Chelation therapy is used to detoxify the body in acute and severe chronic heavy metal poisoning. However, this method is controversial for use in minor poisoning and prevention of arteriosclerosis.
What is chelation therapy?
Chelation therapy is used to detoxify the body in acute and severe chronic heavy metal poisoning. Chelation therapy is a method used to remove heavy metals from the body. As the name implies, this procedure involves the use of so-called chelating agents. Chelating agents combine with metal ions to form complexes, which can then be flushed out of the body. In the case of acute intoxications, the poison centers are available for the protocol-authorized use of these substances. Chronic heavy metal intoxications are treated by environmental physicians and members of the German Medical Society for Clinical Metal Toxicology with the help of chelation agents and are recorded accordingly. The procedure is very effective for acute or severe chronic heavy metal poisoning. Other applications are rather controversial and are even rejected by medical specialists. However, in many naturopathic practices this procedure is also used for the therapy or prevention of diseases that are allegedly caused by heavy metal poisoning. In these applications, no proof of the effectiveness of chelation therapy has yet been provided.
Function, effect, and goals
Today, chelation therapy is used in cases of severe poisoning of the body with heavy metals. This is a very effective method to detoxify the body. In this process, the complexing agents are administered in solution either orally or as an infusion. The toxicity of heavy metals is due to their ability to form complexes with vital enzymes. As a result, these enzymes are no longer available to the body, leading to significant disruptions in metabolic processes. This is where the chelating agents come into play, competing with the enzymes to form complexes with heavy metals. Chelating agents include EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), DMSA (dimercaptosuccinic acid) or DMPS (dimercaptopropane sulfonic acid). These substances each contain several functional groups with which they can bind to a metal ion. In doing so, they enclose the ion so that it forms the center of the resulting complex compound. This complex as an independent compound is water-soluble and can be easily flushed out of the body. EDTA forms particularly stable complexes with copper, nickel, iron or cobalt ions. But also mercury, lead and calcium form complexes with ETDA. DMSA has proven effective in acute poisoning with lead, mercury and arsenic. Data are not yet sufficient for its use in chronic heavy metal poisoning. However, good experience has been made with DMSA in chronic intoxication with lead in childhood. The chelating agent DMPS (dimercaptopropanesulfonic acid) is used under the trade name Dimaval or Unithiol for poisoning with lead, mercury, arsenic, gold, bismuth, antimony and chromium. It is not suitable for use in iron, cadmium, thallium and selenium poisoning. In addition to use for heavy metal poisoning, chelation is still used for a severe copper storage disease, Wilson’s disease. In this genetic disease, copper from food cannot be properly processed by the body. Copper deposits occur in the various organs, especially in the liver, eye and central nervous system. This disease is therefore a severe copper poisoning, which can be fatal. With chelation therapy in combination with other therapeutic procedures, Wilson’s disease is well treatable.
Risks, side effects, and hazards
In naturopathic practices, chelation therapy is often used not only for acute and severe chronic heavy metal poisoning, but also for other diseases that are thought to result from mild heavy metal exposure. However, these effects are not scientifically proven. On the contrary, these applications are rejected by many medical specialists. For example, it is said that the use of chelating agents can prevent various diseases, such as cancer, arteriosclerosis, rheumatism, Alzheimer’s disease, impaired vision, psoriasis or osteoarthritis.The idea here is that the body is always exposed to a low concentration of heavy metals, for example via fine dust pollution from industry and road traffic. The heavy metals are then supposed to be responsible for the formation of free radicals, which can promote or trigger all these diseases. In the case of arteriosclerosis, a direct influence of calcium has even been discussed. However, because calcium can also be intercepted by the complexing agents, chelation therapy should help prevent the onset of arteriosclerosis. However, it has been shown that calcium is not at all relevant to the development of atherosclerosis. Even the original proponents of this theory had to admit this. In order to be able to justify the use of chelating agents for the prevention and treatment of arteriosclerosis after all, their antioxidant effect is now being emphasized. However, studies have shown that the use of chelation therapy has no effect on the state of health and is not suitable for the prevention of degenerative diseases. Allegedly observed improvements in general health were either based on coincidences or were due to the placebo effect. In these cases, chelation therapy is ineffective at best. Worse, however, is the fact that chelating agents cannot distinguish between harmful metals and natural minerals essential to life. If chelation therapy is used only to prevent or treat degenerative diseases, it may eventually even lead to mineral deficiencies. Users of this therapy even point out the contraindications in heart failure, severe kidney and liver dysfunction, lung disease or dementia. It is also pointed out that the treatment is always combined with mineral substitution. However, this does not change its ineffectiveness in this application. In contrast, however, chelation therapy is always the most effective method in cases of heavy metal exposure.
