Chelation is a medical therapy that is effective for both toxic metal removal from the brain and body, and as part of a holistic approach for cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment. It is administered by Physicians with specialized training in this area and in BC, Canada is approved for use by the College of Naturopathic Physicians of BC under the Ministry of Health. Doctors who offer Chelation therapy have advanced training and certification in this area. It is not a stand-alone therapy and works best when accompanied by a holistic approach addressing lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet, nutraceutical supplementation, and stress management.
Historically, Chelation therapy was first administered by intravenous infusion around World War II as a poison gas antidote and to remove lead from the bodies of industrial workers. It was observed that many of the patients who received Chelation therapy benefitted from general health improvements and in particular had improved blood flow dynamics. Symptoms such as angina, intermittent claudication (leg pain with walking), poor memory, poor eye sight and diminished hearing, all improved with this therapy. Research since this time has consistently shown improvement in cardiovascular disease symptoms and a reduction in the risk of heart attack and stroke. An NIH (National Institute of Health) clinical trial in the U.S. (the TACT trial) showed an overall 18% reduction in clinical events such as heart attacks and strokes in patients who had previous cardiovascular disease. These numbers were even better in a sub-group of diabetic patients in which the clinical events were reduced significantly. People with diabetes, who made up about one-third of the participants, had a 41 percent overall reduction in the risk of any cardiovascular event; a 40 percent reduction in the risk of death from heart disease, nonfatal stroke, or nonfatal heart attack; a 52 percent reduction in recurrent heart attacks; and a 43 percent reduction in death from any cause over a period of about 5 years This was based on a total of 40 intravenous chelation treatments. These infusions last 90 minutes to 3 hours each and are administered from 1-3 times weekly.
To Chelate means to remove unwanted toxic metals and mineral from the body. This is accomplished with various Chelating agents that can be administered in either a pill form or through intravenous therapy. Research to date supports the use of intravenous chelation as the most effective and safest method of detoxifying body heavy metal burden. It may take 10 or more treatments to remove toxic metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, aluminium, cadmium, nickel, and tin. With proper testing, almost everyone today is found to carry some level of toxic metal load in their bodies.
Some people naturally detoxify more effectively than others. And, it has been discovered that many chronic illnesses are associated with heavy metal toxicity (likely more prevalent in those who do not naturally detoxify metals easily). In particular Autism, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological diseases, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration, kidney disease, and possibly cancer (to name a few), may be associated with metal toxicity. A study from the University of Michigan found that “exposure to mercury stood out as the main risk factor for autoimmunity”.
Mercury is particularly toxic to the entire body but has been specifically identified as a neurotoxin, kidney toxin, and immune system toxin. There are no safe levels of this metal in the human body. We accumulate mercury from dental amalgams, contaminated seafood, fungicides, pesticides, batteries, cosmetics, coal mining emissions, and many other industrial sources. Other toxic metals such as lead and cadmium are found to be consistently high in most people with chronic illnesses. Testing is available at our clinic to determine if you have elevated body stores of toxic heavy metals. The Environmental Working Groups at www.ewg.org provides extensive information on this issue.
Naturopathic Physicians are highly trained and experienced physicians in lifestyle approaches to health and wellness. For more information call or stop by the Natural Family Health Clinic in Okanagan Falls at 250-497-6681.