Chelation & Natural Therapy

Chelation is sometimes called a miracle cure, a treatment that can alleviate heart problems without surgery. It's billed as a natural alternative, a simple treatment or supplement that will improve circulation and make you feel healthier and more alert. However, the science behind chelation therapy has come into question. If you're considering chelation therapy, make sure you know what you'll be paying for before you commit.

Atherosclerosis and Plaque

Chelation therapy is usually recommended for people with a disease called atherosclerosis. The American Heart Association defines atherosclerosis as "hardening of the arteries." Over time, the inner walls of your arteries can become lined with plaque. This plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances. Atherosclerosis usually becomes a problem later in life, when plaque builds up to the point that arteries become constricted and inflexible. Your heart has to work harder to pump blood through your narrowed arteries, and you can end up with a heart attack or stroke.

Function of EDTA

Chelation therapy centers around the use of EDTA, an inorganic amino acid whose full name is ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid. EDTA is used in lead or mercury poisoning, because it can latch onto these heavy metals and help your body excrete them. EDTA also binds to calcium, which is one of the components of arterial plaque. The term chelation actually refers to the process whereby EDTA seeks out and binds to these molecules.

Chelation Speculation

Because EDTA is effective at removing calcium in the body, scientists in the 1960s tested it on heart disease patients. It was hoped that high doses of EDTA could remove enough calcium from built-up plaque that the remainder would eventually break up and clear away. According to a summary by Dr. Saul Green, two medical studies showed promising results: many of their patients claimed to feel better. However, measurable medical benefits were never proven. Nonetheless, a series of books was published in the 1980s, claiming that chelation was an effective treatment for atherosclerosis.

Scientific Research

In 2000, The Journal of American Medicine published a controlled study of chelation therapy. After administering chelation to 39 patients, its authors found that there was "no evidence to support a beneficial effect of chelation therapy." Later that year, the American Heart Journal published a review of all clinical investigations of chelation. "The most striking finding," the review's author wrote, "is the almost total lack of convincing evidence for efficacy." In fact, the author recommends that chelation may cause more harm than good, and that the treatment should be considered obsolete. Despite these conclusions, the National Institutes of Health will conduct a new, wider-ranging study in 2010.

Warning

According to the National Institutes of Health, EDTA's most common side effect is a burning sensation at the injection site. However, there are other side effects including fever, headache, nausea and vomiting. Very rare side effects include heart failure, dropping blood pressure, abnormally low blood calcium, permanent kidney damage and low blood cell counts. If you decide to undergo chelation therapy, consult a trained health professional who can help you avoid these side effects.