Chelation Therapy

What Is Anionic Surfactant Therapy?

Anionic Surfactant Therapy (AST) is an intravenous therapy using the synthetic amino acid EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) which is an anion (negatively charged particle) that has a strong electromagnetic attraction for cations (positively-charged particles) such as lead, cadmium, aluminum, calcium, etc.  These cations combine with the EDTA through attraction forces and are subsequently eliminated from the body through the kidneys into the urine.

AST is often used for patients with heavy metal poisoning, poor circulation due to arteriosclerosis and conditions related to these primary diagnoses.  When a body has an excess of cations, the zeta potential of the red blood cell (RBC) is reduced.  The higher the zeta potential of the RBC the greater will be the negative electromagnetic charge of the cell.  It is this negative charge which repels other RBCs and prevents them from coagulating, clotting, and resulting in circulatory-related problems (e.g. thrombophlebitis, myocardial infarction, arterial blockage, etc.).

In atherosclerosis, the blood vessels are damaged and then obstructed by the buildup of plaque.  Theoretically, this damage may be either the result of excess free radicals (positively-charged particles from the environment also known as “cations”).  During and following AST, plaque is reduced, collateral circulation is increased, elasticity of the blood vessel is enhanced, and hence, the blood flow throughout the body improves.

What Is Atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis is the degenerative process that occurs in arterial walls as our bodies age.  Deposits of fat, cholesterol and free ionic calcium occur beneath the inner lining (epitheli­um) of the arterial wall.  These deposits become hardened with a progressive protrusion into the lumen of the artery.

Just as rocks interfere with the smooth flow of water in a river, these plaques (hardened deposits in the arterial walls) create a disturbance of the vascular system that causes turbulent currents within the artery.  As the arterial openings become smaller, the blood pressure rises due to back-flow pressure.  This causes stress upon the heart which is a muscular pump which must work harder to force the blood past these obstructions in the arteries to supply such vital organs as the kidneys, liver, heart and brain.  As the blood flows over these plaques, the formation of thrombi (blood clots) may occur. When a thrombus becomes dislodged in an artery, a heart attack or stroke is often the end result.

Unlike veins, whose walls are thin and contain no muscle fibers, arterial walls are composed of muscle fibers and elastic tissue and will stretch or contract to aid in the smooth flow of blood with each beat of the heart.  As plaques are developed in the arterial walls, the efficiency of the vascular system is also decreased due to loss of elasticity.

For example, let us compare these plaques to concrete.  A solution of water and lime dried in the sun produces a hard compound that will shatter under very little pressure or stress.  Adding sand to the mixture will result in a harder substance that can be broken with the light blow of a hammer.  If you add sand and gravel and allow the mixture to harden in the sun, the result will be concrete which can only be broken with a jack hammer and will sustain thousands of pounds of pressure. 

The calcium formed in the arterial walls is similar to gravel in cement.  It hardens the arterial walls, forms a matrix with cholesterol and fat that is hard and non-pliable and breaks up with great difficulty. This form of calcium can be safely remove by using EDTA.

Depending on a variety of factors such as nutrition, exercise, consumption of socially accepted poisons (e.g. coffee, tobacco, alcohol, and food additives), and exposure to environmental toxicities, atherosclerosis becomes progressively worse throughout the life span of the individual.  Heart attacks, strokes, gangrene, kidney failure, ruptured aneurysms and thrombi are often the end result of atherosclerosis.  Virtually every organ in the body can be affect­ed by this disease.  Some of the lesser effects of atheroscle­rosis are loss of memory and reduced ability to think or concen­trate, lack of control of nervous responses, kidney function disorders, reduced intestinal function, lack of muscular coordina­tion and ability, impaired body organ functions, and generalized circula­tory insufficiency. 

What is EDTA?

Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid (EDTA), is a modified protein that is water soluble when chelated with a mineral such as calcium.  EDTA has a strong affinity for heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, nickel, iron, and some minerals (e.g. calcium).  When this substance comes into contact with a positively charged metal or mineral (e.g. lead or calcium), hydrogen (H+) atoms are released and the metal ion becomes firmly attached.

