Chelation Therapy
The term chelation (pronounced key-lay-shun) is derived from “chelos”, the Greek word for claw. Chelation therapy is an established treatment, used in conventional medicine for removing heavy metals and in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. In addition, chelation therapy has been used in the treatment of autoimmune, neurodegenerative and other diseases.
Heavy Metals
Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic are toxic to the body. High levels of these toxic metals in the body often result in a wide range of debilitating symptoms. Lead toxicity can lead to higher rates of Parkinsonism and cognitive decline in adults, and learning, and behavioral difficulties in children. Mercury exposure is associated with mood disturbances, cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure, infertility and immune dysfunction. Arsenic is a known carcinogen and can increase the risk for diabetes.
A number of different chelating agents are used in chelation therapy. Your doctor will choose the appropriate one depending on the mineral or heavy metal to be chelated. For example, DMPS is commonly used in treating mercury toxicity and EDTA is used in treating lead toxicity. In addition to using pharmaceutical chelating agents we also include natural agents, such as dietary fiber, cilantro, chlorella, etc., to be taken during your treatment for increased chelation and detoxification support.
Cardiovascular Disease
Chelation therapy is also used in the treatment of cardiovascular. TACT (Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy) was the first large scale study to determine the efficacy and safety of chelation therapy, with or without high-dose vitamins, for those with cardiovascular disease including prior heart attacks, coronary artery disease, diabetes, etc. The preliminary results of this 10 year, $31 million study show that EDTA chelation therapy produced modest, but statistically significant reductions in cardiovascular events. Patients with diabetes were more positively impacted showing a 40% reduction in risk of death from heart disease, 52% reduction in recurrent heart attacks and 43% reduction in death from any cause. Gervasio Lamas, M.D., the study’s principal investigator, remarked “These are striking results that, if supported by future research, could point the way towards new treatments to prevent complications of diabetes”.
Other Conditions
Research studies investigating the implications of chelation therapy on autism, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease, macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis and others have been published. See below for links to research and literature on chelation therapy.
Dr. Devin Wilson uses intravenous and oral chelation therapy for both cardiovascular disease and heavy metal burden with great success. He was trained by the American Academy of the Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) and is a Certified Chelation Therapy provider.