Chelation therapy involves injecting a solution known as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, or EDTA, into your bloodstream to remove toxic heavy metals from your body. Chelation therapy is also sometimes used to remove calcium deposits in the arteries that lead to atherosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries." Undergoing chelation therapy at the same time as dialysis or when you have any medical condition that impairs your kidney function could be extremely dangerous and even fatal.
Function
The EDTA solution used in chelation therapy is thought to bind or adhere to heavy metals and minerals like calcium, mercury, iron, arsenic and lead, then remove them from your body through your urine, explains the University of Michigan Health System. When EDTA binds to these heavy metals and minerals, it creates a compound that your body is able to excrete through your kidneys, says the American Heart Association.
Effects
Chelation therapy is most commonly used to treat poisoning due to heavy metals like lead and mercury, MayoClinic.com says. Although chelation therapy is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat heavy metal poisoning, its purported use in treating coronary artery disease or atherosclerosis is still unproven, notes the University of Michigan Health System. The fact that EDTA binds to and removes calcium from the blood instigated the idea that chelation therapy could benefit people with atherosclerosis, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. That's because people with atherosclerosis have a buildup of plaque deposits in their arteries, which are composed of calcium.
Considerations
Chelation therapy and dialysis are not necessarily the safest treatments to undergo concurrently. If you're on dialysis due to kidney problems like kidney disease, chelation therapy could make your condition worse, warns the American Heart Association. In fact, chelation therapy has actually caused kidney failure--specifically, renal tubular necrosis--in people who've required dialysis due to the damage from EDTA. Therefore, if you have kidney disease or kidney failure, you shouldn't have chelation therapy at all, warns the University of Michigan Health System.
Dangers
Aside from the main danger of kidney failure and permanent kidney damage, chelation therapy may also cause side effects like headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting, MayoClinic.com warns. More serious risks include sudden blood-pressure drops, mineral deficiencies, low blood sugar, thrombophlebitis and anemia due to an impaired ability to produce new red blood cells. Chelation therapy with EDTA isn't safe for children, pregnant women or people with heart failure, cautions the University of Michigan Health System.
Expert Insight
According to the American Heart Association, most respectable medical authorities don't support chelation therapy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, American College of Physicians, National Institutes of Health, American Medical Association and other medical institutions have stated that there isn't enough scientific evidence that chelation therapy actually works and there are serious concerns about the risks, specifically those relating to kidney damage. Considering these serious dangers and questionable efficacy relating to chelation therapy, you should undergo the therapy only after consulting your doctor, MayoClinic.com advises.
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