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

by Maile Pouls, Ph.D.

Available from multiple sources, 2001?

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. ...

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). ...

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. ...

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. ...

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. ...

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." ...

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). ...

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. ...

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. ...

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