Chelation Therapy

Chelation (key-LAY-shun) comes from the Greek word chele meaning “to claw” or “to bind.” Chelation therapy is used to remove unnecessary and toxic metals, and is employed by a growing number of physicians to reverse the process of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). 

The reversal is accomplished, in part, by removing the calcium content of plaque from the artery walls using an intravenous injection of chelating agents. By restoring good circulation to all the body's tissues, chelation therapy can help individuals avoid bypass surgery, reverse gangrene, alleviate intermittent claudition (cramps) of the legs and restore memory.

Due to its ability to remove toxic metal ions and improve mineral balance, chelation therapy reduces internal inflammation caused by free radicals. As a result, chelation can favorably impact degenerative diseases such as arthritis, scleroderma and lupus.

Chelation therapy has been used safely on more than 500,000 patients in the United States for the past forty years, but EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) the drug used as the chelating agent during the infusions, has yet to receive FDA approval beyond use for lead and heavy metal detoxification. Chelation therapy is administered on an outpatient basis, is painless and takes approximately three and a half hours for the intravenous infusion. A series of infusions is required to obtain benefit.

In 2002, NIH (National Institutes of Health) Center for Complementary and Alternative medicine launched a 5-year trial to assess chelation therapy which involved over 2,300 patients at more than 100 research sites across the country. This study represents the first large-scale clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of EDTA chelation therapy in individuals with coronary artery disease. The data collection phase of the study is nearing completion. Early findings have suggested positive outcomes. No date has been set for the release of the official study findings.

Chelation therapy should be evaluated among other interventions on an individual basis to determine the potential for benefit.

Chelation is a commonly used term for many types of heavy metal and/or metal removal. For information regarding mercury removal, please go to the Heavy Metal Detoxification tab on this site.