Chelation Therapy

What is Chelation Therapy?

The word chelate is derived from the Greek word chele, which refers to the claw of a crab or lobster, implying a strong binding action by the chelating agent to another compound. Chelation therapy involves administering specific agents (orally or intravenously) to bind toxic compounds in the blood or tissues of the body.

What is Chelation Therapy Used For?

Toxins have been implicated in the development of many health conditions – everything from hormonal imbalances, to autoimmune disease to diseases of aging such as dementia and cardiovascular disease. When toxic compounds accumulate in the body – due to excessive exposure or a defect in the body’s ability to metabolize and/or eliminate toxins – many normal cellular functions can be disrupted. Some toxins (such as heavy metals) have the ability to displace nutrients and block enzymatic reactions that are essential to health. The result is dysfunction that can occur in the organ or tissue where the toxins accumulate eventually leading to some form of disease.

Toxic metals – such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium and aluminum are the most damaging of toxic compounds. Biologically, some toxic metals have a strong binding affinity for chemical bonds at the level of our DNA and can in fact be mutagenic (causing DNA damage) in certain biological environments, thereby raising the risk of cancer and other chronic disease. Others disrupt hormone, immune or neurological function, contributing to disease in those systems.

The process of removing toxic metals is known as Chelation Therapy. Chelation therapy is most effective when administered by the intravenous route. The origin of chelation therapy dates back to 1940, when it was first used to treat lead poisoning using a chelating agent known as EDTA. Later, it became evident that EDTA chelation therapy plays a significant role in reversing the mechanisms that promote atherosclerotic plaque formations (diseased arteries), which subsequently cause heart disease and peripheral vascular diseases.

Today, EDTA chelation therapy is administered safely by intravenous methods to help prevent and treat cardiovascular disease (heart disease and other venous or arterial disorders) and cerebrovascular disease (such as stroke and vascular dementia).

Other chelating agents, such as DMPS, bind toxic metals such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium, aluminum and lead. Each chelating agent has beneficial application depending on the condition to be treated and how it is administered. Vitamin C, glutathione, chlorella and cilantro also have chelating ability, although significantly weaker than DMPS and EDTA. One or more chelating agents (IV and oral) may be used in combination to achieve the desired outcome.

Chelation Therapy For Heart & Brain Health

Accumulation of lead and other pathological toxic metals such as arsenic, mercury and cadmium, along with excess amounts of iron or calcium, can accumulate in the arteries and other tissues of the body. This accumulation can lead to free radical damage, micro-inflammation and increased vulnerability to infection of the blood vessels, which in turn, initiates the process of atherosclerosis leading to arteriosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries). When blood supply is reduced, the tissue affected (such as the brain, heart, kidney) will lack oxygen, and the delivery of vital nutrients and removal of waste is compromised. The affected tissue or organ begins to starve and become diseased.

Toxic metals are not easily removed by the body’s standard detoxification methods unless provoked by a chelating agent to bind and mobilize the toxic agent(s) that the body can subsequently eliminate. With repeated EDTA chelation treatments, the atherosclerotic plaque begins to diminish. Simultaneously, a re-modeling of the diseased artery occurs, helping to restore health and integrity to the vascular supply of the heart, kidney, brain and other organs and tissues.

What Can I Expect With Chelation Treatments?

The objective of chelation therapy for heart disease is to restore the health of the arteries. It is one of the most potent anti-aging therapies available. It improves tissue (arteries, skin, organs, etc.) structure – restoring strength and elasticity to all the tissues in the body. Restoring blood flow and reducing resistance in the arteries enhances the delivery of oxygen and other vital nutrients to the tissue that the vessel supplies. Such effects are desirable in a majority of cardiovascular diseases. The end result is restoration of normal blood flow to the heart and entire vascular system. Chelation therapies often result in the reversal of bone loss (i.e. osteoporosis or osteopenia) by stimulating the formation of new and healthy bone, thereby improving overall bone density.

When used to treat toxicity affecting hormone, immune or neurological health patients who utilize chelation therapy as part of a complete program will notice their symptoms improve as the underlying disease is reversed and balance is restored. For instance, when DMPS therapy is utilized to target mercury toxicity, patients will notice their symptoms begin to improve by the 4th or 5th DMPS treatment.

How Many Treatments Will I Need?

EDTA chelation is often administered one to two times per week for 20-30 treatments. Some individuals may however, require more therapy for sustained clinical improvement. DMPS treatments are administered every 3-5 weeks and the total number will vary depending on the toxic burden of the individual. We use urinary toxic metal analysis with every 3rd or 4th DMPS treatment as an indirect gauge of total body burden and to monitor excretion levels. When levels are within the safe range, DMPS chelation therapy is complete.

Are There Any Drug Interactions?

Many patients who undergo chelation therapy are on medications (i.e. blood pressure lowering medications, anti-arrhythmic medications, anti-cholesterol medications, anti-diabetic medications, etc.) at the time of start of their treatment. With successive treatments, many will require medication dose or frequency reduction or complete cessation of their medications.

Is Chelation Therapy Safe?

We have performed over 10,000 Chelation treatments at Port Moody Health without any serious adverse effect.

In British Columbia, only qualified physicians – NDs or MDs – who are board certified in intravenous therapy, Chelation therapy and have prescriptive authority are permitted to administer chelation treatments. When these criteria are met and the treatment is delivered under the guidance of an experienced and trained physician, chelation therapy is extremely safe.

Not everyone is a candidate for chelation therapy. Those who do qualify for chelation therapy are carefully monitored on site by our clinicians and support staff throughout the duration of treatment. Blood work is performed prior to and at certain points over the course of treatment to ensure adequate function of the kidneys and liver. The dose and frequency of chelation treatment will be determined by the presence or absence of pre-existing kidney or liver disease, and the overall status of the patient.

To ensure safety and efficacy, Chelation therapy should be part of a complete program to mobilize toxins from deep tissue while simultaneously supporting detoxification pathways and removal from the body. At Port Moody Health, we begin with a comprehensive nutritional and toxicity evaluation and accordingly customize a program to restore your health. Once the Chelation program is completed, we design a maintenance program to help you maintain your new health.

Call (604) 949-0077 to book an initial consultation.