Does chelation therapy work?

Photo of a model of the heart and major arteries and veins.

“Chelation therapy can work orally to remove metals and to soften hard arteries, but don’t waste your money getting intravenous chelation therapy! If you think that your IV chelation therapy worked then show me an “arterial stiffness assessment test” that went from hard (atherosclerotic) to normal”, says, Dr. Michael Wald, Blooddetective in Westchester, NY. The combination of proper diet and oral chelators is proven to work for the removal of heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium and even the toxin arsenic. One must be careful not to chelate minerals, which can disturb many types of essential metabolic reactions in the body such as bone health (excessive chelation may cause osteopenia or possibly osteoporosis. IV chelation has its indications, but is often over-recommended and underappreciated in terms of its adverse effects.

The term chelation is from the Greek root word “chele,” meaning “claw.” Chelating agents, most commonly diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA), were originally designed for industrial applications in the early 1900s. However, varieties of chelation agents are available and should be carefully chosen for the specific toxin(s) that must be removed. Chelation therapy also removes various nutrients including zinc; a deficiency of which can reduce immune function, but there are dozens of potential nutrient deficiencies and health problems that could result from the use of intravenous (IV) chelation therapy which is why Dr. Wald prefers more natural chelation solutions.

Oral Chelation

Photo of lava displaying earth heavy metals.

• Dr. Wald provides oral chelation efforts in the form of foods and specially chosen nutritional supplements.

• Intravenous chelation therapy is only required when someone prefers not to manage their health with foods and nutritional supplements; however, there are specific toxins and health conditions that require the use of prescribed chelating agents either orally or intravenously.

• Regardless of your choice of chelation methods, the right chelator(s) should be chosen otherwise the chelation effort may be useless, harmful or both. Below are a few examples of the appropriate chelators for a specific toxin.

• Dr. Wald never recommends individual chelation efforts unless they are recommended in context with a personalized health plan based upon detailed labs, Dr. Wald’s health intake, questionnaires and other forms of individual evaluation.

  Important! All chelation efforts must include:

• Supplementation with appropriate minerals to offset the effect that all forms of chelation can have upon reducing body stores of minerals like calcium, iron, copper and zinc to name a few.

• Chelation is the removal of either heavy metals or minerals that are too high in the body – the removal process is only part of the health building process.

• Remove the toxins (via chelation when appropriate) then remediate with the appropriate minerals and nutrients (pre and post lab tests to know that your efforts are working) and repair the rest of the body as it may have been affected by the toxins(s).

• Removal is not healing, but only part of the process in many cases.

Oral chelation in the form of nutritional chelators may have the potential to reduce inflammation that may be associated with a variety of neuromusculoskeletal problems.

The information presented herein is for educational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for sound medical or health advice. The chelators/detoxifiers below are not complete not are each chelator recommended for each person. The toxin but also the entirety of an individuals health are all considered by Dr. Wald before choosing the chelation effort.

Toxin Chelating Detoxifiers

Aluminum – Elimination of citric acid and MSG from the diet as they increase aluminum absorption, magnesium and calcium ascorbate, EDTA, vitamin C, zinc, calcium, flavanoids, methylated B-vitamins, pyruvate, amino acid complex, insoluble fiber, etc.

Arsenic – Vitamin C, vitamin E, reduced glutathione, methylated forms of B12 and folic acid, insoluble fiber, betaine hydrochloride, zinc, B-vitamins, amino acid complex, etc.

Mercury -Reduced glutathione, calcium gluconate, probiotics, EDTA, betaine hydrochloride

Lead -Alpha-lipoic acid, selenium, reduced glutathione, molybdnum, potassium, insoluble fiber, uva ursi, EDTA, L-methione, marshmellow extract, etc.

(Not all medical chelation medications are not listed here)

Dr. Wald warns, “Chelation efforts should not be taken lightly. Many natural approaches do not work for serious toxic issues regardless fo whether a person feels that they do. The bottom line is that the ttoxins(s) must be identified with reliable standardized efforts and re-tested. Also, THE CAUSE OF TOXIN ACCUMULATION IS SOMETIMES EXPOSURE TO TOO MUCH TOXIN, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE FROM A TINY LEVEL OF TOXIN EXPOSURE THAT HAS BIO-ACCUMULATED OVER TIME. FIXING THE ORGANS ABILITY TO DETOXIFY ALONG WITH IDENTIFICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SOURCES OF TOXINS IS ESSENTIAL.

EXPERIMENTAL/INVESTIGATIONAL – our approach may be considered Investigational and/or experimental as defined in the following manner (see below):

Investigational” or “Experimental

“Investigational” or “experimental” refers to the use of a service, procedure or supply that is not recognized by your insurance company and/or the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and/or the AMA (American Medical Association) or other appropriate boards and/or governing bodies or organizations (all of the aforementioned considered as “PLAN”), as standard medical care for the condition, disease, illness or injury being treated. A service, procedure or supply includes, but is not limited to the diagnostic service, treatment, facility, equipment, drug or device. A service is considered investigational (experimental) if any of the following criteria are met:

1. The services, procedures or supplies requiring Federal or other Governmental body approval, such as drugs and devices, do not have unrestricted market approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or final approval from any other governmental regulatory body for use in treatment of a specified condition. Any approval that is granted as an interim step in the regulatory process is not a substitute for final or unrestricted market approval.

2. There is insufficient or inconclusive medical and scientific evidence to permit the Plan to evaluate the therapeutic value of the service, procedure or supply. (Adequate evidence is defined as at least two documents of medical and scientific evidence that indicate that the proposed treatment is likely to be beneficial to the member.)

3. There is inconclusive medical and scientific evidence in peer-reviewed medical literature that the service, procedure or supply has a beneficial effect on health outcomes.

4. The service, procedure or supply under consideration is not as beneficial as any established alternatives and is not a replacement for the standard of medical care for your health condition(s).

5. There is insufficient information or inconclusive scientific evidence that, when used in a non-investigational setting, the service, procedure or supply has a beneficial effect on health outcomes or is as beneficial as any established alternatives.

If any portion of this notice is deemed unenforceable, the remainder will remain potentially enforceable and in effect.

SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES

1. Carson B.L., H.V. Ellis and J.L. McCann Toxicology and Biological Monitoring of Metals in Humans, Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, MI, 1987, p. 27-33.

2. Tsalev D.L. and Z.K. Zaprianov Atomic Absorption Spectrometry in Occupational and Environmental Health Practice, Vol. I, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL 1983, p. 87-93.

3. Clarkson T.W., et al., Eds. Biological Monitoring of Toxic Metals. Plenum Press,New York NY 1988, p. 309-315.

4. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, various editions, McGraw Hill, New York, NY.

5. Science News, April 6, 2002; p 214