Posted July 31, 2023.
Below, image on left side is of the arteries of the heart. Image on right side is of a plaque in an artery.
I had symptoms of a heart attack, but the cause was somewhat of a mystery as I had been a vegetarian salad eat for many years. My cardiologist wanted to perform immediate surgery, in spite of unknown cause. Surgery to be performed would explore where the blockage was. I hesitated in giving my consent to do so, as I needed to time to research and think this body problem over. My research uncovered an alternative to surgery .... the use of non-invasive, intravenous approach and also of 'pill' chelators to remove toxic waste, cholesterol and plaques deposited on the inner lining of arteries, then sending these to the kidneys to be excreted with urine.
This article focuses on exploring the use of over the counter chelation 'pill' medications.
Online chelation commercials were sponsored by entrepreneurs trying to make a fast dollar and do not provide documentation to disclose the whole picture in using their products.
Here is just a small example of these commercials:
Four terms need clarification: EDTA, CBD, Chelation and resveratrol.
EDTA: or Ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid, is a simple amino acid similar in composition to common household vinegar that has the ability to chelate or grab hold of metals, minerals and chemical toxins and remove these from the bloodstream.
While many people take ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, or EDTA, orally as a supplement, to help flush their bodies of toxins or treat conditions such as atherosclerosis, heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, and Alzheimer’s, WebMD cautions that there is no scientific proof to confirm this belief. In spite of the scarce research, EDTA is officially approved in the United States as a food additive, according to the Food and Drug Administration. As calcium disodium EDTA, it is primarily used to maintain a food’s color and as tetrasodium EDTA, it is used in vegetable and fruit washes. Staff writer: Heslth benefits of EDTA 2020CBS: cannabinoid oil, commonly known as CBD. However, not everyone knows how it works. CBD actually has no THC whatsoever. It is completely different. But there was still a problem with the lack of documentation CBD on the market. Palmer: Drs. Phil & Oz CBD treatment for health & clogged arteries 2023
Resveratrol: may help to lower high blood pressure. It is an antioxidant. It may also help some people with liver problems. Resveratrol may help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar. The popularity of resveratrol has led to hundreds of brands flooding the marketplace; however not all supplements are created equal! Unfortunately, more than 90% of resveratrol supplements in the market simply DON’T WORK! PureNature Resveratrol contains the recommended 1200 mg of trans-resveratrol. Drugs.com resveratrol Pure Nature Resveratrol
Chelation:
National Institutes of Health NIH: NIH Trials of EDTA Chelation Therapy for Coronary Heart Disease 2023 defines chelation as a chemical process in which a substance is used to bind molecules, such as metals or minerals, and hold them tightly so that they can be removed from the body. In medicine, chelation has been scientifically proven to rid the body of excess or toxic metals. For example, a person who has lead poisoning may be given chelation therapy in order to bind and remove lead from the body before it can cause damage.
In the case of EDTA chelation therapy, the substance that binds and removes metals and minerals is the salts of EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid), a synthetic, or man-made, amino acid that is delivered intravenously. EDTA was first used in the 1950s for the treatment of heavy metal poisoning. Calcium disodium EDTA chelation removes heavy metals and minerals from the blood, such as lead, iron, copper, and calcium, and is approved by the FDA for use in treating lead poisoning and toxicity from other heavy metals. Rather than testing calcium disodium EDTA, TACT used another salt, disodium EDTA, under an FDA license as an Investigational New Drug. Although disodium EDTA is not approved by the FDA to treat cardiac health disease [CHD], some physicians and alternative medicine practitioners have recommended its use in chelation as a way to treat CHD.
The word “chelation” is taken from the Greek word for “claw” to describe EDTA’s binding and dispatching action in removing poisons and toxins from the body. When EDTA was used to treat patients with lead poisoning, a doctor at Providence Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, noted a peculiar side effect of this therapy. While lead and toxic metals were being flushed out of the patients’ bodies, so was the dangerous substance known as calcium plaque. When excess calcium in the body isn’t directed where it’s needed, like the bones and teeth, it travels through the bloodstream and builds up elsewhere causing problems — in arteries, around joints, kidneys and even the bones of the inner ear. Wong: What is chelation? 2021
Integrative medicine practitioner Doctor Carlos M. Garcia of Utopia Wellness Clinic in Tampa Bay, Florida, states that: Garcia: Chelation Therapy
"When administered properly by a trained physician, Chelation Therapy is a safe and natural therapy. It has been used successfully for over 50 years. Metals are removed, plaque is dissolved throughout your entire circulatory system and blood flow is restored. It may reverse atherosclerosis, lower cholesterol levels, and blood pressure, and help to prevent heart attacks and strokes."
"With 50 years of results and thousands of confirming studies, articles, and reviews, EDTA has been proven to be a safe and incredible treatment that has already been used by over 2 million patients. ....There are over 3,000 research studies, papers, and articles supporting the efficacy of EDTA Chelation Therapy over the past 50 years. These medical studies were conducted by many of the world’s most highly respected medical institutions."
Another practicing integrative medicine doctor, using chelation, is Andrew Lipton, stating that: Lipton: Chelation theapy 2023
"chelation has been reported to help with a multitude of diseases."
