Chelation

Discover this alternative therapy for circulation problems

As you go through life, you ingest or absorb toxic metals from various sources, including (but in no way limited to) some species of fish, amalgam dental fillings, and lead paint. Chelation therapy uses chelating agents to flush these toxic metals from your body. It’s also often used to treat heart disease and other conditions involving poor circulation.

How Does Chelation Work?

With chelation therapy, you receive a specific chelating agent, such as EDTA (ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid), which was first used to treat lead poisoning. When EDTA is infused into your bloodstream, it latches onto harmful heavy metals such as lead, iron, mercury, and cadmium and carries them out of your body through urine.

By reducing your body’s toxic metal and free radical burden, chelation improves the health of your arteries and slows the process of atherosclerosis. Chelation also has blood-thinning effects and discourages the formation of potentially dangerous blood clots that can cause a heart attack or stroke.

What Is a Typical Treatment Session Like?

Chelation therapy begins with testing to discover what types of toxic metals are in your body. Chelating agents are then chosen based on the identified toxicity. Treatment sessions vary depending on the type of chelating agents used. However, EDTA is the most commonly used agent.

During an EDTA chelation treatment, you relax in a recliner while the chelating agent is slowly administered through an IV. With EDTA chelation, individual treatments last an hour and a half to three hours, and a complete course consists of 30 treatments, administered several times a week.

What Conditions Is Chelation Good For?

• Cardiovascular disease
• Cerebrovascular disease
• Chronic fatigue
• Developmental delays in children
• Diabetic ulcers and other diabetes complications
• Heavy metal toxicity
• High blood pressure
• Memory and mood disorders
• Neurological problems
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Slow-healing wounds

Learn more about how we use chelation at the Whitaker Wellness Institute.

More Dr. Whitaker Advice on Clinical Therapies

• Acupuncture
• EECP: Enhanced External Counterpulsation
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy