Cardiovascular Disease & Chelation Therapy

Cardiovascular disease is a major killer of adults in the United States. One major symptom of the disease is atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis typically leads to blood vessel changes that may ultimately trigger a heart attack or stroke. Since the 1960s, alternative and other practitioners have promoted a treatment for heavy-metal poisoning, known as chelation therapy, as an effective remedy for atherosclerosis.

What is Chelation Therapy?

Chelation therapy is a longstanding medical technique used to combat poisoning from contact with heavy, toxic metals. It involves the intravenous administration of a man-made amino acid called ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA). EDTA works by chelating---seeking out and binding with---toxic metals, allowing them to be excreted in the urine. EDTA is also capable of chelating the mineral calcium, which is a building block in the formation of artery-hardening plaque. According to alternative practitioners, this capability should allow EDTA to break down that plaque and help reverse the effects of atherosclerosis. Some doctors have also proposed EDTA chelation as a method of preventing atherosclerosis.

Chelation Treatments

Chelation therapy may be practiced legally by a licensed medical doctor or an osteopath (a practitioner who augments regular medical treatment with specific body-manipulation techniques). If you undergo chelation therapy, you will typically receive a physical examination prior to treatment. After this exam, you will receive an intravenous dose of EDTA that will take two to four hours to administer. This chelation session will then be followed by additional sessions over the next month. The exact number of sessions is determined by your doctor, and may range from five to 30 individual treatments. After this first month, maintenance sessions are usually scheduled once a month.

Potential side effects of EDTA include kidney failure, heartbeat irregularities, shock, bone-marrow depression, allergic reaction, respiratory arrest and hypotension (low blood pressure). Your doctor will monitor you for signs of complications during chelation treatment.

Adjuncts to Treatment

In addition to the chelation therapy itself, your doctor will also likely ask you to take certain steps to reinforce the treatment's effectiveness. If you smoke, you may need to quit. You also may need to lose weight, or begin eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in meat and saturated fats. In addition to medically supervised chelation treatment, you may also have access to proprietary "oral chelation" compounds, which claim to provide the same benefits as intravenous chelation without the time commitment and expense.

A Word of Caution

If you are interested in undergoing supervised chelation therapy or using oral chelation products, be aware that as of 2009 there is no scientific evidence that either of these methods is effective in treating atherosclerosis. Much of the evidence in favor of chelation is anecdotal---meaning that it is based in first-hand accounts and perceptions rather than peer-reviewed science. Before proceeding with chelation treatment, seek the advice of your personal physician or a cardiologist.