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Karl Loren Background

Oral Chelation and Nutritional Replacement Therapy for Chemical & Heavy Metal Toxicity and Cardiovascular Disease

by Maile Pouls, Ph.D. , Extended Health’s Director of Research, from Townsend Letter, 1999

It is said there is a blessing within every misfortune. Sixteen years ago, chronic mercury exposure and attendant nutritional deficiencies nearly killed me. While it was happening, I viewed this terrible experience and the years I spent trying to regain my health as an unmitigated disaster. I have since discovered the gift of the misfortune.

The "disaster" occurred while I was working as a dental hygienist, which I did from 1967 to 1983. At that time, protective masks were not standard practice in the dental field, and the health risk involved in polishing silver-mercury amalgam fillings was not recognized. When dental fillings are polished, they emit small amounts of mercury, which can be both absorbed through the skin and inhaled by the dentist or hygienist, as well as the patient. Mercury is a known neuro- and immunotoxin.

In 1983, I developed alarming symptoms that rapidly worsened and multiplied until I was completely disabled. What began as mild dizziness and fatigue progressed to extreme symptoms similar to multiple sclerosis (MS): visual disturbances, pain, tremors, jerky movements in my limbs, constant low-grade fever, weight loss of 50 pounds, and extreme exhaustion. I went from one M.D. to another in an attempt to obtain a diagnosis, but no one could determine what was going wrong or how to treat me.

Through my own search in medical journals and textbooks, I discovered that my symptoms matched those of mercury poisoning. I consulted a naturopath who ran a hair analysis. My suspicions were confirmed—I had an extremely high level of mercury in my body. Only after years of perseverance and a variety of therapeutic measures (including removal of all of my mercury-amalgam fillings, colon and liver detoxification, and specific nutritional supplements) was I able to reclaim my health.

My experience created a passion in me for investigating healing modalities, especially in the area of heavy metal detoxification and nutritional supplements. I pursued further education in the nutrition field and embarked on research that led me to an understanding of the connections between toxins (particularly heavy metals) in our environment and food and water supply, nutritional deficiencies, and health problems, including degenerative conditions such as heart disease.

The blessing in my misfortune came with this path of investigation, which enabled me to design a program to help people recover from heavy metal toxicity and restore and maintain their cardiovascular health. The program is based on oral chelation and nutritional replenishment formulas I developed, and which are proving effective in preliminary clinical trials.

The Heavy Metal Hazard

Some metals are naturally found in the body and are essential to human health. Iron, for example, prevents anemia, and zinc is a cofactor in over 100 enzyme reactions. They normally occur at low concentrations and are known as trace metals. In high doses, they may be toxic to the body or produce deficiencies in other trace metals; for example, high levels of zinc can result in a deficiency of copper, another metal required by the body.

Heavy or toxic metals are trace metals with a density at least five times that of water. As such, they are stable elements (meaning they cannot be metabolized by the body) and bio-accumulative (passed up the food chain to humans). These include: mercury, nickel, lead, arsenic, cadmium, aluminum, platinum, and copper (the metallic form versus the ionic form required by the body). Heavy metals have no function in the body and can be highly toxic.

Once liberated into the environment through the air, drinking water, food, or countless human-made chemicals and products, heavy metals are taken into the body via inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption. If heavy metals enter and accumulate in body tissues faster than the body’s detoxification pathways can dispose of them, a gradual buildup of these toxins will occur. High-concentration exposure is not necessary to produce a state of toxicity in the body, as heavy metals accumulate in body tissues and, over time, can reach toxic concentration levels.

Heavy metal exposure is not an entirely modern phenomenon: historians have cited the contamination of wine and grape drinks by lead-lined jugs and cooking pots as a contributing factor in the "decline and fall" of the Roman Empire; and the Mad Hatter character in Alice in Wonderland was likely modeled after nineteenth-century hat makers who used mercury to stiffen hat material and frequently became psychotic from mercury toxicity.

Human exposure to heavy metals has risen dramatically in the last 50 years, however, as a result of an exponential increase in the use of heavy metals in industrial processes and products. Today, chronic exposure comes from mercury-amalgam dental fillings, lead in paint and tap water, chemical residues in processed foods, and "personal care" products (cosmetics, shampoo and other hair products, mouthwash, toothpaste, soap). In today’s industrial society, there is no escaping exposure to toxic chemicals and metals.

In addition to the hazards at home and outdoors, many occupations involve daily heavy metal exposure. Over 50 professions entail exposure to mercury alone. These include physicians, pharmaceutical workers, any dental occupation, laboratory workers, hairdressers, painters, printers, welders, metalworkers, cosmetic workers, battery makers, engravers, photographers, visual artists, and potters.

In my clinical nutrition practice, when I discuss with patients my concerns regarding heavy metal toxicity, I often get the response, "That isn’t a problem for me." Most are astonished to learn that we are all being exposed to and absorbing these harmful substances to some degree in our daily lives. The astonishment turns to alarm when they hear what heavy metals do in the body.

The Effects of Heavy Metal Toxicity

Studies confirm that heavy metals can directly influence behavior by impairing mental and neurological function, influencing neurotransmitter production and utilization, and altering numerous metabolic body processes. Systems in which toxic metal elements can induce impairment and dysfunction include the blood and cardiovascular, detoxification pathways (colon, liver, kidneys, skin), endocrine (hormonal), energy production pathways, enzymatic, gastrointestinal, immune, nervous (central and peripheral), reproductive, and urinary.

