Chelation Therapy Has No Evidence of Benefits?

Posted on June 11, 2008
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Here are the claims on EDTA chelation therapy and what the current state of knowledge is on oral and IV chelation therapy.

First, the claims:

EDTA chelation reportedly improves the elasticity of arteries by reducing the number of cross linkages in the connective tissue and elastic tissue comprising arterial walls. Cross linking accelerates aging is what causes skin to wrinkle, sag and loose its youthful elasticity. EDTA chelation is a highly controversial therapy. EDTA may also be used in oral chelation therapy. Oral chelation therapies sometimes use a number of different chelating agents.

EDTA also removes iron and copper from the body. These metals are involved in so-called free radical reactions which take place in the body. EDTA binds with and removes, through the kidneys, toxic metals such as lead, aluminum, cadmium, arsenic, tin, and excess iron and copper.

These heavy metals trigger the formation of free radicals which are a major cause of degenerative illnesses including heart and blood vessel disease. EDTA chelation therapy removes heavy metals and minerals from the blood, such as lead, iron, copper, and calcium, and chelation therapy is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in treating lead poisoning and toxicity from other heavy metals.

EDTA, by removing toxic heavy metals, is directly protective to the immune system, as well as the nervous system. By protecting the immune system, ESTA enhances overall healing capacity. EDTA is not typically used in mercury cases, and it is not clear why it was used to treat autism here.

The FDA contends that EDTA chelation therapy is useless because it hasn’t been validated by double-blind clinical trials. The AHA reports that there are no adequate, controlled, published scientific studies using currently approved scientific methods to support this therapy for the treatment of coronary artery disease.

Here is what the NIH has to say on its NCCAM site. They have started a study to get more answers:

There is a lack of adequate prior research to verify EDTA chelation therapy’s safety and effectiveness for CAD. The bulk of the evidence supporting the use of EDTA chelation therapy is in the form of case reports and case series. Some patients who have undergone chelation therapy and the physicians who prescribed it claim improvement in CAD.

In addition, there are approximately 12 published descriptive studies and 5 randomized controlled clinical trials regarding the use of EDTA chelation for CAD. Although each descriptive study did report a reduction in angina, they were uncontrolled clinical observations or retrospective data, typically with a small number of participants.

Of the five clinical trials in which patients were randomly selected to receive chelation therapy or a placebo (a dummy solution), the most rigorous way of assessing a new treatment, three trials involved so few people that only a dramatic improvement could have been detected.

Studies need a larger number of participants to detect more mild benefits of a treatment. The fourth study was never published in final form, so its conclusions are uncertain. Finally, the fifth study reported that EDTA chelation was associated with an improvement in ability to exercise, but it had only 10 participants.

There are some who criticize the NIH study:

“Chelation Therapy”: Another Unethical “CAM” Trial Sponsored by …

Nevertheless, a few hundred physicians, almost all of whom advocate other dubious treatments, continued to peddle chelation as an office treatment. They claim that chelation dramatically improves symptoms and prolongs life in 80% to 90% …

Here are some other resources to get other views on chelation therapy:

Critics, backers weigh in on chelation therapy – Parents of some children with autism are turning to a radical treatment, using drugs to remove high levels of toxic environmental chemicals being found in their bodies.

They don’t call it “cheat-lation” for nothing [Respectful Insolence] – For chelation therapy, these rationales, tortured as they may be, included increased parathyroid hormone secretion, decreased free radicals, or, believe it or not, increased production of NO. (Given the affinity one of the regular …

Death to chelation? – In response to the many questions I receive on chelation, I had been answering that, if we would simply wait for the publication of the NIH-sponsored trial of IV chelation therapy, perhaps we’d know once and for all. …

Another warning on “chelation therapy” [Terra Sigillata] – Yesterday, the FDA released a warning statement on an increasingly common mistake in the medically-unsupported practice of “chelation therapy” for autism: FDA notified healthcare professionals and patients about important safety …

Chelation Therapy and Autism

Though indeed extremely controversial, many parents claim that their children experience vast improvements after undergoing chelation therapy – even though conventional physicians are generally critical of the entire theory behind …

Chelation Therapy:Is there Scientific Basis for its Use?

At least 20 books have been authored on the subject of chelation therapy. The majority of these books were written by respected medical doctors. Though many medical doctors use this therapy in their private practices it has not gained …

Cardio Renew Oral EDTA Chelation Therapy FAQs

How much does Cardio Renew EDTA Chelation therapy cost? The 6 week starter foundation pack costs around $135 including shipping After I complete the 6-week foundation starter program what do you recommend? …

ACAM Affirms Commitment to Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy

(BUSINESS WIRE)–The American College for Advancement in Medicine, ACAM, today reaffirmed its commitment to the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) currently in progress by the National Institute of Health (NIH). …

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