Chelation Therapy - The Controversial Medical Marvel

By Gary Null, Ph.D. and Luanne Pennesi, RN, BSN

"Once you keep the immune system in a normal position, the body has tremendous powers of rehabilitation…and even in advanced cases…hopeless cases…chelation therapy has proven to be effective. " -Dr. John McDonaugh 1

Note: The information on this website is not a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a qualified, licensed professional.

When an effective modality becomes available to the public that has been well documented in scientific studies and literature, adopted by a growing number of holistic physicians, is safe, not costly, saves lives and has the raving support from the majority of its recipients, common sense would lead us to believe that it would be made public and supported by those health care institutions who we expect are looking out for our best health interests. So why has chelation therapy, a treatment that meets all of these criteria, being attacked by every major medical group in the country, as well as the FDA? It is time to take a close look at this remarkable alternative to traditional drug and surgical interventions in the treatment of various clinical conditions, not the least of which is cardiovascular disease, but which also includes peripheral vascular disease, cerebrovascular diseases, heavy metal toxicities and diabetes, to name just a few.

Right from the start it must be stressed that chelation, like every other healing modality, by itself, is not a panacea or a cure all for any disease. Being in the "quick fix" society that we are in, though, many people have been programmed to just find someone who will give them the magic cure so they can go on with their lives without making any other changes. Dr. Steven Alsalzar, a board certified physician who uses chelation therapy to treat his patients states, "People aren’t in touch with their bodies and the effects that chronic stress has on it, largely because of the heavy amount of advertising by pharmaceutical companies that everything can be fixed in a quick manner. It is inundating…Until the public becomes educated somehow, they will become victims of it."2 Most physicians who have used chelation therapy combine it with changes in the diet, supplementation with specific vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, as well as changes in lifestyle; most importantly the management of stress and reduction of exposure to harmful substances in the environment.

With this in mind, every aspect of chelation therapy will be explored here, from the mechanisms of action, to the history of its use, to the conditions it has treated (with perspectives from the physicians as well as the patients), to the politics and economics surrounding its use in the medical field today.

What chelation is and how it works

Chelation therapy is a safe, effective and inexpensive alternative to drugs and surgeries and is used to treat illnesses such as heart disease, strokes diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and adverse reactions to environmental pollutants. Chelation (key-LAY-shun) comes from the Greek word chele meaning "to claw" or "to bind". Chelation therapy is used to rid the body of unnecessary and toxic metals and is being employed by a growing number of physicians to reverse the process of atherosclerosis through the removal of the calcium content of plaque from the artery walls through the injection of the chelating agent, EDTA..3 EDTA, or ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid, is a synthetic amino acid that is infused into the body intravenously, usually over a three to four hour period. Often the drip includes the addition of vitamins and minerals. It is administered in the outpatient setting and number of treatments vary based on each person’s individual condition and/or goals of treatment. The average therapy is given one to three times a week for twenty to thirty treatments.4 Dr. David Steenblock, the chairperson of The International Oxidative Association, explains, "[EDTA] is a natural substance. It is an amino acid with 4 molecules of acetic acid attached to it. It picks up and binds to it: heavy metals and excretes them through the urine. [EDTA] doesn’t enter into the cells, rather it circulates outside the cells and cleanses these areas."5 Blood vessels exposed to stress and toxins shrink and create small holes into which circulating calcium is deposited. Phospholipids and cholesterol attach onto these "scabs". This is what atherosclerosis is created from.6 According to Dr. Michael Schacter, another prominent wholistic physician who endorses chelation therapy, EDTA removes heavy metals and calcium from "wrong places" (blood vessels and joints) and stops free radical damage by scavenging certain minerals that are promoting the free radical process. Degenerative diseases seem to be associated with the development of these free radicals which attack cell membranes.7 It also has an anti-aging property in that it prevents tissues and organs from hardening or stiffening due to calcium deposition which occurs as the tissues aged.8 So it can also be used preventively. Let’s take a closer look.