Breathing heavy metal particles, even at levels well below those considered nontoxic, can have serious health effects. Virtually all aspects of animal and human immune system function are compromised by the inhalation of heavy metal particulates. In addition, toxic metals can increase allergic reactions, cause genetic mutation, compete with "good" trace metals for biochemical bond sites, and act as antibiotics, killing both harmful and beneficial bacteria.

Much of the damage produced by toxic metals stems from the proliferation of oxidative free radicals they cause. A free radical is an energetically unbalanced molecule, composed of an unpaired electron, that "steals" an electron from another molecule to restore its balance. Free radicals result naturally when cell molecules react with oxygen (oxidation) but, with a heavy toxic load or existing antioxidant deficiencies, uncontrolled free-radical production occurs. Unchecked, free radicals can cause tissue damage throughout the body; free-radical damage underlies all degenerative diseases. Antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E curtail free-radical activity.

Heavy metals can also increase the acidity of the blood. The body draws calcium from the bones to help restore the proper blood pH. Further, toxic metals set up conditions that lead to inflammation in arteries and tissues, causing more calcium to be drawn to the area as a buffer. The calcium coats the inflamed areas in the blood vessels like a bandage, patching up one problem but creating another, namely the hardening of the artery walls and progressive blockage of the arteries. Without replenishment of calcium, the constant removal of this important mineral from the bones will result in osteoporosis (loss of bone density leading to brittle bones). Current studies indicate that even minute levels of toxic elements have negative health consequences, however, these vary from person to person. Nutritional status, metabolic rate, the integrity of detoxification pathways (ability to detoxify toxic substances), and the mode and degree of heavy metal exposure all affect how an individual responds. Children and the elderly, whose immune systems are either underdeveloped or age-compromised, are more vulnerable to toxicity.

Common Heavy Metals: Sources and Specific Effects
Aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and nickel are the most prevalent heavy metals. The specific sources of exposure, body tissues in which the metal tends to be deposited, and health effects of each metal are identified below.

1. Aluminum
Sources of exposure: Aluminum cookware, aluminum foil, antacids, antiperspirants, baking powder (aluminum containing), buffered aspirin, canned acidic foods, food additives, lipstick, medications and drugs (anti-diarrheal agents, hemorrhoid medications, vaginal douches), processed cheese, "softened" water, and tap water.
Target tissues: Bones, brain, kidneys and stomach.
Signs and Symptoms: Colic, dementia, esophagitis, gastroenteritis, kidney damage, liver dysfunction, loss of appetite, loss of balance, muscle pain, psychosis, shortness of breath, and weakness.

Among the patients I see in my practice, the highest aluminum exposure is most frequently due to the chronic consumption of aluminum-containing antacid products. Research shows that aluminum builds up in the body over time; thus, the health hazard to older people is greater.

D.R. McLaughlin, M.D., F.R.C.P. (C), professor of physiology and medicine and director of the Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Toronto, states, "Concentrations of aluminum that are toxic to many biochemical processes are found in at least ten human neurological conditions." Recent studies suggest that aluminum contributes to neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, senile and presenile dementia, clumsiness of movements, staggering when walking, and inability to pronounce words properly. Behavioral difficulties among schoolchildren have also been correlated with elevated levels of aluminum and other neurotoxic heavy metals.

2. Arsenic Sources
of exposure: Air pollution, antibiotics given to commercial livestock, certain marine plants, chemical processing, coal-fired power plants, defoliants, drinking water, drying agents for cotton, fish, herbicides, insecticides, meats (from commercially raised poultry and cattle), metal ore smelting, pesticides, seafood (fish, mussels, oysters), specialty glass, and wood preservatives.
Target tissues: Most organs of the body, especially the gastrointestinal system, lungs, and skin.
Signs and Symptoms: Abdominal pain, burning of the mouth and throat, cancer (especially lung and skin), coma, diarrhea, nausea, neuritis, peripheral vascular problems, skin lesions, and vascular collapse.
The greatest dangers from chronic arsenic exposure are lung and skin cancers and gradual poisoning, most frequently from living near metal smelting plants or arsenic factories.

3. Cadmium
Sources of exposure: Air pollution, art supplies, bone meal, cigarette smoke, food (coffee, fruits, grains, and vegetables grown in cadmium-laden soil, meats [kidneys, liver, poultry], or refined foods), freshwater fish, fungicides, highway dusts, incinerators, mining, nickel-cadmium batteries, oxide dusts, paints, phosphate fertilizers, power plants, seafood (crab, flounder, mussels, oysters, scallops), sewage sludge, "softened" water, smelting plants, tobacco and tobacco smoke, and welding fumes.
Target tissues: Appetite and pain centers (in brain), brain, heart and blood vessels, kidneys, and lungs.
Signs and Symptoms: Anemia, dry and scaly skin, emphysema, fatigue, hair loss, heart disease, depressed immune system response, hypertension, joint pain, kidney stones or damage, liver dysfunction or damage, loss of appetite, loss of sense of smell, lung cancer, pain in the back and legs, and yellow teeth.
Current studies are attempting to determine if cadmium-induced bone and kidney damage can be prevented (or made less likely) by adequate calcium, protein (amino acids), vitamin D, and zinc in the diet.

4. Lead
Sources of exposure: Air pollution, ammunition (shot and bullets), bathtubs (cast iron, porcelain, steel), batteries, canned foods, ceramics, chemical fertilizers, cosmetics, dolomite, dust, foods grown around industrial areas, gasoline, hair dyes and rinses, leaded glass, newsprint and colored advertisements, paints, pesticides, pewter, pottery, rubber toys, soft coal, soil, solder, tap water, tobacco smoke, and vinyl ‘mini-blinds’.
Target tissues: Bones, brain, heart, kidneys, liver, nervous system, and pancreas.
Signs and Symptoms: Abdominal pain, anemia, anorexia, anxiety, bone pain, brain damage, confusion, constipation, convulsions, dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, headaches, hypertension, inability to concentrate, indigestion, irritability, loss of appetite, loss of muscle coordination, memory difficulties, miscarriage, muscle pain, pallor, tremors, vomiting, and weakness.

The toxicity of lead is widely acknowledged. The greatest risk for harm, even with only minute or short-term exposure, is to infants, young children, and pregnant women. A federal study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) in 1984 estimated that three to four million American children have an unacceptably high level of lead in their blood. Dr. Suzanne Binder, a CDCP official, stated, "Many people believed that when lead paint was banned from housing [in 1978], and lead was cut from gasoline [in the late 1970s], lead-poisoning problems disappeared, but they’re wrong. We know that throughout the country children of all races, and ethnicities and income levels are being affected by lead [already in the environment]." In their book, ‘Toxic Metal Syndrome’, Dr.’s R. Casdorph and M. Walker report that over 4 million tons of lead is mined each year and existing environmental lead levels are at least 500 times greater than pre-historic levels.

In 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that more than one million elementary schools, high schools, and colleges are still using lead-lined water storage tanks or lead-containing components in their drinking fountains. The EPA estimates that drinking water accounts for approximately 20% of young children’s lead exposure. Other common sources are lead paint residue in older buildings (as in inner cities) and living in proximity to industrial areas or other sources of toxic chemical exposure, such as commercial agricultural land. All children born in the U.S. today have measurable traces of pesticides, a source of heavy metals and chlorine-based chemicals, in their tissues.
Lead is a known neurotoxin (kills brain cells), and excessive blood lead levels in children have been linked to learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder (ADD), hyperactivity syndromes, and reduced intelligence and school achievement scores.

5. Mercury
Sources of exposure: Air pollution, batteries, cosmetics, dental amalgams, diuretics (mercurial), electrical devices and relays, explosives, foods (grains), fungicides, fluorescent lights, freshwater fish (especially large bass, pike, and trout), insecticides, mining, paints, pesticides, petroleum products, saltwater fish (especially large halibut, shrimp, snapper, and swordfish), shellfish, and tap water.
Target tissues: Appetite and pain centers in the brain, cell membranes, kidneys, and nervous system (central and peripheral).
Signs and Symptoms: Abnormal nervous and physical development (fetal and childhood), anemia, anorexia, anxiety, blood changes, blindness, blue line on gums, colitis, depression, dermatitis, difficulty chewing and swallowing, dizziness, drowsiness, emotional instability, fatigue, fever, hallucinations, headache, hearing loss, hypertension, inflamed gums, insomnia, kidney damage or failure, loss of appetite and sense of smell, loss of muscle coordination, memory loss, metallic taste in mouth, nerve damage, numbness, psychosis, salivation, stomatitis, tremors, vision impairment, vomiting, weakness, and weight loss.
The primary source of exposure to mercury is "silver" dental fillings (approximately 50% mercury when placed); over 225 million Americans have these fillings in their teeth. Mercury fillings release microscopic particles and vapors of mercury every time a person chews. Vapors are inhaled while particles are absorbed by tooth roots, mucous membranes of the mouth and gums, and the stomach lining.

In people with mercury amalgam fillings, measurements of the mercury level in the mouth ranges between 20 and 400 mcg/m3. Keep in mind that this is continuous exposure. The National Institute of Occupation Safety and Health places the safe limit of environmental exposure to mercury at 20 mcg/m3, but that is assuming a weekly exposure of 40 hours (the work week) and the mercury involved is outside the body. The Environmental Protection Agency’s allowable limit for continuous mercury exposure is 1 mcg/m3 but, again, that is based on mercury sources outside the body. Neither figure addresses 24-hour-a-day exposure from mercury in one’s mouth.

Hal Huggins, D.D.S., a specialist in the effect of mercury amalgams on health, reports that 90% of the 7,000 patients he tested showed immune system reactivity from exposure to low levels of mercury. In 1984, the American Dental Association (ADA), without providing scientific evidence, claimed that only 5% of the U.S. population is reactive to mercury exposure, and that this figure is insignificant. Meanwhile, the ADA mandates that dentists alert all dental personnel to the potential hazards of inhaling mercury vapors. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) goes further, instructing dentists to treat mercury amalgam as a toxic material while handling before insertion, and as toxic waste after removal.

Mark S. Hulet, D.D.S., who conducts research on amalgam fillings, wrote a pamphlet for his patients, in which he cites five categories of pathological reaction to mercury fillings, as identified by dentists, doctors, and toxicologists. The categories are:

• Neurological: emotional manifestations (depression, suicidal impulses, irritability, inability to cope) and motor symptoms (muscle spasms, facial tics, seizures, multiple sclerosis)
• Cardiovascular problems: nonspecific chest pain, accelerated heartbeat
• Collagen diseases: arthritis, bursitis, scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosis
• Immune system diseases: compromised immunity
• Allergies: Airborne allergies, food allergies, and "universal" reactors.

One of the keys to mercury’s effects on health may be its ability to block the functioning of manganese, a key mineral required for physiological reactions in all five categories, notes Dr. Hulet.

6. Nickel
Sources of exposure: Appliances, buttons, ceramics, cocoa, cold-wave hair permanent, cooking utensils, cosmetics, coins, dental materials, food (chocolate, hydrogenated oils, nuts, food grown near industrial areas), hair spray, industrial waste, jewelry, medical implants, metal refineries, metal tools, nickel-cadmium batteries, orthodontic appliances, shampoo, solid-waste incinerators, stainless steel kitchen utensils, tap water, tobacco and tobacco smoke, water faucets and pipes, and zippers.

