Francis Said:

Why is chelation therapy alternative or non standard?

We Answered:

Chelation therapy gets rid of excess metals in your body, which is great if you have excess metals (eg haemochromatosis). Most people don't, so there is no logical reason why it would work. For heart disease, I can't find any evidence that it works. The limited studies that have been done are generally so poorly run that the results are meaningless, and the rest show no benefit.

Then we have to take into account the risks vs benefits.
Risks: we don't 100% know, because there hasn't been enough research. One study on rats found it caused lasting brain damage. There have been deaths reported, and many more reports of kidney failure. Another risk is that the patients will use this instead of treatments that may actually help them.
The side effects include fever, headache, nausea, stomach upset, vomiting, convulsions, bone marrow depression (dropping blood cell counts), a drop in blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias, respiratory arrest, and hypocalcemia.
Benefits: ...well you won't have lead poisoning, but it won't do much for your heart

Some doctors will do it because it will make them very rich.

It is not taken seriously because there is plenty of evidence that it can cause harm and virtually no evidence of benefit.

Carolyn Said:

Does chelation therapy deplete necessary nutrients or chemicals in your body?

We Answered:

Chelation therapy is only useful if the patient truly has an excess of a given mineral, which must be removed. This is not particularly common... and with respect to cardiovascular disease, iron would be the metal at issue. If your mom has a true excess of iron, chelation is an option. But it's not the only (or even the best) option.

You use different drugs to remove different metals (the meds have differing affinities.) But yes. In all cases, there is a danger of chelating out essential minerals. So levels must be monitored and sometimes the essential minerals must be supplemented during treatment.

Now... there are other safer, more effective options for atherosclerosis. You could talk to your mom's doc about trying allicin. Allicin is a garlic extract and the science is really promising that garlic extract can help prevent and even reverse atherosclerosis. Unfortunately, the garlic extract pills are not cheap. (Garlic is inexpensive, so you'd think it would be, hey? Frustrating. The reason it's not is that the people selling the pills are also the people doing the research... so they fund their research with revenue from product sales.)

Polyphenols, fish oils, dietary changes to reduce cholesterol... there are LOTS of other treatment options. And often a multi-factorial approach is the best bet to strike a balance between quality of life and ease on the pocketbook. You may want to take your mom in to consult with a naturopathic doctor to tailor a plan to mom's needs.

In Canada, check www.cand.ca to find a qualified ND in your area. In the US check www.naturopathic.org.

Wishing you and your mom the best of health!

Brad Said:

Should we supplement minerals before or after a Chelation therapy?

We Answered:

Whichever yu choose, always take chelated minerals. Just makes it easier for your body to absorb. If you are eating lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, mostly raw, and mostly organic, you should be OK in the mineral dept.

Linda Said:

Chelation Therapy.?

We Answered:

Frankly, I don't think chelation therapy works at all, much less "so well", and I think this is why most doctors won't buy into it. Smoke and mirrors.

Earl Said:

Does anyone have any comments about chelation therapy? I have heard it's great for clearing blocked arteries?

We Answered:

Hello Dave,

I to have heard both the good and the bad about chelation therapy. Some saying it does nothing but extract your cash, and others saying it is a cure all. I have researched this also and am equally confused. Who are we to believe?

I believe that the medical communtiy as a whole is unwilling to accept anything other than traditional therapies because that is how they generate there revenue. It's kind of like the pharmaceutical industry pushing all these statin drugs as if this will eradicate heart disease. Statins are helpful, but they are certainly not a cure all as heart disease certainly has not diminsihed since they were introduced. The single most important think that statin drugs accomplish in the eyes of the medical communtiy is revenue. It's all about the money, and patient care is secondary.

I believe that chilation therapy would be helpful. There is simply to much data out there that indicates that it can reduce coronary blockages. It may not be as helpful as some claim, but certainly more helpful than what those focused only on traditional therapies may beleive. I think chelation therapy would be an option I would certainly consider if I had been diagnosed with cad. If one's options are stents or bypass surgery, I for one would give chelation therapy a chance before I proceeded with the traditional therapies.

In addtion to the chelation therapy, there are lifestyle changes such as the Dean Ornish plan which have been documented to prevent and start the process of reversing coranary artery disease. In addition, supplements such as L-Lysien and L-Proline look promising as studies have indicated a regiman that included these supplements reduced blockages.

In a nutshell, we can't believe everything we hear from the medical community. We must always consider if there is a monetery motive for whatever there claims regarding a therapy may be. Apply common sense, and most importantly, remember this: If a patient sees a doctor and is diagnosed with some sort of disease, the doctor will almost always pursue a course of action in his therapy that will generate revenue for his practice, even if it is not the most effective remedy, as the physicians primary concern is revenue, not patient care.

Vincent Said:

Can anyone point to any clinical trials showing oral chelation therapy works to unclog arteries?

We Answered:

Yolky - The problem is that there IS no good research showing that oral chelation therapy works. Believe me, if there were an effective treatment for coronary disease that the world had not yet caught on to, cardiologists the world over would be jumping on the opportunity to uncover "the next big thing" and become rich and famous.

I'm happy to point you to a very good review article. This article analyzes five randomized control trials (the most scientifically valid kind). Two trials, including a total of 19 patients, suggested that there is a benefit to EDTA chelation therapy. However, the other three, which included a total of 269 patients, showed no benefit. If you read through the article, references that will help you find all of the trials are included.

As you might guess, trials involving small numbers of patients are more likely to be affected by chance. You could easily imagine flipping a coin twice, for example, and having it land on heads both times. Based on that result, you might mistakenly claim that coins always land on heads. It is much less likely that you could flip a coin 100 times and have it land on heads every single time. Therefore, it would be much less likely that you would make the false conclusion that coins always land on heads.

Hope that helps!