Alternative therapies are often the last hope for people afflicted with incurable illnesses. Assuming that treatments used in alternative medicine are safe opens the door for serious complications and, in some cases, death. Chelation therapy, with EDTA (ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid), is one such treatment that should be approached with extreme caution.
History
Chelation therapy is treatment with substances that remove heavy metals from the body. It was first practiced during World War I to treat exposure to poison gas. After World War II, it was by the U.S. Navy to treat lead poisoning. Chelation therapy, with EDTA as the chelating agent, is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for lead poisoning only. Blood tests must be performed, before treatment begins, verifying that circulating lead levels require medical intervention.
Theories/Speculation
Chelation therapy also removes calcium from the blood stream, prompting speculation that chelation would stop the calcium build up in blood vessels, called arteriosclerosis, associated with strokes and heart attacks.
Chelation therapy has been used to treat children suffering from lead poisoning. In 1985, chelation therapy was promoted as a cure for autism, based on speculation that autistic spectrum disorders were triggered by toxic levels of mercury from childhood vaccinations. According to the Mayo Clinic, studies have shown no link between mercury and autism.
Complications
Headaches, nausea, weakness and cramps are some of the side effects associated with chelation treatments. Chelation therapy can also be quite expensive and usually isn't covered by health insurance companies or Medicare.
Organ Damage
EDTA can cause liver damage and kidney failure while interfering with bone marrow function. Relying on chelation therapy may prevent medically exploration of accepted modes of treatment.
Deaths
Calcium is an electrolyte. With potassium, sodium and magnesium it helps regulate heart rhythm. According to the Mayo Clinic, an imbalance in your electrolytes can cause abnormalities in heart rhythm.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), hypocalcemia or a lack of calcium in the blood stream, brought on by chelation therapy, has been blamed for deaths in Pennsylvania, Texas and Oregon.
Warning
Neither the AMA or the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institutes of Health endorse chelation therapy for use outside of treatments for lead poisoning.
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