Target tissues: Areas of skin exposure, larynx (voice box), lungs, and nasal passages.
Signs and Symptoms: Apathy, blue-colored lips, cancer (especially lung, nasal, and larynx), contact dermatitis, diarrhea, fever, headaches, dizziness, gingivitis, insomnia, nausea, rapid heart rate, skin rashes (redness, itching, blisters), shortness of breath, stomatitis, and vomiting.

The greatest danger from chronic nickel exposure is lung, nasal, or larynx cancers, and gradual poisoning from accidental or chronic low-level exposure, the risk of which is greatest for those living near metal smelting plants, solid waste incinerators, or old nickel refineries.

How Can We Protect Ourselves from Heavy Metals?

Logic dictates that, once the potential harm from heavy metals is understood, their production and use should be phased out and toxic storage heavily regulated. As is obvious from the list of exposure sources above, logic is not the guiding principle here, except in the case of lead, the use of which has been curtailed.

Even if all heavy metal production were to stop today, however, enough heavy metals have been released into our environment to cause chronic poisoning and numerous neurological diseases for generations to come. There are presently 600,000 toxic waste contamination sites in the United States alone, according to the U.S. Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. Of these, less than 900 have been proposed by the EPA for Superfund cleanup and approximately 19,000 others are under review. While some of these toxic messes were likely caused by accidents or ignorance, the majority came from illegal dumping by hazardous product or waste distributors, manufacturers, transportation companies, or waste management companies. Such practices have not ceased, as focus on profit continues to override concerns about health, the environment, and a more promising future for all of our children.

With the government doing little or moving very slowly to protect the public from the hazards of heavy metals, it is up to individuals to take measures to protect themselves. According to conventional medicine, there is nothing a person can do to address aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, or nickel exposure, aside from avoiding known sources. Given the prevalence of these toxins in our lives, this is impossible.

Fortunately, there is a way to get these harmful substances out of the body. Intravenous and oral chelation, detoxification protocols, and specific nutritional therapies can remove heavy metals and chemical toxins and reduce the toxic load our bodies endure on a daily basis.

The Chelation Solution

Chelating (pronounced key-layting) agents are substances which can chemically bond with, or chelate (from the Greek chele, claw), metals, minerals, or chemical toxins from the body. The chelating agent actually encircles a mineral or metal ion and carries it from the body via the urine and feces. Many organic acids found in the body or in foods can act as chelating agents, including acetic acid, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), citric acid, and lactic acid. Natural chelation processes in the body are responsible for such things as the digestion, assimilation, and transport of food nutrients, the formation of enzymes and hormones, and detoxification of toxic chemicals and metals.

Intravenous chelation therapy involves injecting the chelating agent EDTA into the bloodstream for the purpose of eliminating from the body undesirable substances such as heavy metals, chemical toxins, mineral deposits, and fatty plaques (as in the arteries; the agent binds to the calcium in the plaques). EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid) is an effective and widely studied chelating agent. It cannot chelate mercury, however, DMSA and DMPS, the chemicals which work intravenously to chelate mercury, are not approved by the FDA.

EDTA is a synthetic amino acid (amino acids are the building blocks of protein) and is approximately one third as toxic to the body as aspirin. Chelation therapy with EDTA was first introduced into medicine in the United States in 1948 as a treatment for the lead poisoning of workers in a battery factory. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Navy advocated chelation for sailors who had absorbed lead while painting government ships and facilities. The FDA approved IV EDTA chelation as a treatment for lead poisoning.

Physicians administering the chelation for lead toxicity observed that patients who also had atherosclerosis (fatty-plaque buildup on arterial walls) or arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) experienced reductions in both conditions after chelation. Since 1952, IV EDTA chelation has been used to treat cardiovascular disease.

Over 1,800 scientific journal articles have been published on the use of EDTA in intravenous (IV) chelation. In the past 30 years, hundreds of thousands of patients have received this therapy, as delivered by over 1,000 physicians in approximately 3,300,000 IV infusions. EDTA’s success rate in increasing blood circulation is 82%, provided the patients received sufficient chelation.

How Chelation Aids Cardiovascular Health
Chelation reduces calcium plaques on arterial walls. These atherosclerotic plaques are not limited to arteries nearest the heart. On the contrary, they are widespread and can affect blood flow (oxygen delivery) to every cell, tissue, gland, organ, and system being served by the over 75,000 miles of blood vessels in your body. Chelation reaches every blood vessel in the body, from the largest artery to the tiniest capillary and arteriole, most of which are far too small or too deep within the brain or other organ to be safely reached in surgery.

Other scientifically documented benefits of intravenous EDTA chelation therapy for the cardiovascular system include:
• Stabilization of arterial intracellular membranes
• Maintenance of the electrical charge of platelets in the blood, reducing blood clumping (aggregation) and preventing blood clots.
• Marked improvement in nearly 100% of 2,870 studied patients with peripheral vascular disease
• Normalization of half of treated cardiac arrhythmias
• Reductions of cerebrovascular occlusion
• Improved cognitive function in people with memory and concentration deficits and improved visual acuity (when problems are caused by arterial blockage)
• Improved myocarditis due to lead poisoning.
• Reduction of blood fat levels and improved capillary blood flow.
• Increased peripheral blood flow to the extremities.
• Improved compliance of vascular tissues; decalcification of elastic tissues resulting in improved elasticity and resilience.
• Improved red blood cell membrane flexibility and permeability to potassium
• Decreased blood pressure levels, as a result of excretion of cadmium from renal tissues, diminished peripheral resistance, improved blood vessel resilience and pliability, decreased vascular spasm, and improved magnesium uptake.

