Chelation is a safe, and effective method of removing undesirable materials from the body. The term chelation is derived from the greek word: “Chela” meaning claw. i.e. the claw of a crab or a lobster. It means the incorporation of a mineral, ion, or cation into a ring by an organic molecule called a “chelating” agent. The chelating agent, an organic molecule such as an amino acid, grabs and claws into a ring, a mineral, ion, or cation (the chelate) such as iron or calcium.
Chelation is a constant natural process- for example, amino acids chelate with minerals for transportation to their destination. Iron from meat and vegetables is released in the bowel during the digestive process, and combines with amino acids (is chelated) so that it can be effectively transferred through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. Chelating compounds are present in nature for example, chlorophyll (the green matter of plants) is a chelate of magnesium, and hemoglobin is a chelate of iron. If you drink tea, a chemical called tannin, which is found in tea, chelates with iron (forming iron tannate), preventing its absorption.
Chelation therapy is an extension of the natural process to enable the removal from the body, by infusion, orally, or in the form of suppositories, of undesirable minerals and ions, by using a suitable chelating agent such as EDTA. EDTA is a preservative in much of the foods we eat, and is also found in small amounts in the infusions used by hospitals.
There are different types of therapeutic chelation. These include intravenous EDTA with trace minerals and vitamins which has been used in conjunction with lifestyle changes to treat vascular disease.