chelation Theraphy

[dsrinu]

I am facing coronary artery 7 blocks and my  doctor is advised me for chelation theraphy, can u tell me it is useful  and i was searched in some websites i.e http://dukka.blog.co.in/ so please advice me.

srinu

[TeresaMarie1229]

Hi, My daddy had this done; tried to talk him out of it; but he thought it was a good alternative than going to a doctor. I believe he was on this for a year ; was suppose to bought some vitamins from the doctor whom done the chelation; but he thought he would cut down on the price; so he bought Dollar Store vitamins.  Later after convincing him to see a regular doctor ; whom sent him for a stress test ; did not finish the stress test; doctor had to give him a nitro-glycerine pill. He done better after taking it. This doc would not write him a presc. for he referred him to see a doctor for one. Well; daddy talked the chelation doc to write him out a presc.So he did. Little did we know how many daddy was taking at the time. Daddy died in 1998; and we later found about 50 bottles of glycerine pills; which would contain 30 pills per container. All were empty. This was way too many pills; but this nut-job of a so-called doc; kept writing him prescriptions for this. He could have told Dad no; when he wanted them; but he didnt.
I would not have this done; but everyone has to make their own decisions. If I did I would make sure to eat right and take your vitamins and minerals; cause not only does this take out the bad stuff; it will also take out the good stuff your body needs to survive. Do not know where you are from; but stay away from a DR. Lee.

[ed34]

Thank goodness, I had visions of people having their stents dissolved. But, maybe that would be a good thing? We wouldnt need development and introduction of the bio degradable stents, simply have some chelation and the stent is gone :)

[erijon]

The common agent used in Chelation therapy is EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) and is actually an approved food preservative. It has no effect on metals in the body. When injected directly into the blood stream without being metabolized it will bind with certain heavy metals and they are removed from the body much like HDL does with LDL.

[ed34]

Just as a matter of interest, would the treatment damage stents?

[erijon]

FYI all, there is a study currently running called TACT which is aimed at 2,000 participants to see if Chelation has any impact on CAD. Below is the outline;

"In August 2002, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which are both components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced the launch of the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT). This is the first large-scale, multicenter study to find out if EDTA chelation therapy is safe and effective for people with coronary heart disease. This placebo-controlled, double-blind study involves participants age 50 years and older who’ve had a heart attack, and is expected to reach a total enrollment of 1,950. Participants are representative of the U.S. population. TACT will be much larger than any prior study of chelation therapy — large enough to show if chelation therapy has mild or moderate benefits.

This study is being done because there is a public health need to conduct a large, well-designed clinical trial to find out if chelation therapy is safe and effective for treating people with coronary heart disease. If people use chelation therapy and it doesn’t work, they may be deprived of  the well-established benefits from the many other valuable methods of treating these diseases, such as lifestyle modifications, medications and surgical procedures.

The trial is taking place at about 100 research sites across the United States and is testing EDTA chelation therapy by using the most widely practiced means of administering it. The trial began in 2003; patients receive 30 weekly intravenous treatments, then 10 more treatments given bimonthly, over a 28-month period. They also receive high doses of vitamins, which are also often given with chelation therapy. (The effect of such vitamin doses will also be examined in the trial.) The study is expected to be completed in 2010. To learn more, visit nccam.nih.gov and ClinicalTrials.gov."

[kenkeith]

Thanks for the followup and sharing your information. Here is information from the American Heart association.

"What’s chelation therapy?
Chelation therapy is administering a man-made amino acid called EDTA into the veins. (EDTA is an abbreviation for ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid. It’s marketed under several names, including Edetate, Disodium, Endrate, and Sodium Versenate.) EDTA is most often used in cases of heavy metal poisoning (lead or mercury). That’s because it can latch onto or bind these metals, creating a compound that can be excreted in the urine.
Besides binding heavy metals, EDTA also "chelates" (naturally seeks out and binds) calcium, one of the components of atherosclerotic plaque. In the early 1960s, this led to speculation that EDTA could remove calcium deposits from buildups in arteries. The idea was that once the calcium was removed by regular treatments of EDTA, the remaining elements in the plaque would break up and the plaque would clear away. The narrowed arteries would be restored to their former state.

Based upon this thinking, chelation therapy has been proposed to treat existing atherosclerosis and to prevent it from forming.

After carefully reviewing all the available scientific literature on this subject, the American Heart Association has concluded that the benefits claimed for this form of therapy aren’t scientifically proven. That’s why we don’t recommend this type of treatment"... There as been careful review!

[ed34]

I asked my Doctor his opinion on this treatment last night and he just said forget it. He said it has good success at removing some over abundant elements from the blood, but is definitely not a good idea for cleaning atherosclerosis. He said that if this treatment starts to remove lots of calcium from the plaque, then they could be weakened and form fissures which will cause clotting. He said this will never be offered on the health service for treatment of cad.

[dsrinu]

Thank u for ur useful information, as well as i got this idea through and  from Mr.Dr.B.Ayaz Akber   M/s Oxymed Hospital Ltd, chennai, India,.http://oxymedhospital.in/ and Consultant – Preventive Cardiologist, Chelation & Bio Oxidative Therapist
MEMBER- ACAM(American college of Advanced Medicine),
In technical collaboration with VASO MEDI TECH ,USA -Heart Research Institute.

[kenkeith]

If you and your doctor are considering non-invasive treatment for CAD and as Jon has stated, chelation therapy has no approved or recognized history for treatment of CAD, there is EECP that has some recognition for effectiveness and is recognized as effective in about 80% of the cases and most insurance providers will cover..  

The procedure involves putting cuffs that inflate and deflate snugly around lower extremities.  To begin, air fills the cuffs and the pressure will be applied and monitored and deflated when appropriate , and it is counterpulsation applied. It is a 35 hour procedure given 1 hour application for 35 weeks as an outpatient.  If successful there is significant symptom relief, that may last up to 3 years.

    

[erijon]

The American Heart Association has reviewed the available literature on using chelation to treat arteriosclerotic heart disease.  They found no scientific evidence to demonstrate any benefit from this form of therapy.

Chelation therapy is a recognized treatment for heavy metal (such as lead) poisoning. EDTA, injected into the blood, will bind the metals and allow them to be removed from the body in the urine. Chelation therapy is not approved by the FDA to treat coronary artery disease, but some physicians and alternative medicine practitioners use it for this purpose.

Up to now, there have been no adequate, controlled, published scientific studies using currently approved scientific methodology to support this therapy for cardiovascular disease. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American College of Cardiology all agree with the American Heart Association on this point.

If people use chelation therapy and it doesn’t work, they may be deprived of  the well-established benefits from the many other valuable methods of treating these diseases, such as lifestyle modifications, medications and surgical procedures.


I hope this helps,

Jon

[alleycat2]

I have never heard of a doctor recomnending chelation.  It is a joke. Maybe someone can tell us if they had it and if it helped.