In addition to the effectiveness of IV EDTA chelation therapy in treating cardiovascular disease and heavy metal toxicity, research has documented its benefits for aneurysm, Alzheimer’s disease and senile dementia, arthritis, autoimmune conditions, cancer, cataracts, diabetes, emphysema, gallbladder stones, hypertension, kidney stones, Lou Gehrig’s disease, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, scleroderma, stroke, varicose veins, venomous snake bite, and other conditions involving an interruption in blood flow and diminished oxygen delivery.

The ten top killers of Americans (in the order of frequency) include heart disease, cancer, stroke, accidents, pneumonia, diabetes, cirrhosis, arteriosclerosis, suicides, and infant death. All but accidents, pneumonia, suicides, and infant death have an underlying connection to reduced blood circulation. More than 90 percent of Americans live in jeopardy of having a serious illness relating to the circulatory system.

The human and financial cost of cardiovascular disease in the U.S. is astronomical. Every year, approximately 1.5 million Americans have a heart attack, 300,000 of whom die before receiving medical attention. The treatment of cardiovascular disease rings up a total of $100 billion dollars annually —$200,000 spent every minute. Coronary artery bypass surgery (bypassing the blocked heart artery with grafted leg artery, average cost $44,000) is the most frequently prescribed surgical procedure for heart disease, costing $10 billion per year. Numerous leading medical doctors and authorities have stated that coronary bypass surgery is overprescribed and often unnecessary. Nearly 20,000 people die every year as a result of bypass surgery or angioplasty (ballooning of the occluded artery, average cost $21,000).

Intravenous chelation is far safer, much less expensive, and less invasive. Proven effective in circulatory disorders, its benefits for cardiovascular patients is clear. IV chelation does pose some risks, however. Although nontoxic, EDTA produces side effects in some people. These include burning, redness and swelling at the injection site, fever, hypotension (low blood pressure), joint pain, skin outbreaks or rashes, upset stomach, and, rarely, irritation of the kidneys and liver.

Some cardiologists who understand the benefits of intravenous EDTA chelation do not recommend its use with patients who are debilitated, emaciated, have weak or diseased kidneys, or advanced cardiovascular disease (end stage). They believe the sudden, massive infusion of EDTA puts too much stress on the kidneys, liver and detoxification pathways in these patients and could be harmful or even dangerous. Other doctors and medical researchers disagree, contending that "transient kidney malfunction" is a normal physiological adaptation occurring during the passage of toxic products (chelated metals and chemicals) through the kidneys, and that properly administered IV chelation will not cause kidney damage.

A common misconception about chelation is that it lowers the levels of calcium in the bones and teeth as the body draws calcium from them to replace the calcium drawn from the blood by the chelation process. On the contrary, the calcium to restore blood levels is drawn from places in the body where calcium has built up unnaturally, as in arterial plaques (which contribute to clogged arteries), calcified bursae (a source of bursitis), arthritic joints, and kidney stones.

Further, Garry Gordon, M.D., D.O., co-founder of the American College of Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) and a pioneer in chelation therapy, states, "If calcium levels start to drop, the parathyroid glands kick in and start secreting parathormone which ‘steals’ back enough calcium from the EDTA (and other) chelates to keep the heart beating normally (serum calcium must stay at a constant level for normal heart function) and to activate cells called osteoblasts, which strengthen and rebuild bone. The more chelation we give people, the less osteoporosis they have and the less age-related calcium accumulation [arterial wall plaques] there is in the blood vessels."

There is no limit to the amount of IV EDTA chelation a person can be given and the peak beneficial effects last up to two months after treatment. IV chelation is safe for children as well as adults. People over 90 years old have enjoyed the benefits of chelation and more than 200,000 children in the U.S. have undergone IV chelation as treatment for lead poisoning.

Intravenous chelation has two drawbacks, however. Although much safer and less expensive than coronary bypass surgery or angioplasty, it is still relatively expensive (hundreds of dollars per visit) and not widely available, as there are comparatively few experienced medical doctors certified in IV chelation therapy. Fortunately, there is an even safer, inexpensive, and more easily obtained alternative: oral chelation.

Oral Chelation

Chelation delivered orally involves ingesting nutritional food supplements which contain chelating agents (EDTA & numerous natural chelators) including; vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and herbs.

Oral EDTA chelation has all the benefits of IV chelation, but is much slower acting because only 4% to 18% of an oral EDTA dose is absorbed (compared with 100% of an IV dose). Taken on a daily basis, oral chelation will gradually accomplish what its IV counterpart does in a few administrations. According to Dr. Garry Gordon, oral chelation is useful in reducing heavy metal toxicity and calcification, lowering blood cholesterol, lessening lipid peroxidation (free-radical oxidation of metabolized fats), thinning the blood, and preventing the formation of blood clots (a cause of heart attack).

In some areas, oral chelation may actually outperform IV EDTA (only) chelation. In addition, extended Health’s oral chelation formula has the ability to chemically bond with and cause the elimination of mercury from the body (as evidenced by mercury levels in urine samples before and after chelation). As mentioned earlier, EDTA does not chelate mercury. In extended Health’s formula, it is the other chelating agents—cilantro, chlorella, and lipoic acid—that effectively act on mercury.

The heightened benefits of oral chelation may result from the synergistic effect of combining EDTA with numerous natural chelating agents, such as activated clays, certain bioflavonoids, chlorella, cilantro, coenzyme Q10, garlic, L-cysteine, L-glutathione, lipoic acid, methionine, selenium, sodium alginate, and zinc gluconate. Each chelating agent has a predilection for different chemicals and mineral or metal ions.

