Monday 20 May 2019

Discovering The Benefits Of Oral Chelation Therapy

By Frances Howard


Heart attacks are often considered the leading cause of death among people in the United States. While most often individuals having heart disease or having experienced a heart attack are treated through changes in lifestyle, others are now looking to oral chelation therapy. In this type of treatment, a compound known as EDTA, a man-made solution is infused into the body.

In this type of therapy, an ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid or EDTA solution, not yet approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration is often used to provide relief. Even without such approval, a study in 2007 showed that there were over 10,000 people in the United States opting for this treatment. Ultimately, the substance provides a chemical process using molecules to bind and hold metals and minerals in the body in place.

The therapy was originally used to eliminate toxic and excess metals from the body. EDTA has had some uses in Western medicine, mostly with regards to iron overload and lead poisoning. Whereas, when used to treat heart disease, a health care provider generally administers a series of injections into the veins over time which include disodium EDTA, a man made amino acid. In most cases, the treatment requires individuals to complete thirty or more infusions which can often take several hours per visit, most often on a weekly basis.

To determine whether or not this type of therapy may be helpful, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute along with the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health or NCCIH sponsored a trial to examine the success rate of chelation therapy on individuals whom had a previous history of heart attacks. Ultimately, the trial showed that the infusions provided a modest reduction in cardiovascular events. Whereas, further examination showed that the treatment only benefited cardiovascular patients with a history of diabetes.

As only 1/3 of the participants were known to have diabetes, the results varied. However, in most cases, these individuals showed a 41 percent drop in cardiovascular events, a 40% risk of death due to coronary events, stroke and non-fatal heart attacks. Participants in this group also showed a 52% percent drop in repetitive heart attacks and a 43% drop in deaths from non-related causes. Whereas, most individuals whom did not have diabetes reported no significant benefits from having received the infusions.

The trial also looked at people taking high dosages of mineral and vitamin supplements in addition to the injections. In most cases, the results showed that the supplements along with the injections reduced the risk of heart attacks in the chelation therapy group versus participants whom were only given placebos.

During the trial, sixteen percent of individuals receiving the chelation therapy and fifteen percent receiving placebos ceased the injections due to adverse reactions. In four cases, the events were serious. Whereas, there was one death in each the chelation therapy group and the placebo group. To date, the main side of effect related to EDTA remains a burning sensation when the solution is placed in the vein.

As with almost all medical studies, more research is needed before a final determination as to the success of the therapy can be made. For, these reports are from the first study ever conducted. As such, the information provided through the study does not provide enough detail to support the infusions as being a safe or effective treatment for heart attack victims.




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