Supporters claim chelation therapy improves upon the natural detoxification processes of your body by helping it remove certain substances like plaque-producing calcium from arteries. However, chelation therapy was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the early 1970s for treating toxic lead levels, and other promises related to this therapy remain unsubstantiated. According to several well-known health organizations such as the American Heart Association, the therapy may in fact cause more harm than good when used for purposes other than reducing extremely high lead levels.
Chelation
The human body removes toxins and waste products from the bloodstream through a complex process that eventually carries these harmful substances out of the body through urination. Your body, however, cannot remove heavy metals such as lead or mercury on its own, and these metals can build to fatal levels in some instances. Typically administered by injection, chelation therapy uses a man-made substance, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or EDTA, which binds to heavy metal and enables your body to eliminate it through the renal system.
Alternative Uses
Believing EDTA also reduces calcium deposits in arteries, some alternative practitioners suggest chelation therapy opens arteries blocked by calcium-containing plaques and thus provides a less invasive therapy than bypass surgery or stenting for treating atherosclerosis. Other advertised uses include treatment for gangrene, multiple sclerosis, thyroid disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, muscular dystrophy and circulation issues associated with diabetes, among others. Some proponents believe chelation therapy helps treat autism, which they feel results from heavy metal exposure through childhood vaccines, and that it may remove environmental toxins from the body that can cause cancer.
Cautions from the Other Side
Due to lack of evidence regarding treatment benefits, according to numerous studies performed between 1956 and 2008, the American Heart Association does not recommend chelation therapy for blocked arteries or other forms of heart disease. Also citing lack of scientific evidence, the American Cancer Society refutes the claims that chelation therapy helps prevent cancer. The FDA points to lack of proof and potential detrimental side effects as just cause for preventing practitioners from making unsubstantiated claims regarding chelation therapy. The American Medical Association notes chelation therapy has only proven effective for treating heavy metal poisoning, significantly elevated blood calcium levels or hypercalcemia and digitalis toxicity. Digitalis is a medication used to slow heart rates and increase contraction strength of the heart.
Side Effects
Chelation therapy can cause irreparable kidney damage, irregular heartbeat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and may temporarily lower blood pressure. Because it removes essential minerals from the body, it may significantly reduce calcium levels and cause bone damage. It might impair the immune system and decrease insulin production. Individuals with kidney disease, liver disease or bleeding disorders and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use chelation therapy. No significant data exists regarding its possible interactions with over-the-counter or prescription medications.
Other Considerations
Typically given as an injection or infused intravenously over several hours, chelation therapy can cost from $50 to $100 per treatment, according to the AHA, and patients receive from five to 40 treatments the first month, usually 30. Patients often return for monthly injections after that. Insurance companies generally do not cover chelation therapy for alternative treatments.
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