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About Chelation
Bob Filice, M.D.
EDTA Chelation Therapy is the administration of the
synthesized amino acid EDTA combined with other nutrients, which removes
deposits of calcium and heavy metals from the body, reverses the
accumulation of dangerous levels of free radical chemistry, and assists
the cells of the body in achieving a higher state of biochemical
integrity, or healthy, balanced function. EDTA Chelation Therapy is
beneficial for any one of many conditions which are caused by a reduction
or blockage of blood flow or an accumulation of heavy metals within the
body.
Chelation with EDTA is a gentle therapy which does not
assault the body with high levels of foreign substances with undesirable
and sometimes unforeseeable side effects, but rather is administered over
the course of several weeks or months at safe and effective levels,
allowing the body plenty of time to heal. The treatments are done in
the doctor’s office under the prescription of a fully licensed
physician. During treatment, the patient is encouraged to make
sensible, healthy changes in diet, exercise, and lifestyle, which enhance
the effectiveness of the treatment, ensure a lasting improvement or cure
of the patient’s condition, and increase the patient’s sense of well
being, which will in turn encourage them to maintain a higher level of
health throughout their life.
EDTA - Disodium salt of Ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid
That’s a mouthful! Now you know why physicians just call it EDTA. EDTA is also sometimes known as disodium edetate or edethamil
disodium.
EDTA is a synthetic amino acid that was developed in Germany in 1931 for
use in the printing textile industry to prevent hard water stains during
the dyeing process. EDTA is a chemical chelator, a substance which
forms a strong chemical bond with certain other molecules, changing their
basic properties. Its primary effect in medical use is that it binds
to unwanted calcium and heavy metal molecules and carries them safely out
of the body. All metals, even essential nutritional minerals, are
toxic when present in the body in excessive amounts or in the wrong
places. By removing excess metallic elements in the body, EDTA
improves calcium and cholesterol metabolism and curbs the production of
“free radicals”, a common chemical reaction that is believed by many
scientists to be an important contributing factor to conditions such as
cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and other life threatening
diseases.
EDTA has been used in many industries since the early 1940’s, and can be
found in such products as foods and animal feeds (as a preservative),
personal lotions and cosmetics, household cleaning products, water
softeners, and pharmaceutical products, to name only a few. For many
years, it was used by blood banks to prevent collected blood from
clotting. EDTA is widely known to be safe for human use at
appropriate levels of consumption.
The word chelation comes from the Greek work chele, meaning “claw”.
A chelating substance like EDTA chemically traps certain minerals
within a powerful claw-like grasp, encircling them within a molecular
“ring” structure and transporting them safely out of the body. When
this happens, the trapped molecule, such as calcium, lead, or mercury, is
said to have been chelated.
Chelation is a process that occurs naturally in your body many millions of
times each day, even more so if you are feeling stressed out, or if you
are exposed to toxic elements such as cigarette smoke, pollution, or any
one of the innumerable chemicals that are found in our food, water, air,
and the products which we use every day. When you eat iron-rich
foods, it is a chemical chelation process which takes the iron and turns
it into hemoglobin, the blood cells which are responsible for carrying
oxygen to all parts of your body. The “antioxidant” vitamins C
and E are natural chelators that help to keep dangerous free oxygen
radicals under control.
The enzymatic activities in every cell in
your body are carried on through the exchange of ions through the cell
membrane, a process that could not happen without chelation chemistry.
Amino acids, such as lactic acid, the substance that is created in
your muscles as you exercise, are important natural chelators which allow
the body to absorb necessary nutrients. Insulin, the natural
protein hormone that regulates the body’s sugar intake, is a chelate of
the mineral zinc.
Natural chelators like vitamins C and E will enhance and maintain normal
circulation and detoxification in a healthy person. So eat right and
keep taking those multivitamins! But when circulation becomes
blocked through disease, or when exposure to toxic levels of heavy metals
causes poisoning, the body needs the assistance of a stronger chelator to
overcome this imbalance which leads to chronic degenerative health
problems.
EDTA Chelation Therapy removes excess calcium from areas of the body where
it is abnormally deposited, such as atherosclerotic lesions, arthritic
joints, traumatized tendons and ligaments, and kidney and gall stones,
while leaving the important stores of calcium in bones, teeth, and
cellular metabolism intact. Chelation Therapy also chelates lead, mercury,
cadmium, aluminum, and other metals and carries these toxic materials
harmlessly out of the body. Chelation Therapy for cardiovascular
disease triggers the breakdown of plaque, renewing blood flow, increasing
the flexibility of arteries, and improving circulation.
EDTA is available in several forms, and there are various other substances
which also act as chelators. EDTA is also available orally and in
suppository form. Physicians have differing opinions on how well
each of these forms work, but all agree that the most effective method of
treatment with EDTA is intravenous. Oral or suppository forms of
EDTA should not be taken without a doctor’s supervision. While
EDTA Chelation Therapy is an extremely safe procedure, EDTA is considered
to be a “moderately toxic substance” and could have adverse affects if
an overdose is taken.
There are many other agents which are used for the removal of heavy metals
from the body. This is a list of the primary ones used today. There
are differing opinions as to the effectiveness and safety of these
substances; this listing does not indicate the author’s support or use
of any of these agents.
DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) is another excellent chelator developed back
1866 by a Russian chemist. DMSO has the ability to dissolve most any drug
(increasing their bio-availability) and strengthen their effects. DMSO is
one of the most potent free radical scavengers ever discovered.
DMPS (Sodium 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate) is an intravenous chelator
which was developed in the 1950’s in the former Soviet Union. DMPS
has been used to chelate heavy metals such as zinc, copper, arsenic,
mercury, cadmium, lead, silver, and tin. DMPS is marketed in Europe
under the trade name Dimaval.
DMSA (dimercaptosuccinic acid) is an oral chelating agent manufactured
under the trade name Chemet and FDA approved for the treatment of heavy
metal toxicity. DMSA is capable of penetrating the body's fatty
lipid membranes including the central nervous system, and is one of the
few chelators which can remove mercury from brain cells.
DFO (deferoxamine/Desferal) is a chelating agent which is given
intravenously to remove excess free iron and aluminum.
D-Penicillamine is another oral chelating agent used to remove excess free
copper from the body in the treatment of Wilson's disease and rheumatoid
arthritis.
NDF (Nanocolloidal Detox Factor) is a newer chelating agent which is said
to be a potent chelator. According to Bioray, the manufacturer, NDF
is made from certified organic, raw, whole foods. NDF is also used
in the treatment of autism.
In addition, vitamins C and E, the mineral selenium, and lactic acid, a
substance which your body generates naturally as the result of exercise,
are natural chelators, and many people choose exercise and
over-the-counter supplementation with antioxidant vitamins as a preventive
measure against vascular disease and toxic metals. Other substances
which have been used to eliminate heavy metals are chorella, chitosan,
cilantro, and hyaluronic acid. All of these agents work in different
forms to remove heavy metals from the body. A physician familiar
with chelation therapy will be able to help you find a treatment that best
suits your condition.
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