EDTA: Chelation Therapy

Andrea Jones and Arlen Rash

Description

• Ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid
• Synthetic amino acid
• Weak acid
• Chelation therapy

• chelation comes from the Greek word chele (to claw or to bind)

EDTA:  History

• 1934-1935 F. Munz first synthesized EDTA in an effort to create a substitute for citric acid
• 1930s F. Bernsworth developed a process for synthesizing EDTA and patented process in 1941
• Introduced in the United States in 1948
• 1950-1990 Benefits of chelation therapy were recognized by the medical community as a treatment for:

• heavy metal and radiation toxicity
• snake venom poisoning
• digitalis intoxication
• cardiac arrthymia

Sources

Found in many foods as an additive

• unwanted metals get into foods from the soil and machinery during harvesting and processing
• unwanted metals degrade foods by catalyzing the oxidation of fats in foods
• EDTA reacts with these elements by forming tightly bound complexes to prevent decomposition

Beneficial Effects

• Removes undesirable metals from the body
• Reverses the process of arthersclerosis
• Improves cerebrovascular arterial occlusion
• Improves memory, concentration, and vision
• Reversal of gangrene
• Prevents and reverses problems of degenerative diseases

Principle Uses

• Heavy metal toxicity
• Reversal of arthersclerosis
• Restoration of memory
• Degenerative diseases

• arthritis, scleroderma, and lupus

Available Forms and Dosage Ranges

IV

• available as an injection (150mg/ml)
• dosage ranges:

• Children* 40-70mg/kg
• Adults* 50mg/kg
• *Max dose: 3g/24hour

PO

• dosage range 40mg/d

• one - two months of therapy is equivalent to a single session of IV therapy

• administered daily
• poor absorption

• 3-8% is absorbed

Chelation Therapy

IV Administration

• IV infusion of 500-1000ml of a solution containing 50mg EDTA/kg, heparin, magnesium, chloride, several B vitamins, and 4-20g of vitamin C
• use a local anesthetic to prevent pain at the site of infusion
• IV infusion administered over 3.5-4 hours
• 1-3 times weekly
• Symptomatic disease patients need an minimum of 20 treatments
• full benefit occurs about 3 months after a series is completed
• Patient also need to exercise regularly, take vitamin and mineral supplements, and make dietary changes

Costs

IV infusion of EDTA typically costs $75-150 each

• 20 treatments cost about $3000

• Angioplasty or surgery costs about $50,000 and is far less invasive

PO therapy

• 180 tablets- $36.95 - 86.40

Safety Issues

• Should not be used during pregnancy or if have severe kidney failure or hypothyroidism
• Protocol established by the American College of Advancement in Medicine (ACAM)

• Doctor needs to have several years experience and has completed ACAM training

Adverse Effects of Chelation Therapy

Side effects appear to be controlled by adjusting the duration, frequency of treatment, and diminish after the first few treatments.  Many patients do not experience side effects

• Severe kidney damage (renal tubular necrosis)
• bone marrow suppression
• shock
• hypertension
• cardiac arrhythmias
• allergic reactions
• headache
• fatigue
• mild transient fever
• convulsions
• nausea/vomiting

Interactions

Insulin

• increased effect of insulin and may decrease insulin requirement

Clinical Trials

Clinical Trial I:  EDTA Chelation Therapy, Efficacy in Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease.  H. Richard Casdorph

Overview

• Patients: 18 with well documented arteriosclerotic heart disease
• Type of study??
• Left ventricular ejection fraction was measured before and after the administration of EDTA

Method:

• patient cardiac function was measured before and after chelation therapy
• each patient given 20 infusions
• infusion: 3g of di-sodium EDTA in 250ml of Ringers lactate solution, 200mg of lidocaine
• technetium 99m was used to measure their left ventricular ejection fraction

Results

Conclusions

• EDTA is thought to remove calcium particles deposited in the arterial wall and in plaques on the arterial surface

Clinical Trial II  EDTA Chelation Therapy in Chronic Degenerative Disease. Efrain Olszewer and James Carter

Overview

• Retrospective analysis of treatment results from 2870 patients, with various chronic and age associated diseases
• Treated patients with di-sodium magnesium EDTA
• Patients were treated at a private clinic in Sao Paulo, Brazil between May 1983 and September 1985

The Patients

• 2870 enrolled, lost contact with 120 patients
• patients were classified according to vascular and degenerative disease:

• cardiac disease 29.4% (844)
• peripheral vascular disease 39.4% (1130)
• cerebrovascular/degenerative CNS disease 17.7% (504)
• scleroderma 0.1% (4)
• other geriatric vascular disease 13.4% (384)

Methods:

• Regimen: 50mg of EDTA/kg with vitamin C, B complex, and magnesium
• Infused over 3-31/2 hours
• Total number of treatments 20-40 given 2-3 times weekly
• Patients were encouraged to change their diet and increase their physical activity
• Trace element supplementation

Results

References:

Burroughs H and M Kastner.  Alternative Healing.  La Mesa, CA:  Halcyon Publishing, 1993, pp 52-53.

Burton Goldberg Group.  Alternative Medicine:  The Definitive Guide.  Washington:  Future Medicine Publishing, Inc., 1994, pp 126-133.

Casdorph HR.  "EDTA Chelation Therapy, Efficacy in Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease."  Journal of Holistic Medicine.  3(1):  53-59, 1981 Spring/Summer.

Olszwer E and J Carter.  "EDTA Chelation Therapy in Chronic Degenerative Disease."  Medical Hypotheses.  27:  41-49, 1988.

White K.  "Chelation Therapy:  The Pros and Cons."  Alternative and Complementary Therapies.  96-102, 1995 January/February.

Internet Addresses:

http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/mom/edta/edta.html

http://www.mcdonaghmed.com/page3.htm

http://www.chelation.com/

http://www.den.davis.ca.us/go/btcarrol/skeptic/chelate.html

http://www.healthy.net/library/books/Chaitow/chelther/admin/protocol.htm

http://www.healthy.net/library/articles/acam/pospaper.htm

http://www.life-enhancement.com/n35/n35edta.html