The addition of nutrients known to support liver function and detoxification also increases an oral chelation formula’s effectiveness. A companion formula of antioxidants and other nutrients enhances the chelation process by replacing beneficial minerals removed during chelation, promoting the healing of tissues, and preventing free-radical oxidative damage. As with chelating agents, different antioxidants work on different free radicals. For this reason, the formulas contain a wide range—there are 30 different antioxidants in the Age-Less formula.

Antioxidant activity may play a particularly important role in amplifying the benefits of chelation. Elmer Cranton, M.D., author of Bypassing Bypass, believes that the prevention of free-radical damage (which EDTA does) is the main action behind chelation’s positive effects.

The effectiveness of oral chelation is a topic of debate, even amongst proponents of IV chelation. Our clinical research, however, demonstrates oral chelation’s benefits for atherosclerosis and heavy metal poisoning. Many health professionals believe that oral chelation is not a replacement for IV chelation. I agree with this view when the patient’s condition is too severe to wait for the slower-acting oral chelation to produce effects. When such patients have completed the recommended number of IV chelation treatments, however, oral chelation is of great benefit in maintaining their cardiovascular health.

In addition to heart patients, I particularly recommend oral chelation for anyone with a family history of heart disease, longstanding poor dietary practices, or a history of exposure to heavy metals or toxic chemicals. More generally, oral chelation is useful to anyone who wants to prevent cardiovascular disease and clear their body of the metals and toxins that we all accumulate and which can cause a variety of health problems.

As such, oral chelation can serve as a convenient, non-invasive, long-term health maintenance and preventative program. The gradual dosage delivery significantly reduces the risk of side effects; oral chelation is safe for children and adults.

Oral Chelation And Nutritional Replacement Protocol

Over 15 years of clinical nutritional experience and three years of researching nutritional supplement formulations enabled me to identify the optimal substances for detoxifying heavy metals from the body. In evaluating available oral chelation formulas, I found none that had all the ingredients necessary to comprehensively chelate heavy metals and mineral plaques, and assist the kidneys and liver in the detoxification process. As a result, extended Health has developed two formulas: Oral Chelation formula and Age-Less, a companion formula for total mineral and nutritional replacement.

The formulas exert beneficial effects on the entire cardiovascular system. By detoxifying your body and allowing your veins and arteries to open up, these formulas ensure that your tissues, glands, organs, and interrelated systems receive ample oxygen-rich blood, which in turn improves their efficiency.
In terms of ingredients, the formulas have two overall advantages:

1. They are plant-enzyme based. Enzymes, which are the catalysts for all metabolic actions, assist in the optimal assimilation and utilization of the food people consume (giving them the most nutrients for their money). Enzymes also assist in the assimilation and utilization of the other nutrients in our formulas; thereby ensuring you get the most out of each ingredient. Without enzymes, proper utilization of nutrients is not achieved. With enzyme supplementation, you get up to ten times more assimilation of food and nutrients as without.

2. Aside from EDTA, the nutrients in the formulas are whole food/plant based which means you get the range of nutrients and co-factors found in that plant or food, rather than only isolated fractions (as in synthetic vitamin supplements). The healing actions are thus more powerful. In addition, since the formulas are plant based (concentrated food nutrients), there is no need to be concerned about drug interactions or side effects.

Dosage starts at one tablet of Age-Less at breakfast (increasing gradually to three tablets) and one capsule of the Oral Chelation Formula at dinner (increasing gradually to three). It is important to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of filtered water daily. If intake is far below that, it can be raised in increments.

In many cases, people are much more toxic than they realize and experience irritability, low-grade headache, or overall achiness. These symptoms arise from the heavy metals or chemical residues that have been pulled out of tissues and are circulating in the body prior to excretion. The symptoms do not indicate an adverse reaction to the formulas, but rather that the body has been storing significant amounts of toxins. Decreasing the dosage of the formulas and increasing water intake will eliminate these symptoms.

Diet and Nutrition

In keeping with a whole-body approach to health and medicine, we recommend that our patients implement healthy dietary and lifestyle practices along with the oral chelation formula program. Abuse of alcohol, drugs (recreational or prescription), and tobacco products, chronic stress, and lack of exercise are obviously detrimental lifestyle factors.

A poor diet is equally detrimental. We recommend that everyone, but particularly people concerned about cardiovascular disease, avoid the following foods and beverages or ingest them only in small amounts: alcohol (any form), baking soda, butter, caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, others), canned vegetables, chemical ingredients (mold inhibitors, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, meat tenderizers), chlorinated (tap) water, commercially prepared foods, fats and oils (especially fats from commercially raised animals, saturated fats, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils), fried foods, heated polyunsaturated fats (fast foods oils, theatre popcorn oil), lard, margarine, MSG (monosodium glutamate), processed and refined foods, red meat (or any products from commercially raised animals), salt (sodium chloride), soft drinks, softened tap water, spicy foods, sugar, commercial salad oils (many contain trans-fatty acids, refined by bleaching, chemicals, heat, and solvents), tallow, tropical oils (palm, cottonseed), and white-flour foods.

Nutritional deficiencies can contribute to cardiovascular disease. Certain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients have been identified as vital for maintaining cardiovascular health. Degrees of deficiency of one or a combination of the following nutrients will result in corresponding symptoms of physical disease or inadequacy in the cardiovascular system:

• Vitamins: C, E, A (beta carotene), D, B (1, 2, 3 [niacin and niacinamide], 5, 6, 12), folic acid, and biotin.