"Chelation itself does not cure these diseases but instead it removes the toxic assault to an area and improves the circulation and thereby increasing the healing ability of the body. Chelation therapy is neither quackery nor miracle. It is based on sound scientific and chemical principles. Physicians that perform chelation therapy realize that any therapy to improve health pales in comparison to the body’s own ability to heal and repair itself."
EDTA Chelation Resveratrol: Virginia Tims-Lawson makes claims, without documentation, that her product is safe to use to remove calcium plaques from arteries. She falsely reasons that since EDTA has been federally approved by United States Food and Drug Administration as an additive to baby food, it must also be safe to remove calcium plaques in the blood from adult arteries. Her reasoning ignores the studies pointing out that research is incomplete in this regard. Tims-Lawson: Chelation+ resveratrol EDTA 2023
Herbal medicine: has been in use for of thousands of years to treat heart conditions. About 1548, Chinese herbal doctor, Li Shizhen, published a pharmacopeia of Chinese herbal medicine. Exploring Chinese herbs was not very helpful as there was a translation problem. But two online definitions of medical terms, Drugs.com and WebMed.com were helpful.
How often is EDTA chelation therapy used? The 2007 National Health Interview Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that 111,000 adults 18 years of age and older used chelation therapy as a form of complementary medicine in the previous 12 months. NIH: NIH Trials of EDTA Chelation Therapy for Coronary Heart Disease 2023
Intravenous Disodium Edetate Therapy by Dr. Gervasio Lamas, Principal Investigator and Chair of the Trials to Access Chelation Therapy (TACT). Conclusions of TACT were:
1. EDTA is a safe treatment (only two patients died unexpectedly, one each in the treatment and placebo groups).
2. Chelation therapy showed an unexpected treatment benefit in post-MI patients who are already on evidence-based therapy. The effect was statistically significant. The cardiac event that was best prevented was the future need for cardiac surgery. Diabetics did better than non-diabetics.
3. More research is needed to confirm the results and explore the mechanism of action.
4. Virtually all of the studies noted in the timeline used intravenous disodium EDTA with various vitamins and minerals.
5. Despite numerous claims that oral EDTA might be similarly effective, there is no published evidence that oral EDTA might be helpful for treating vascular disease. Oral EDTA is only about 5% absorbed, which might make it useful for prevention for those exposed to high levels of lead on an ongoing basis, but most doctors who utilize intravenous disodium EDTA for vascular disease do not recommend oral EDTA for primary treatment.
Conclusion: In spite of good medical research, there is still controversy about using chelation in treating heart attack. This is especially true in conventional western medicine today. Although intravenous chelation therapy is safe, more research is needed about 'pill' medication.
Readers can get more detailed information about the current practice of chelation in heart attacks by reading articles by Garcia, Lipton, NIH trials, Hancke and Wong in the references.
References:
Drugs.com, "Find drugs and conditions". Drugs.com
Fogoros Richard N., "Peripheral Artery Disease," VeryWell Health, April 10, 2023. Fogoros: Peripheral Artery Disease 2023
Garcia, Carlos M., "Chelation Therapy," Utopia Wellness [Tampa Bay]. Garcia: Chelation Therapy
Hancke C and K. Flytlie, "Benefits of EDTA Chelation Therapy in Arteriosclerosis: A Retrospective Study of 470 Patients," Journal of Advancement in Medicine Volume 6. Number 3. Fall 1993. Hancke: EDTA chelation therapy inarteriosclerosis patients 1993
Lipton Andrew, "Chelation Therapy." Marberth Family Medicine, 2023. Lipton: Chelation theapy 2023
McWilliams Kathy, Li Shizhen, ‘Medical Saint’ of China (Part 1), NSpirerment, February 2, 2021. McWilliams: Li Shizhen: Chinese herbal medicine part 1 2021
NIH, "Questions and Answers: The NIH Trials of EDTA Chelation Therapy for Coronary Heart Disease," National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health [NIH], July 29, 2023. NIH: NIH Trials of EDTA Chelation Therapy for Coronary Heart Disease 2023
Palmer Alice, "SPECIAL REPORT: Dr. Phil and Doctor Oz Discover Natural Treatment for Clogged Arteries. Causing Outburst In The Health Community!" Entertainment Today, July 27, 2023. Palmer: Drs. Phil & Oz CBD treatment for clogged arteries 2023
RCSI, "Link between high cholesterol and heart disease 'inconsistent', new study finds," Science Daily, March 14, 2022. RCSI: Link cholesterol, statins & heart disease 2022
Staff writer, "What Are the Health Benefits of Advanced EDTA Mega Plus?" April 13, 2020. Staff writer: Heslth benefits of EDTA 2020
Tims-Lawson Virginia, "The 23-cent life-saver heart surgeons never tell you about, Tims-Lawson: Chelation+ resveratrol EDTA 2023
WebMD, "Drugs & Medications A-Z," WebMD: Medications
Weil Andrew, "Chelation Therapy," Weil. Weil: Chelation therapy
Wong Cathy, "What Is Chelation Therapy? A Treatment for Metal Poisoning, With Other Controversial Uses," VeryWell Health, August 08, 2021. Wong: What is chelation? 2021