How Does Chelation Therapy Work?

Chelation therapy works by employing chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body to reduce toxic levels of poisoning.

Chelation therapy is a mainstream treatment used to treat poisoning due to toxic levels of certain metals in the body.

Heavy metals, which cannot be metabolized, persist in the body and exert their toxic effects by combining with specific chemicals present in the cell. These reactions often hamper the normal physiological functions of the body. Chelating agents, also called heavy metal antagonists, form complexes with these toxic heavy metals, rendering them physiologically inactive and promoting their excretion through the urine. 

Specific chelating agents include:

• Sodium calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) (also known as edetate calcium disodium)
• Desferal (deferoxamine)
• BAL (dimercaprol) in oil
• Cuprimine, Depen (penicillamine)

Candidates for chelation therapy should initially get a thorough physical so the doctor can identify the type and extent of their clinical problems. Laboratory tests will also be done to determine whether there are any conditions present that would prevent the use of chelation. Children, pregnant women and those with kidney disorders cannot undergo the therapy. A Doppler ultrasound may be performed to determine the adequacy of blood flow in different regions of the body.

The most commonly used forms of chelation therapy are:

• Oral chelation therapy
  • Oral chelation therapy usually consists of liposomal EDTA with sodium R-lipoic acid and has a broad metal detoxification ability.
  • The liposomal EDTA coupled with some other important nutrients can greatly enhance someone’s detoxification pathways and abilities. People may even be able to decrease heavy metal toxicity without using intravenous (IV) chelation therapy.
• Intravenous chelation therapy
  • This therapy is the most commonly used detoxification method.
  • A typical treatment cycle may include 20 injections or infusions spread over 10 to 12 weeks.
  • Practitioners usually recommend at least 20 to 40 treatments at the start. However, some may recommend continued therapy for up to 100 treatments for several years.
  • Each session lasts for one to two hours because the IV treatment must be administered gradually to prevent any kidney damage.
  • Because the therapy removes some important minerals from the body, patients often receive high-dose vitamin and mineral supplements during treatment.