Chelation therapy

[jungjedi]

anybody ever try this out.ive been interested in it for a long time because of the toxic art materials ive used over the years.ive heard second hand stories about how it saved people from open heart surgery.heres what wiki hast to say

Chelating agents were introduced into medicine as a result of the use of poison gas in World War I. The first widely used chelating agent, dimercaprol, also named British Anti-Lewisite, or BAL, was used as an antidote to the arsenic based poison gas, Lewisite. BAL bound the arsenic in Lewisite, forming a water soluble compound that entered the blood-stream, allowing it to be removed from the body by the kidneys and liver. BAL is an organic di-thiol compound which binds arsenic with two strong chemical bonds formed between the arsenic and the thiols, SH groups, which are also known as "mercaptans". The latter name comes from their ability to react and form strong bonds with, or "capture," mercury - in addition to lead and arsenic. BAL had severe side-effects.

 

After World War II, medicine was confronted with a large number of navy personnel suffering from lead poisoning through their jobs repainting the hulls of navy ships. It is at this time that EDTA was introduced into medicine as a lead chelating agent. EDTA is a synthetic amino-acid of different structure from chemicals like BAL. In particular, it contains no mercaptans. While EDTA had some uncomfortable side effects, they were nowhere near as severe as BAL.

 

Subsequent to this, in the 1960s, BAL was modified into DMSA, a related di-thiol with far fewer side effects. DMSA quickly replaced both BAL and EDTA, becoming the US Standard of Care for the treatment of lead, arsenic and mercury poisoning, which it remains today.

 

Research in the former Soviet Union led to the introduction of DMPS, another di-thiol, as a mercury chelating agent. They also introduced ALA, which is transformed by the body into a di-thiol, dihydrolipoic acid, which is a mercury and arsenic chelating agent. DMPS has been given only experimental FDA status in the US. ALA is a common nutritional supplement.

 

Other chelating agents have been discovered. They all have the properties that they bind with metallic ions so that the ion is held by several chemical bonds and thus render it much less chemically reactive, produce a complex that is water soluble, and thus allow the ion to enter the blood-stream and be excreted harmlessly.

 

 

[edit] Uses in conventional medicine

Heavy metal poisoning is a medical condition usually identified among those occupationally exposed, and which can have significant effects on nearly every organ system [1]. Mercury, for example, has been strongly implicated as "a potential etiological factor in neurodegeneration" [2]. Chelation therapy is used as a treatment for acute mercury, iron, arsenic, lead, plutonium and other forms of heavy metal poisoning, where the amounts are so high that there is enough risk to the health of the patient to justify the therapy. The buildup of iron in thalassemia has led to use in treatment of that disease as well.

 

One example of successful chelation therapy is the case of Harold McCluskey, a nuclear worker who became very badly contaminated internally with americium in 1976. He was treated with diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) over many years to remove americium from his body. While it was not possible to remove all of the americium, it was possible to mitigate the effects of the accident. Harold McCluskey had 41 MBq (1.1 mCi) of 241Am removed from his body, a significant proportion. Harold McCluskey died of unrelated causes 11 years after being contaminated.

 

The chelating agent may be administered intravenously, intramuscularly, or orally, depending on the agent and the type of poisoning.

 

 

[edit] Examples of chelating agents

The choice of chelating agent depends on which metal is involved. Common chelating agents include:

 

Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA)

Dimercapto-propane sulfonate (DMPS)

Alpha lipoic acid (ALA)

Calcium disodium versante (CaNa2-EDTA)

D-penicillamine

Deferoxamine

Defarasirox

Dimercaprol (BAL)

[Monomer]

I was aware of chelation therapy, but I didn't really know too much about it. After some searching, I discovered that chelation therapy is also used to treat atherosclerosis. EDTA is used to bind calcium which is a component of the plaques in the arteries.

 

Questions and Answers About Chelation Therapy

 

YourHealth Australia - Integrative Medicine - Conventional, Natural, Alternative

[Monomer]

Some other chelating agents used in metal toxicity:

 

succimer - for lead

Prussian blue - for thallium and radiocesium

Diethylene Triamine Penta-Acetic Acid - for actinides

[jungjedi]

well i just found a chelation dr. and it isnt to bad at 50$ a pop,with a 200$ consult:eek: