapy involves injecting chelating agents into the blood-stream- for the purpose of eliminating from the body undesirable substances- such as heavy metals, chemical toxins, mineral deposits, and fatty plaques (as in the arteries; the agent binds to the calcium in the plaques). EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid) is an effective and widely studied chelating agent. It cannot chelate mercury, however, DMSA and DMPS, the chemicals which work intravenously to chelate mercury, are not approved by the FDA.

EDTA is a synthetic amino acid, amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Chelation therapy with EDTA was first introduced into medicine in the United States in 1948 as a treatment for the lead poisoning- of workers in a battery factory. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Navy advocated chelation for sailors who had absorbed lead while painting- government ships and facilities. The FDA approved IV EDTA chelation as a treatment for lead poisoning.

Physicians administering the chelation for lead toxicity observed that patients- who also had atherosclerosis (fatty-plaque buildup on arterial walls) or arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) experienced reductions- in both conditions after chelation.1 Since 1952, IV EDTA chelation has been used to treat cardiovascular disease.

ORAL CHELATION FOR HEAVY METAL TOXICITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Human exposure to heavy metals has risen dramatically in the last 50 years, however, as a result of an exponential increase in the use of heavy metals in industrial processes and products. Today, chronic exposure comes from mercury-amalgam dental fillings, lead in paint and tap water, chemical residues in processed foods, and "personal care" products (cosmetics, shampoo and other hair products, mouthwash, toothpaste, soap). In today's industrial society, there is no escaping exposure to toxic chemicals and metals.

In addition to the hazards at home and outdoors, many occupations involve- daily heavy metal exposure. Over 50 professions entail exposure to mercury alone. These include physicians, pharmaceutical workers, any dental occupation, laboratory workers, hairdressers, painters, printers, welders, metalworkers, cosmetic workers, battery makers, engravers, photographers, visual artists, and potters.