Advanced Chelation
The Advanced Chelation program provides a complex approach to chelation, which includes education, and different types of chelation according to various diagnostic tests and regular assessments of treatment effectiveness. It is only one part of a comprehensive approach to health whose ultimate goal is the prevention, reversion, and treatment of the degenerative diseases of aging such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cognitive impairment and cancer.
Many people have undergone chelation or detoxification programs, either orally or by injections. Based on our center’s experience, many people who have undergone chelation have limited knowledge of this process except to state that it is “good to clean the body.”
In our program, we perform tests to identify the presence of toxic elements, and teach you about the value of various tests which are used in making such diagnoses. This is essential because the treatments offered, the effectiveness of the treatment, and the cost are affected by the initial assessment.
We consider provocative tests to be the best tests for diagnosing the burden of toxic elements. Hair analysis, on the other hand, has no value in the diagnosis of the burden of toxic elements, or in the assessment of the effectiveness of the detoxification process. This has been confirmed by a number of studies in recent years, such as a 1985 article published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association, which concluded that hair mineral analysis was “unscientific, [and] economically wasteful” (Barrett S. Commercial hair analysis. Science or scam? JAMA. 1985 Aug 23-30;254(8):1041-5). More recently, in a 2001 study also published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Seidel et al similarly concluded that hair mineral analysis was “unreliable, and we recommend that health care practitioners refrain from using such analyses to assess individual nutritional status or suspected environmental exposures” (Seidel S, Kreutzer R, Smith D, McNeel S, Gillis D. Asessment of Commercial Laboratories Performing Hair Mineral Analysis. JAMA. 2001;285:67-72).
Our program will show you how test results may be affected by the type of test used and by the type of products used. In addition, the same product can lead to different results and outcomes of treatment based on the compounding pharmacy which produced it. All these points are very important because they can affect you treatment results and cost.
The following are examples of patients who have undergone chelation using various chelating agents- they demonstrate that the results are dependent on both the type of agent used, and also the preparation (compounding) of the product itself. Mrs. V.S. underwent detoxification using one type of detoxification product. The level of mercury in her urine after using product A was read as zero, as shown in figure 1. The apparent conclusion was that she did not have mercury in her body- this was the wrong conclusion. We suggested that she try another detoxification product (chelator), product B, and the results (shown in figure 2) revealed that she had high amounts of mercury in her urine. What can we learn from this? She has mercury in her body but the first detoxification product used was not effective at removing the mercury so that none was detected in the urine. This underscores the importance of using the appropriate tests and products for treating and detecting toxic elements. Another example demonstrates the importance of using a well compounded product, as the type of compounding impacts on whether a treatment is effective or not: Mr. G. had his urine mercury level tested after being given a detoxification product (chelating agent) made at one compounding pharmacy. As shown in figure 3, his level of mercury was 11. The same patient had a repeat test for urine mercury using the same type and amount of detoxification product, however this product was obtained from a different compounding pharmacy. As shown in figure 4), his mercury level was found to be three times higher. What can we conclude from this? The second chelating agent used for detoxification is much more effective. This teaches us that it is not enough to use a certain product and say “I undergo chelation” or “I use detoxification products.” The key is using the right product, and finding out that it is in fact effective. At Longevity Healthy Aging™ Research Group, we will do our best to teach you about the various testing and treatment options, based on our own experience and from a review of the medical literature. This will help you in making an educated decision regarding your own care.
For an appointment, contact us at 416-652-9862 or 1-866-YOUNG-86.
References and Further Reading:
Cranton EM, Frackelton JP. Free radical pathology in age-associated diseases: treatment with EDTA chelation, nutrition, and antioxidants. J Hol Med. 1984;6:6-37.
Gutteridge JMC. Ferrous-salt-promoted damage to deoxyribose and benzoate, the increased effectiveness of hydroxyl-radical scavengers in the presence of EDTA. Biochem J. 1987; 243: 709-714.
Deucher DP. EDTA Chelation Therapy: an antioxidant strategy. J Adv in Med. 1988;1:182-190.
Bjorksten J. Possibilities and limitations of chelation as a means for life extension. J Adv in Med. 1989;2:77-78.
Lamb DJ, Leake DS. The effect of EDTA on the oxidation of low density lipoprotein. Atherosclerosis. 1992; 94:35-42.
Rahko PS, Salerni R, Uretsky BF. Successful reversal by chelation therapy of congestive cardiomyopathy due to iron overload. J Am Coll Card. 1986;9:436-40.
Menasche P, Pinwica A. Free radicals and myocardial protection: a surgical viewpoint. Ann Thorac Surg. 1989;47:939-45.
Rudolph CJ, McDonagh EW, Barber RK. Effect of EDTA chelation on serum iron. J Adv in Med. 1991;4:39-45.
Gordon GB, Vance RB. EDTA chelation therapy for atherosclerosis: history and mechanism of action. Ost Ann. 1976;4:38-62.
Halstead BM. The scientific basis of EDTA chelation therapy. Colton, California, Golden Quill Publishers 1979.
Kaman RL, Rudolph CJ, McDonagh EW, Walker FM. Effect of EDTA chelation therapy on aortic calcium in rabbits on atherogenic diets: quantitative and histochemical studies. J Adv in Med. 1990;3:13-22.
Levy RJ, Howard SL, Oshry LJ. Carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) containing proteins of human calcified atherosclerotic plaque solubilized by EDTA: molecular weight distribution and relationship to osteocalcin. Atherosclerosis. 1986;59:155-60.
Walker FM, Wilson CW III, Kaman RL. The effects of EDTA chelation therapy on plaque calcium and plasma lipoproteins in atheroscelrotic rabbits. Fed Proc. 1979;38 (No. 4335).
Walker FM, Wilson CW III, Kaman RL. The effects of EDTA chelation therapy on plaque composition and serum lipoproteins in atherosclerotic rabbits. J Am Ost Assoc. 1978;78:144.
Kindness G, Frackelton JP. Effect of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) on platelet aggregation in human blood. J Adv in Med. 1989;2:519-30.
Perizzolo KE, Sullivan S, Waugh DF. Effects of calcium binding nad of EDTA and CaEDTA on the clotting of bovine fibrinogen by thrombin. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1985;237:520-534.
Gordon GB, Vance RB. EDTA chelation therapy for atherosclerosis: history and mechanism of action. Ost Ann. 1976;4:38-62.
Altura BM, Altura BT. Magnesium withdrawal and contraction of arterial smooth muscle: effects of EDTA and EGTA, and divalent cations. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1976;151:752-755.
Cranton EM, Frackelton JP. Current status of EDTA chelation therapy on occlusive arterial disease. J Adv in Med. 1989;2:107-119.
Cranton EM, Frackelton JP. Free oxygen radical pathology and EDTA chelation therapy: mechanisms of action. J Adv in Med. 1998;11(4):277-310.
Duffy SJ, Biegelsen ES, Holbrook M, Russell JD, Gokce N, Keaney JF Jr, Vita JA. Iron chelation improves endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease. Circulation. 2001 Jun 12;103(23):2799-804.