What Is Chelation Therapy?

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By Penny Logan

When looking up the word chelation in the dictionary you will find out that it is a chemical compound that combines with a metal compound to create a ring. The way it works when administered to a patient is the natural chemical compound goes through the system and binds to metals, deposits of calcium and other built up deposits in the body and eliminates the substances through the liver and kidneys.

The word chelation originally comes from a Greek word "Chele." Chele refers to the claw of a crab or lobster. So, Chele when used to refer to chelation therapy refers to the grabbing action because it takes the toxins out of the body.

When chelation therapy is executed, an amino acid is used. An amino acid is an organic compound which makes up the building blocks from which proteins are constructed. In this instance, EDTA is used for the chelation therapy. First a person is tested by a doctor to find out the correct amount of EDTA to utilize for the treatment. It is usually delivered intravenously but it has also been delivered orally or by suppository.

The treatment by using chelation was researched and discovered in the early 1900's after World War I to handle the toxic effects of a poisonous gas called lewisite. Lewisite contained high doses of arsenic. At first a different natural compound was used to do the chelation therapy but it had severe side-effects.

During World War II, Navy personnel suffered lead poisoning as a result of doing their jobs painting the hulls of ships. It was at that time that EDTA was introduced and has been in use until today. Other chelation compounds were also discovered and are still in use today, too.

Another large situation of lead toxicity arose in the 1950's that gave evidence that chelation therapy can be useful in handling other body problems when battery factory workers got ill. There were some of the workers that prior to the lead poisoning suffered from heart disease and from conditions that reduce the blood flow through the arteries. After being treated for lead poisoning, the problems ceased, too.

Seeing that the patients not only were healthier because of eliminating the lead poisoning, but also showed improvements relating to heart problems, further research was done. The findings included the fact that patients that had an overabundance of calcium in their systems were also successfully treated to balance the calcium.

Researched continued to discover other used for chelation therapy. It was found that EDTA reversed degenerative diseases such as arteriosclerotic heart disease (arteriosclerotic means a chronic disease in which thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the arterial walls of the heart which results in impaired blood circulation. It develops with aging, and in hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and other conditions).

In our present day and age, chelation therapy is used for cholesterol, calcium, heavy metals, toxins and other minerals that accumulate in blood vessels that cause diseases. It is a proven means of enhancing arterial health and boosting circulation. It is said to be about 10 times cheaper than a coronary bypass with equal or better results.

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