Although many scientists and clinicians have postulated how or why EDTA infusions have so many remarkable effects, no one really knows for sure. In fact, it is this lack of an adequate explanation of mechanism that prevents a great many practitioners from accepting EDTA therapy as a viable treatment in spite of the overwhelming published clinical and anecdotal evidence. There are still quite a few practitioners out there who would rather administer a dangerous, often less effective therapy with known mechanisms than a safer, potentially more effective therapy with unknown mechanisms.  These practitioners may be better scientists, but they are worse physicians. 

Chelation therapy offers patients with coronary artery, carotid artery, and peripheral vascular disease a safe and effective alternative to bypass surgery and angioplasty. A course of chelation therapy has been shown in scientific and clinical studies to remove calcium deposits from arteries and other tissues, to remove plaques from arteries, and to improve myocardial function after infarction. A significant advantage of chelation therapy is that it improves the circulation not only to the brain and heart, but also to all the other organs and tissues in the body. One published study concluded that chelation therapy is effective in over 85% of all patients with circulatory disease. It is not only appropriate in many patients with acute or current circulatory disease, but is also an excellent preventive treatment for those patients who have already had angioplasty or bypass surgery.  EDTA also decreases the formation of free radicals by altering the ferric/ferrous ratio.  Furthermore, because abnormal tissue calcium deposition, impaired circulation, and free radical oxidative damage are inevitable consequences of aging, the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine has recently endorsed the use of EDTA chelation as a specific anti-aging therapy.

An additional benefit of chelation therapy is the removal of heavy metals. Heavy metals are a common pollutant, and an individual can easily accumulate toxic levels over a lifetime as a result of environmental exposure. This is because the very nature of heavy metals is that once they have entered the body, they tend to remain there forever unless they are specifically removed by chelation. Arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, and aluminum are the major heavy metals that are known to cause a variety of diseases. They are often found in the highest levels in the brain (particularly the pituitary), kidneys, arteries, and the thyroid.  Lead and cadmium are known to cause hypertension. Heavy metals can bind to hemoglobin thereby decreasing its oxygen carrying capacity, and additionally can bind with the Cytochrome A system in which oxygen is converted to ATP.

Chelation Therapy is part of a proposed multidimensional treatment option for cardiovascular disease.  The other components include (where appropriate) cholesterol reduction, nutritional modification & lifestyle changes (i.e., smoking cessation, weight reduction, exercise, and stress reduction).  This comprehensive approach allows you to halt, & probably reverse, heart disease as well as relieve some or all of its symptoms. 

Treatment usually consists of 30 initial EDTA I.V. infusions followed by monthly or every other month maintenance infusions.  You may receive 2-3 treatments per week as long as 24 hours between treatments has elapsed.  Some individuals with extensive disease may require 5-10 more treatments initially.  Others that request Chelation for preventive reasons (i.e., strong family history of heart disease, high cholesterol, etc.) may need fewer than 30 treatments. 

I determine your individual need based on our initial EDTA Chelation consult, and we may adjust that recommendation based on your follow-up visits after the 5^th, 15^th and 25^th Chelation treatment.  We monitor your kidney function after every 5-10 treatments and adjust the EDTA dose to keep your kidneys healthy.  Most people need a downward adjustment of the B/P Medications because their hypertension tends to improve with treatment.  Thus, treatment is individualized per person. 

When you come for your Chelation consult, please bring whatever records you may have, all of your prescription medications as well as vitamin / herbal / mineral supplements you may be taking. Chelation therapy can interfere with some vital nutrients which must be replaced to ensure optimal health.  I have specific recommendations regarding vitamins and minerals which must followed.  They are high quality and already priced below suggested retail price. 

The cost of Chelation is $100.00 per treatment or $3000.00 for the standard 30 treatment package.  I will review many your entire health history during the initial appointment which will take 1 hour to include a nutritional / Vitamin assessment.  The cost for the initial evaluation is $120.00.  Again, it is a non-covered service.  Follow-up visits after the 5^th, 15^th, and 25^th visits are $75.00 each lasting 30 minutes to review your progress and adjust your medications & refine your health goals.  You are responsible for scheduling these appointments so as to fit into your busy schedule. 

Chelation Therapy is not for everybody, but we feel most people can benefit from this treatment.  Generally, you will start seeing some benefit from treatment after about 10-15 treatments. 

I recommend you obtain and read the book Bypassing Bypass by Elmer Cranton, M.D.   It is an excellent review of what Chelation is and may answer some other questions that you may have.  I feel the more you know about the treatment plan, the more likely you are to make all the necessary changes in your lifestyle to achieve optimal health.

Other details about Chelation are as follows:

1.     Wear comfortable clothing. 

2.     Eat breakfast and bring a healthy snack to eat during Chelation.  If we ask you to come in fasting for cholesterol measurement, then bring your breakfast with you on that day to eat after the blood draw. 

3.     You may want to bring a book to read or you may want to take some time to just relax. 

4.     Chelation treatments take between 2-3 ½ hours to infuse, so plan to come between 8:30 & 9:00 am.