Oral Chelation Therapy, Diabetics And Heart Attacks

By Frances Howard


One of the leading causes of death among women and men in the United States is that of coronary heart disease. Most often, the condition is treated through a number of lifestyle changes, medications and surgeries. While this is the case, there are some individuals whom have now turned to oral chelation therapy which uses ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid or EDTA, a controversial though complementary treatment.

The compound used in this therapy has not been reviewed or rated by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration. Regardless, there were over 110,000 Americans whom had previously opted for the treatment prior to a 2007 study. Ultimately, the therapy promotes a chemical process which works to bind molecules to metals and minerals.

Originally used to eliminate excess waste and toxic metals from the body, the treatment is far from new. For, EDTA has also been used to eliminate iron overload and treat lead poisoning in Western medicine. Whereas, when using the process to treat heart disease, a health care provider carefully provides injections of disodium EDTA into the veins over the course of 30 or more infusions generally on a weekly basis. After which, the treatment moves to a maintenance phase in which infusions are provided on an as needed 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.

Diabetic individuals made up 1/3 of the participants in the chelation therapy group. These individuals showed a forty one percent drop in heart attacks and a forty percent risk of death from heart disease, non-fatal heart attacks or stroke. In addition, forty three percent reported a reduction in death from other causes and a fifty percent reduction in repetitive heart attacks. Whereas, non-diabetic individuals showed no significant benefits from chelation therapy.

The trial also included individuals whom were taking high dose vitamins and minerals while receiving chelation therapy. In most cases, the combination provided the highest drops in heart attack risks among participants versus others whom were only provided 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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