- Chelation therapy was developed during World War I to treat victims of poisonous gas attacks. In World War II, chelation therapy was used to pull lead from the bodies of Navy servicemen exposed to high lead levels while repairing the hulls of Navy ships. Since the 1960s, chelation therapy with the chelation agent DMSA is standard treatment for heavy metal poisoning with lead, arsenic or mercury.
- Chelation therapy may be administered orally, intravenously or via intermuscular injection. There are several types of chelating agents: EDTA is often used to improve heart health; DMSA is used to remove lead, mercury or arsenic from the body. Deferoxamine removes excess iron from the blood, while Dexrazoxane treats side effects of breast cancer treatment. Dimercaprol was the chelation agent used during WWI to remove arsenic-based poisonous gas from the blood stream.
- The primary use of chelation therapy in allopathic medicine is to treat heavy metal poisoning. Arsenic and mercury poisoning requiring chelation therapy result from occupational hazards such as dental technicians handling mercury fillings or farm workers exposed to pesticides. In children, chelation therapy treats lead poisoning, which, if left untreated, can cause drops in IQ as well as behavioral problems. Chelation therapy is also used to remove excess iron from patients affected by thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder that can cause high iron levels.
- Alternative medicine uses chelation therapy to fight atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which is a factor in heart disease. EDTA is used to leach calcium from plaque deposits lining arterial walls with the belief that, once the calcium is gone, the body can dissolve the rest of the deposit. The American Heart Association and the FDA do not find the use of chelation therapy as a treatment for atherosclerosis to be credible or effective.
- Another alternative use of chelation therapy is in the treatment of autism. Mercury from the thimersol in vaccines is believed to build up in the body and have neurotoxic effects, resulting in autism. DMSA is the chelating agent used to remove mercury as the FDA has deemed it safe for use with children. Whether or not DMSA cures autism is still open to debate. A study at Cornell University showed chelation therapy, in the absence of heavy metal poisoning, may worsen symptoms of autism (see References).
- Chelation therapy can have serious side effects. Dexrazoxane, used to offset side effects of breast cancer treatments, can impact liver and kidney function. Deferoxamine can cause eye problems including night blindness and damage to the inner ear. EDTA can cause kidney damage, cardiac arrhythmia, and convulsions; inhibit bone marrow production; and cause low blood pressure. There have also been deaths reported by the CDC as a result of chelation therapy induced hypocalcemia (low calcium levels).
