Chelation is a therapy often suggested for heart disease and stroke by alternative practitioners and even some conventional doctors. Chelation does have a legitimate use when used to treat heavy metal toxicity, says Mayo Clinic experts. However, clinical trials suggest that chelation therapy comes with more serious dangers than those seeking this treatment are aware.
What Is Chelation Therapy?
Chelation therapy is a treatment in which ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) is introduced into the blood intravenously, according to the American Heart Association. When used to remove heavy metals from the body, such as mercury or lead, EDTA binds with these metals and permits them to pass out of the body in the urine. Theoretically, chelation therapy could treat heart disease by binding to calcium that clogs the arteries in a similar manner. Although chelation has demonstrated positive benefits for those with heavy metal poisoning, the AHA notes that chelation therapy is not approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to treat heart disease or any other medical condition.
What Critics of Chelation Say
Chelation therapy is a subject of much debate among health care practitioners. A May 2008 article in the "Medscape Journal of Medicine" states a few cases in the late 1950s and early1960s that suggest that chelation therapy was helpful for heart disease and resulted in the formation of the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM). This organization is comprised of medical practitioners advocating the treatment for heart diseases and other medical conditions. Remarkable claims have been made about chelation therapy by ACAM. Such claims include that it prolongs life in up to 90 percent of patients who receive it. Despite four controlled trials conducted on chelation therapy in the 1990s that revealed it to be ineffective in treating heart disease, those in support of chelation continue to advocate its use.
Chelation Therapy Side Effects
According to the Mayo Clinic, the safety of chelation therapy is of particular concern. Side effects of chelation therapy include a burning feeling at the injection site, precipitous drop in blood pressure, fever, headache, nausea and vomiting. Chelation therapy may result in the body being unable to create new blood cells and permanent kidney damage and kidney failure. Clinical trials--those that study the effects of chelation in people--have also shown that this treatment can, in some cases, result in death.
Chelation Therapy Study
According to the AHA, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute announced a large, lengthy clinical study to assess the effectiveness and safety of chelation therapy to treat coronary heart disease, otherwise known as the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT). The study is comprised of almost 2,000 participants of 50 years of age or older and commenced in 2003. The AHA notes that the study should be complete sometime in 2010.
Chelation Therapy Scams
Chelation therapy is also dangerous when patients have no need for the therapy. The National Council Against Health Fraud cautions that unethical health care practitioners use dubious means of testing for heavy metal toxicity, such as analyzing strands of a patient's hair, to diagnose a nonexistent medical condition (blood testing is used to determine if heavy metals are present in the body). The council states that lead poisoning in adults is actually extremely rare and occurs mainly due to lead exposure at work or by refinishing a house with lead paint without taking safety precautions. Chelation therapy scams involve health insurance fraud, if the practitioner renders a false diagnosis and attempts to collect money for the treatment.
Bottom Line
Concerns about the effectiveness of chelation therapy has generated rigorous debate for a number of years. The National Council Against Health Fraud, which does not support spending federal dollars to study chelation therapy, points out that it was listed as one of the "Top Ten Health Frauds" by the FDA in 1989. According to the "Medscape Journal of Medicine," proponents of chelation therapy have touted the treatment as a cure-all for a variety of unrelated conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, autism, cancer, stomach ulcers and back pain, in addition to heart disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, the AHA does not support chelation therapy as a way to treat heart disease.
References
- Why the NIH Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) Should Be Abandoned
- National Council Against Health Fraud: Chelation Therapy: Unproven Claims and Unsound Theories
- U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services: Chelation Therapy
- American Heart Association: Chelation Therapy
- Mayo Clinic: Chelation Therapy for Heart Disease
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