The History of Chelation Therapy

Oral Chelation Benefits

You may not have heard of chelation therapy because it is something that is not often discussed. However, over 1.5 million of people in the world – North Americans, Europeans, South Americans – have received this type of therapy because they are or were suffering from hardening of the arteries.

Chelation therapy became popular in the United States since it was introduced in 1948. It is usually administered to help people eliminate the consequences of exposure to heavy metals. These heavy metals produce dangerous toxicity levels in humans – one manifestation being hardened arteries. It was considered an alternative chelation therapy with beneficial consequences.

Famous Nobel Prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling mentioned the benefits of EDTA chelation when he spoke of the need to reduce arteriosclerotic plaques. By getting rid of these plaques, human blood is able to flow more freely to vital organs like the heart. Dr. Pauling was quoted as saying that “extensive clinical experience” has pointed to the fact that EDTA does help decrease arteriosclerotic plaques, thus potentially sparing patients from undergoing bypass surgery.

Because of this, chelation therapy has earned the reputation of being an effective and preventive treatment for cardiovascular disease.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1948 gave its approval to EDTA intravenous chelation for treating toxicity from heavy metals. In the beginning it was employed specifically for workers in industrial environments who exhibited symptoms of lead poisoning from a battery manufacturing plant.

Subsequently, the United States Navy recommended the use of chelation therapy for sailors who became exposed to lead while painting government ships and other installations in the Navy. It was during this time that physicians observed that patients who were administered chelation therapy because of their arteriosclerosis showed marked improvements for their angina and memory problems.

ORAL CHELATION DEFINED

First, chelation therapy helps patients eliminate harmful toxins from their bodies due to long term exposure to heavy metals. Chelators “suck out” these dangerous metals and other substances that affect the proper functioning of vital organs.

Second, chelation therapy does not involve invasive surgery. Instead it is a very safe, non-surgical form of treatment.

Third, people suffering from other health problems can benefit from oral chelating agents because these agents help promote more efficient blood circulation to human tissues. Every blood vessel therefore benefits from oral chelation therapy. Note that some capillaries in the body are too tiny or too deep to withstand surgical treatment.

What is hard plaque? It is a type of formation that results from the accumulation of cholesterol, fats and other substances that collect on the walls of large and small arteries to the heart. What holds the plaque together is calcium. What oral chelation therapy does is bind with this calcium and then flushes it out of the body (thus “transporting” the heavy metals at the same time). This activity breaks down the plaque and eventually unclogs the arteries in order to facilitate regular blood circulation.

The heart’s artery walls must be free from excess plaque because plaque causes heart and brain problems (e.g.Alzheimer’s) and can also affect normal sexual functions and expose extremities (hands and feet) to circulatory problems.

Natural oral chelation using EDTA is a safe and effective treatment that should be considered before IV chelation.