The word Chelation (pronounced key-LAY-shun) comes from the Greek word “chele” meaning a claw and refers to the ability of certain molecules to chemically grab onto and hold other molecules. Chelates are a part of nature: in blood, haemoglobin is a chelate of Iron, meaning a protein framework is grabbing onto and holding a molecule of iron; in plants, chlorophyll is a chelate of magnesium.
To understand Chelation Therapy we have to look at a substance called Ethylene Diamine Tetra-acetic Acid, or EDTA.
EDTA, a synthetic amino acid, was first synthesized by Franz Munz in 1934 and was used in the fabric and textiles industry in Nazi Germany, since other chemicals could not be imported due to the political situation. Later it was shown to form a stable bond with heavy metals, such as lead. There were many people poisoned with lead after the war: battery workers and naval personnel who painted ships with lead-based paints. An intravenous infusion of EDTA was found to be safe and effective to remove lead from the body via the kidneys. That is, EDTA chelated (grabbed) lead and then could be peed out.
The researchers were quite excited by this, here was a safe and effective treatment for heavy metal poisoning. To their surprise, they found other benefits. Many of the workers coincidentally had circulatory problems such as angina or claudication. After the EDTA, these workers made the comment that their angina had improved or that their circulation was generally much better. This was an exciting finding. Could EDTA be a treatment for circulatory problems such as angina? After all, heart disease and atherosclerosis are huge problems.
Chelation is a process where an agent, usually EDTA, is introduced into the body (usually intravenously) and this agent binds to toxic heavy metals and removes them via the kidneys. For safe chelation, kidney function must be good and, therefore, an assessment of kidney function is essential prior to treatment.
Different minerals have different binding affinities to EDTA. Tha of Magnesium is low, that of lead is high. To explain this, imagine walking down the street and you find a 50¢ piece on the ground; you pick it up. As you walk further, you find a dollar coin. Since you can only hold one coin at a time, you throw away the 50 cent piece and pick up the dollar coin. As you go further, you see a two dollar coin; you throw away the dollar coin and pick up the two dollar coin. A similar process happens with chelating agents. As the chelating agent floats through the blood stream, it may pick up, for example, a magnesium but then releases it when it comes in contact with cadmium and then drops that when it comes in contact with a lead. So at any one time, there is a mixture of various minerals bound to the chelating agent and this mixture is peed out. This means that some “good” minerals are eliminated along with the toxic heavy metals. So, during chelation “good” minerals need to be supplemented.
The commonest form of chelation is intravenous EDTA. Another chelating agent is Di Mercapto Succinic Acid (DMSA). The advantage of DMSA is that it is well absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and can therefore be given orally. This gives it an advantage for children and those elderly who do not have good veins or those who live in the country and cannot come regularly for intravenous treatment.
Why does it work?
Initially, it was thought that the chelation removed calcium and that this was the reason for unblocking atheromatous blockages, since calcium is a large component. Newer studies do not support this idea — they suggest that chelation removes toxic heavy metals and that these heavy metals are the cause of the oxidation in the arteries that cause the free radical damage that blocks arteries… and how many of us living in this polluted society of ours do not have some amount of toxic heavy metals in our bodies?!
[Extract from There is Always an Alternative, by Peter Baratosy, MB BS PhD DipAcup DipClinHyp FACNEM]