The new compound is chemically inactive and is water soluble which enables the kidneys to eliminate it easily into the urine, thereby removing it from the body.  Most of the newly formed EDTA complex is removed within the first six hours after the EDTA has been injected into the body.  Ninety eight percent (98%) is removed within 48 hours.  Since giving EDTA too rapidly or in too large a quantity may overload the kidneys, only one tenth (1/20) of the maximum dose is administered.

Does EDTA Cause Loss Of Calcium From The Bones?

Most of the body’s calcium is already isoelectrically combined (or chelated) with a protein molecule.  Examples of this are bone, cartilage and serum calcium.  EDTA does not normally remove this form of calcium. However, calcium deposits (salts) in the joints, tendons, bursae, and kidneys will be removed by complexing with EDTA.  Sclerotic processes of the skin and organ systems such as scleroderma, lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, and scars on the heart from old heart attacks are often effectively treated using this modality.  In summary, EDTA is effective in any disease in which abnormal deposits of free ionic calcium are present.

Are There Any Dangers In Using EDTA?

Although this method is safe, certain precautions must be taken.  Two organ systems must be functioning satisfactorily in order to avail this treatment to the patient:

  1. Kidneys—Since EDTA is excreted through the kidneys, it is important that the tubular portion of the kidneys be efficient;
  2. Liver—Much of the dissolved fat and cholesterol from the plaques are metabolized here.

Some individuals have had tuberculosis in the past and are now recovered from this disease.  The body protects itself from the tubercular bacillus by encasing it in a calcified prison.  Since EDTA will dissolve and remove this type of calcium, freeing the bacillus, such patients must be treated with caution and may need antitubercular medication to prevent reactivation of the tubercu­losis.  The benefits of using EDTA in such persons must be weighed against the inherent danger of becoming tubercular again.

How Many Treatments Should I Have?

The recommended initial series for most patients is at least 24 treatments.  Many patients need more than 24 treatments to achieve maximum improvement in their blood flow.  Twelve treatments every 6-12 months is recommended as follow-up therapy in order to maintain improvements in circulation.

What Are The Side-Effects?

Fatigue is a possible side-effect.  However, this is usually a result of heavy metal mobilization which will eventually subside with proper eating, drinking, supplements, and exercise.

What Are The Results of AST?

The results are as varied as patients’ conditions but improvement is usually achieved.  Chest pain may be lessened, memory improved, transient ischemic attacks stopped, leg pain relieved and cold extremities warmed up.  While laboratory tests and office visits for evaluation will help us monitor your progress, individuals with heavy metal toxicity, electrolyte imbalance, thrombosis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation, atheros­clerosis, heart disease, strokes, and arthritis are all conditions that have been found to be secondary benefits of AST.

How Long Does It Take?

A patient receiving anionic surfactant therapy can expect to spend between thirty to forty-five minutes­ in the clinic’s intravenous therapy room.  During this time he will receive a special intravenous solution contain­ing the EDTA.  With the AST method of administration patien­ts can be safely treated with EDTA daily.  The number of AST treatments each patient will need varies, but the average is about 24 treatments, although the national standard for EDTA is 30 treatments per the American College for the Advancement in Medicine (a.k.a. “ACAM”).  AST is stopped when there is evidence of heavy metal elimination, improvement in the zeta potential of the red blood cell, a drop in the calcium in the urine is noted, or the physician determines maximum benefit has occurred.

Who Can Receive This Therapy?

Only those patients who will cooperate fully with regard to diet, mineral and vitamin supplementation and specific recommendations of the doctor will be accepted for treatment.  In addition, those patients who undergo AST must have a thorough examination and diagnostic laboratory tests before beginning treatment.  The required tests are as follows:

  1. Blood Chemistry Screen
  2. Complete Blood Count
  3. Thyroid Profile
  4. Blood Lipid Profile
  5. 24-hour Urinalysis For Heavy Elements

Optional tests considered to be of importance include hormone levels (e.g., DHEA-S, testosterone estradiol, etc.) and Heart Rate Variability (“HRV”).  The following tests should be conducted on a regular basis to monitor the patient’s progress: urine pH, protein, and glucose, and vitals (e.g., pulse, and blood pressure).  After 12 and 24 treatments, the patient should be re-evaluated by the physician.  For example, the HRV evaluation and/or lab tests should be repeated.  A 24-hour urine is usually collected after the 12th and/or 24th IV treatment as well.