• Minerals: Calcium, chromium, copper, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, potassium, selenium, and zinc.

• Amino acids: L-carnitine, L-lysine, L-proline

• Coenzyme Q10.

All of these nutritional supplements and more are in the Oral Chelation and Age-Less formulas.
Nutritional deficiencies can contribute to the accumulation of heavy metals in the body. When sufficient levels of certain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are maintained in the body, the continued absorption of specific heavy metals is greatly reduced.

Ingredients of the Oral Chelation Formula

1. Chelating agents: EDTA and nutrients that assist in the mobilization of metals and toxins; alginate, garlic (high allicin potential), activated attapulgite (clay), chlorella (freshwater algae; needed to bind up the liberated mercury and carry it out of the body via the feces), lipoic acid, methionine, and L-cysteine (heavy metal scavengers).

2. Antioxidants: Lipoic acid (extremely powerful, known as the "ideal antioxidant," vitamin C, catalase, methionine, and L-cysteine.

3. Lipotropics (improves fat metabolism): Trimethylglycine, carrageenan, and L-lysine (blood vessel "teflon," fatty plaque chelating agent, cellular fuel, reduces angina pectoris). L-lysine is an amino acid involved in the structural repair of damaged blood vessels. It has a beneficial effect on lead toxicity and high blood pressure.

4. Plant-based enzymes (bromelain, lipase, catalase): ensure optimal utilization of all of the above nutrients.

Ingredients of the Age-Less Replenishment and Antioxidant Formula

1. Chelating agents: EDTA and nutrients that assist in the mobilization of metals and toxins; Vitamin B1, vitamin E, bioflavonoids, cilantro, coenzyme Q10 (cellular fuel), L-glutathione, selenium, and zinc gluconate. Cilantro (Chinese parsley) has been shown in clinical trials and research to mobilize mercury, tin and other toxic metals stored in the brain and spinal cord and move them rapidly out of those tissues. This is a revolutionary discovery—cilantro is one of the only substances known to "mobilize" mercury from the central nervous system.

2. Minerals: Calcium, magnesium, manganese, chromium, copper gluconate, molybdenum, potassium, selenium, vanadium, and zinc gluconate.

3. Essential vitamins: A (antioxidant, blood vessel stabilizer), D-3 (cellular fuel), E (antioxidant, chelator, blood vessel stabilizer, reduces angina pectoris), B1 (cellular fuel), B2 (cellular fuel), B3 (niacin [lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, cellular fuel, reduces lipoprotein] and niacinamide [cellular fuel]), B5 (lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, cellular fuel), B6 (cellular fuel), B12 (blood cell nutrient, cellular fuel), PABA, inositol, folic acid (blood cell nutrient, cellular fuel), biotin (cellular fuel).

4. Liv-1 (artichoke hybrid): an effective, powerful ingredient for detoxifying the liver during chelation, normalizing liver metabolism, and preventing further damage due to internal and external toxins such as alcohol and environmental poisons. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities. Liver is the body’s filter for toxins. When the liver cannot keep up with the toxic load, toxins accumulate in that organ. This ingredient helps clear toxins out of the liver, including during phase 2 liver detoxification (conjugation for water solubility and excretion), which most programs and formulas do not address.

5. Antioxidants: bioflavonoids, catalase, coenzyme Q10, Ginkgo biloba, grape seed OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidins), green tea, hesperidin, lutein, lycopene, quercetin, rutin, L-taurine, and 14 others.

6. Phytonutrients: hawthorn berry (cardiac tonic), iodine (as kelp; thyroid and energy production support), milk thistle and beet juice powder (support liver in detoxification and cleanse blood), and MSM (methyl sulfonyl methene; increases blood vessel elasticity), among others.

7. Amino acids: L-choline, L-carnitine (lowers cholesterol, triglycerides, cellular fuel), L-proline, and L-taurine (supports heart muscle and function).

8. Lipotropics: chondroitin sulfate. A constituent of the arterial wall, possessing anti-coagulant (reduces blood-stickiness), anti-lipemic (anti-fat in bloodstream), and anti-thrombogenic (reduces clotting) properties.

9. Plant-based enzymes: bromelain, lipase, catalase.
Note: In-depth information on formula ingredients is available upon request.

Summaries of Clinical Studies on the Oral Chelation and Age-Less Formulas

In 1998, Extended Health conducted heavy metal urine analyses on 14 patients, ages ranging from 29 to 68 and from a variety of different occupations, before and after only one day’s dose of the Oral Chelation and Age-Less formulas. Omegatech, King James Medical Laboratory, Inc., in Cleveland, Ohio, analyzed the urine samples.The results showed significant excretion of all six of the heavy metals most commonly encountered and damaging to health. The following are the average percentages of increase in the 14 patients’ heavy metal excretions after just one day on the formulas:
Aluminum: 229%
Arsenic: 661%
Cadmium: 276%
Lead: 350%
Mercury: 773%
Nickel: 9,439%

• Hair analyses. Through Great Smokie’s Diagnostic Laboratory, we conducted on two patients before oral chelation and after six months on the program showed significant reduction of heavy metals. In one case, a dentist who had high exposure to mercury, the second hair analysis showed a decrease or a normal reading in all heavy metals that were abnormally high on the first hair analysis, except for mercury which was higher. In the other case, a dentist hygienist, the second hair analysis showed a decrease or a normal reading in all heavy metals that were abnormally high on the first analysis, except for silver which went higher.
Heavy metals can be stored deep in the tissues, brain, and nerve ganglion. When all heavy metals except one decrease after chelation, we know that this one was stored at the deeper levels and is finally being pulled out of those tissues and mobilized for excretion. Thus, the higher readings are a positive sign that chelation is under way. In individuals with chronic or longstanding exposure to high amounts of heavy metal, the hair analysis readings can remain high and even go higher for a period of six to twelve months depending on the amount of previous exposure.

