Exploring The Benefits Of Oral Chelation Therapy

By Frances Howard


Coronary events are currently the leading cause of death among men and women. In fact, these are often the most common deaths of people in the United States. While most often coronary conditions are treated through lifestyle changes such as ceasing smoking, losing weight, lowering blood pressure, medications or surgeries, other treatments such as oral chelation therapy are on the rise.

EDTA used in this therapy has not as of yet been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration or FDA. Still, approximately there were over 110,000 adults in the United States opting for this method of treatment in a study completed in 2007. Ultimately, chelation provides a chemical process which uses a substance to bind molecules such as minerals and metals to hold the molecules tightly in place.

Originally used to eliminate excess waste and toxic metals from the body, the treatment is far from new. For, EDTA has also been used to eliminate iron overload and treat lead poisoning in Western medicine. Whereas, when using the process to treat heart disease, a health care provider carefully provides injections of disodium EDTA into the veins over the course of 30 or more infusions generally on a weekly basis. After which, the treatment moves to a maintenance phase in which infusions are provided on an as needed basis.

To decipher whether or not this therapy may be effective, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health or NCCIH in conjunction with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute sponsored a trial with regards to the benefits of these infusions in individuals with a negative cardiovascular medical history. Ultimately, the trial proved that the infusions did in fact provide the most reduction in cardiovascular events, though only in individuals whom also had diabetes.

Diabetic individuals made up 1/3 of the participants in the chelation therapy group. These individuals showed a forty one percent drop in heart attacks and a forty percent risk of death from heart disease, non-fatal heart attacks or stroke. In addition, forty three percent reported a reduction in death from other causes and a fifty percent reduction in repetitive heart attacks. Whereas, non-diabetic individuals showed no significant benefits from chelation therapy.

The study also looked at individuals taking high dose minerals and vitamins along with the infusions. In most cases, the study showed that the combination provided the most reduction in risk of heart attacks versus the individuals whom were only given placebos during the trial.

Over the course of the study, 16% of individuals receiving chelation therapy and 15% of individuals receiving placebos asked to stop the infusions due to adverse effects. Overall, there were four major events, two deaths, one in each the placebo and chelation group and minor side effects. To date, the primary side effect appears to be burning at or near the injection site during the infusion process.

As with most medical studies, additional research is necessary to fully comprehend these results. For, this is the first study to reveal any benefits. As such, the results alone are not enough to support the ongoing routine of chelation therapy as post-heart attack for treatment in people with or without diabetes.




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