What Medicines Are Prescribed During Treatment?

Although no medications are routinely prescribed, some patients may need specific medication and homeopathic remedies for certain problems or physical ailments.  All patients will be required to follow a more natural dietary regimen with an emphasis on fresh foods.  Sugar and processed foods are to be avoided.  Consumption of dairy products (e.g. milk and cheese) must be discontinued due to their high calcium content.  Otherwise, deposits may reoccur in the tissues and arteries and thus, delay the beneficial results of the chelation. Certain minerals (e.g. zinc) in a specifically chelated or complexed form, and vitamins (e.g. B6), must be taken daily to replace losses occurring during the course of chelation.

Is This A New Medical Treatment?

Actually, the use of EDTA began in 1948 in Detroit, Michigan, as a result of experiments conducted by a group of Physicians in the treatment of lead poisoning.  EDTA was found to remove lead, a heavy metal, from the bloodstream and body stores when given intravenous­ly to patients.  At the time of these experiments, a coincidental finding was the discovery of marked improvement in atherosclerosis following treatments with EDTA.  These results were first reported in the American Medical literature in 1950.  Historically, EDTA and other chelating agents have been used since their discovery to treat a variety of disorders.  For example, it has been used in the treatment of the following:

  1. Lead and Mercury poisoning
  2. Scleroderma
  3. Snake Venom Toxicity
  4. Calcinosis (abnormal calcium deposits)

Do Many Doctors Use EDTA?

Like all new concepts in medicine, a good deal of questioning, doubt and frank denial has been leveled at this approach to solving the problem of atherosclerosis.  Physicians are often intolerant of the opinions and suggestions of those who are not members of the profession, yet who provide valuable insight as to how to improve better patient care through incorporation of modalities and techniques that have not been introduced through the accepted medical channels.  As a colleague once remarked in a discussion on nutrition, “What does Linus Pauling (A Ph.D. who has been awarded two Nobel Prizes) know about the use of Vitamin C?  He’s only a biochemist and not a medical doctor.”  Fortu­nately for patients, not all physicians have such closed minds, but many are intimidated by the intolerant attitudes of their colleagues.

Presently, more attention is being directed to the biochemist and to the biophysicist, as more and more evidence indicates that the key to the secrets of health are to be found in a better under­­standing of cellular functions and metabolism where thou­sands of enzymatic and chemical reactions are continually occur­ring in individuals.

Will I Need Additional EDTA Treatments?

One of the results of using EDTA is stimula­tion of the body’s parathyroid glands that are embedded in or in very close proximity to the thyroid glands in the neck.  Calcium metabolism is regulated by these glands. The removal of ionic calcium from the blood with EDTA triggers the release of a hormone that stimulates body cells to release excess calcium stored in the tissues.  The calcium in hardened arterial walls and arthritic joints is released to replace the ionic (free) calcium lost during the IV EDTA treat­ment.

Just as certain exercises stimulate and expand the muscles, a course of IV EDTA therapy stimu­lates the parathy­roid glands.  These glands gradually decrease their production of parahormone, a chelating hormone, during the three (3) months following IV EDTA Therapy.  To continue the benefits of IV EDTA Therapy, patients should have approximately 10-12 IV EDTA treatments annually.  Some patients will have a mainte­nance treatment once each month, beginning 3 months after comple­tion of the initial series; others prefer to have all 10 treat­ments in a 2-week period.  Both ways seem to work well.  Follow-up chela­tion treat­ments are recom­mended beginning three (3) months after an initial course of treat­ment has been complet­ed.

SUMMARY

“Calciphylaxis” is a word introduced by Dr. Hans Selye to de­scribe all of the conditions where calcium becomes abnormally deposited in various body tissues.  This may be the end-stage result of the body’s attempt to repair free-radical (e.g. heavy metal) damage.  Anionic Surfactant Therapy is an excellent means of removing most heavy metals and Ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic Acid (EDTA) is often the best chelating agent for this purpose.  Ultimately, as calcium is removed from the walls of atherosclerotic (hardened) arter­ies, the plaques dissolve and cholesterol and fat are removed by macrophages in the blood and by cells in the liver.  As the arteries begin to open up, more blood flows to all parts of the body, oxygenation improves, and the whole body benefits.