Mr. Bob Smith, Vice President of Elemental Analysis, Great Smokie’s Diagnostic Laboratory, who has interpreted the hair analysis of many thousands of patients, stated that, in his professional opinion, "your results exhibited significant reduction of heavy metals in just six months."

• Dr. James Scheer of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine in North Charleston, South Carolina, is presently conducting a study of 20 children, aged 5 to 15, with symptoms of ADD and ADHD and unacceptable blood lead levels, to determine if oral chelation and removal of the lead affect the behavioral symptoms. Hair, urine, blood, and feces will be evaluated for heavy metal toxicity and then reevaluated after one day, three months, and six months of taking our Oral Chelation and Age-Less Formulas. The study is single blind, with placebo used on half of the children.

• A medical doctor in Alamo, California, tested one of his patients who took the Oral Chelation and Age-Less Formula with no other supplements or medications. After only two months of this regimen, blood tests showed significant reduction of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, and an increase in HDL cholesterol.

• Philip Hoekstra III, Ph.D., a pioneer of thermology, conducted thermological studies on six patients before they began taking the Oral Chelation and Age-Less formulas (no other supplements or medications) and after six months on the program. The study was conducted over the past years, under the auspices of the California Preventative Medicine Foundation in San Rafael, California.

Thermology is a diagnostic imaging based on measurements of heat emissions from the body filmed by infrared sensing devices and projected onto a computer monitor. Cells emit heat in the course of energy conversion. If there is a disturbance in the energy-conversion processes, as occurs in the case of blocked or narrowed arteries, the lessened heat emissions and reduced blood flow appear as darker areas on the thermology scan. In this way, thermology tracks the progressive deterioration of the flow of infrared energy along atherosclerotic arteries and can be used as early detection of heart disease.

The results of Dr. Hoekstra’s study revealed marked improvement in blood circulation in all but one of the patients, as documented by the thermologic images. Vascularization (improved blood flow) of the feet increased by as much as 33%—significant improvements after only a six-month trial. Nancy Gardner Heaven, director of the Foundation, states, "It appears that even though the clients selected for this study had varying complex heart conditions, all but one had an improvement of at least a 20% increase in circulation, reducing the level of stenosis [narrowing] of the vascular system. I feel very good about recommending the use of this product [Oral Chelation and Age-Less formulas] to my patients with cardiovascular disease or a family history where prevention is an issue."

Patient Reports on The Oral Chelation Program

Currently we are following 85 persons with a variety of health concerns that are taking the Oral Chelation and Age-Less formulas. They report improvement in the following conditions: headaches, cold hands or feet, skin problems, and degenerative diseases such as diabetes, autoimmune disorders, arthritis, and angina pains. They have also experienced positive effects in symptoms and conditions related to energy level, overall stamina, memory (forgetfulness), ability to concentrate, circulation, blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, vision, respiration, and sexual drive or stamina.

The following are reports from three patients:

• Diana Goolsby, 36, and her son Landon, 3, had high heavy metal readings in their hair and urine analyses and were experiencing heavy metal toxicity effects. Diana had a range of symptoms and Landon was having difficulty in learning to speak and suffered chronic, recurrent viral infections (flu and colds). We started both of them on the Oral Chelation and Age-Less formulas.
After three months of consistently taking the formulas, Diana reported to me that she had increased energy, improved circulation, improved vision, and a decrease in headaches and angina pains. She stated, "I am amazed at the overall recovery of my body. My eyes have improved a lot. They are not so tired anymore and the muscles in the eyes do not seem to have the pulling sensation that I had before. Improvement in my immune system is also a big plus. I am no longer so weak that I pick up every cold or flu symptom that I come in contact with. Landon shows improvement in his immune system. I also notice that his speech is improving with the chelation."
• Cindy Bright, 43, a patient with diabetes who presented with severe lack of mental clarity stated, "Since I’ve been on the Oral Chelation and Age-Less formulas I have no more ‘brain fog’ and the mental fuzziness is completely gone."
• Terry Batt, in his 50’s, who had had a quadruple coronary artery bypass two years before and was experiencing pain and numbness in his right leg, wrote, "I have been taking the Oral Chelation and Age-Less formulas for three to four weeks. Since that time, I have noticed that the numbness in my right ankle is gone."

Conclusion:

Research has proven the benefits of chelation for cardiovascular disease, heavy metal toxicity, and other conditions. The number of physicians who are available to diagnose and treat advanced health problems and administer intravenous chelation continues to grow. This development, along with the recent advent of oral chelation, reflects the rapid changes occurring in U.S. health care. The transformation of medical practice is due to both public dissatisfaction with the "cut or medicate," linear-delivery system of medicine and the demonstrated effectiveness of alternative and complementary therapies. Preventive health protocols (diet, exercise, and lifestyle modifications), chelation therapy, and nutritional sufficiency is the medicine of the future. Extended Health was the guest speaker on oral chelation at the 1999 Holistic Dental Association Conference in Denver, Colorado, on May 14-16. The Holistic Dental Association (HDA) is an organization dedicated to providing physical, emotional and spiritual support to their patients and families, as well as a forum for the development and sharing of health-promoting therapies. James Kennedy, D.D.S., past president of the HDA and current editor of the HDA’s magazine, The Communicator, and Richard Shepard, D.D.S., executive director of HDA, both endorse the Oral Chelation/Age-Less formulas.

The statements made in this article have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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