Chelation therapy is a medical procedure that involves the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. It has a long history of use in clinical toxicology and remains in use for some very specific medical treatments, administered under careful medical supervision because of inherent risks, including the mobilization of mercury and other metals through the brain and other parts of the body when a weak chelating agent unbinds from a metal before elimination, which can worsen existing damage. To avoid this mobilization, some practitioners instead use strong chelators, such as selenium, taken at low doses over a long period.
Facts
Partially Attested
Origin YearSource states the early 1930s rather than a single exact year; 1930 is recorded as the decade start for this Int field. Connections
Treats
Chelation therapy (copper-chelating agents) is the standard treatment for Wilson's disease.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelation_therapy, lead sectionQuote, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelation_therapy, lead section
Chelation therapy is a medical procedure that involves the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body.
2. Wikipedia: Chelation Therapy
WikipediaHistory section, early 1930s and Ferdinand MunzQuote, History section, early 1930s and Ferdinand Munz
Chelation therapy can be traced back to the early 1930s, when Ferdinand Münz, a German chemist working for I.G. Farben, first synthesized ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is chelation therapy and what is it preferred for?
Administering chelating agents to remove heavy metals; the preferred treatment for metal poisoning.
Chelation therapy is a medical procedure that involves the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. It is the preferred medical treatment for metal poisoning, including acute mercury, iron (including in cases of sickle-cell disease and thalassemia), arsenic, lead, uranium, plutonium and other forms of toxic metal poisoning. The chelating agent may be administered intravenously, intramuscularly, or orally, depending on the agent and the type of poisoning.
Does chelation therapy work for heart disease, cancer or autism?
No; health organizations say evidence supports it only for heavy metal poisoning.
Chelation therapy also has a history of fraudulent use in alternative medicine, to treat claimed effects of heavy-metal exposure on problems as disparate as heart disease, cancer, and autism. Various health organizations have confirmed that medical evidence does not support the effectiveness of chelation therapy for any purpose other than the treatment of heavy metal poisoning. It must be administered with care as it has a number of possible side effects, including death. This record describes what the sources state and is not medical advice.
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