Chelation
Chelation
Heavy metals, mercury, cadmium and lead from fuels and other sources are toxic and can cause a number of problems, including arteriosclerosis, blood vessel damage, heart problems, cancer, autoimmune disease, depression, loss of skin tone, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. Chelation is an effective way to remove these toxic metals from the body, once the original source of these toxins is removed.
Most chelation is done by introducing an intravenous (IV) chelation solution into the veins, although oral chelation is available. The correct chelator grabs hold of metal ions, forming a chemical compound which is water soluble and can more easily be excreted by the body via urine, feces, and sweat.
Do you need chelation?
The determination of whether you need chelation is done by a trained practitioner who looks at your symptoms and history of exposure as well as results of tests such as a provocative chelation urine test and hair testing.
Before chelation
Metal, especially mercury fillings, should be removed from the teeth before beginning chelation; otherwise metals can be pulled into the body as fast as they are removed from the bloodstream. Other sources of metal exposure should also be identified and eliminated as much as possible prior to treatment for best results.
Types of chelation
Different chelators are used depending on the type of metal that most needs to be removed. These include DMPS for mercury, DMSA for cadmium, and EDTA for calcium that can cause arterial plaquing; EDTA chelation helps to open up your circulation.
The chelation treatment
EDTA IV chelation takes about 1½ to 3 hours per treatment, with about 3-20 treatments needed. Other types of chelation take less time. Your practitioner can monitor your progress based on alleviation of symptoms and test results. Since chelation can remove beneficial minerals from the body as well as toxic metals, mineral supplementation is usually given after every three or four treatments.
What to expect afterward
Although, of course, individual progress can vary, it is not uncommon for the person to feel noticeably better within a day of a chelation treatment, once minerals have been replaced. We can’t stress this replacement enough as you could feel very tired before you get your minerals.