Dr. Yurkovsky, another outstanding physician in this field, explains: "The linings of the arteries are not just "pipes" as is often explained to patients. They are lifelike. They consist of 98 different enzyme systems which are supposed to maintain the most important function: to allow the oxygen and nutrients to permeate freely through the linings and into the tissues and heart muscle… Often the degree of arterial disease is mistakenly judged by the size of the blockage…In disease, half of these enzymatic systems are destroyed, which leads to the formation of insoluble complexes being deposited and injuring the intima (inner lining) of the artery… [They are] made of heavy metals, elastin, lipids and mucopolysaccharides. [This] leads to an increase in collagen which is impermeable and a decrease in elastin which increases permeability of the vessels."9 He goes on to describe the two types of lesions found in the blood vessels. One type is plaque, which is easily seen by cardiac catheterization and angiograms, and the other is diffuse lesions which are calcium deposits behind the lining that cannot be measured by our technology to date. They impair the transport of oxygen and nutrients to the muscle, leading to slow degeneration to the tissue. Over time metabolism changes from aerobic to anaerobic. The byproduct of this is the production of lactic acid, which increases nerve sensitivity and irritability, which is perceived by the brain as anginal pain.

Dr. Chris Calapai, member of the American College of Nutrition and professor of family practice at New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, adds to this. "[EDTA] has an affinity for certain heavy metals such as aluminum, mercury, lead, cadmium and calcium. It will bind them and… push them out of the system into the urine. When the calcium is removed from the plaque, [the vessel tissue] becomes softer. With proper diet and supplementation, the plaque regresses and dissolves…As serum calcium decreases, the body responds by secreting parathyroid hormone which will mobilize calcium production in the bone, thereby strengthening it…after about three months of chelation therapy patients show an increase in bone density, making it an indirect treatment for osteoporosis."11 With regard to free radicals, he adds that the use of chelation therapy also opens up insulin receptor sites, thereby decreasing the body’s need for extra secretion of insulin. In patients with peripheral vascular disease, hypertension and carotid artery disease, a pattern of improvement is evident. Blood pressure decreases, atherosclerosis decreases, peripheral circulation increases (thereby increasing the supply of nutrients to the tissues for metabolism and healing), fibrous vessels become pliable and bone density increases.12 It has actually saved patients from having to have painful and debilitating amputations.

A Brief history of Chelation Therapy

First used in Nazi Germany in 1935 as a replacement for citric acid, it was used in the fabric industry to prevent stains from the calcium present in the hard water. Dr. Schacter notes that during World War II chelating agents (not EDTA) were being used when arsenical gases were being used. We also found that in the 1940’s radiation poisoning was well treated with chelating agents, which removed the heavy metals that emitted radioactivity from the body.13 At the same time EDTA was being used to remove calcium from pipes and boilers.14 It wasn’t until 1948 that EDTA was first used in the treatment of lead poisoning. Since then it has become the premier method of treating lead poisoning as well as other heavy metal toxicities. Interestingly these patients also showed marked improvement in their health; it seemed to eliminate symptoms of atherosclerosis. Dr. Norman Clarke, Director of research at Providence Hospital in Detroit, began research with EDTA while treating lead poisoned auto workers, and noted that after treating several hundred patients with it, reported that "in occlusive vascular disease of the brain there has been uniform relief of vertigo, and the signs of senility, even when advanced, have been significantly relieved…In summary, the treatment of atherosclerotic vascular complications with the chelating agent, EDTA is supported by a large volume of information."15 Since that article, two medical researchers, Drs. Lawrence and Kitchell, received a grant to study chelation therapy. Their research showed that while patients with vascular disease secondary to diabetes improved, that their improvement was only temporary. Since then, a growing number of highly competent, board certified physicians have continued research on chelation therapy, in spite of the unfavorable responses and lack of support by the traditional medical industry and they continued to find that chelation is a safe, effective, inexpensive, easily administered alternative to surgeries and medication. In fact, it appears to deal with the biochemical causes of diseases such as heart disease due to plaque buildup, heavy metal toxicity, peripheral vascular disease and diabetes, versus dealing with the symptoms alone, as traditional medicine so ineffectively does.