Chelation Therapy for Vascular Health and Heavy Metal Detox

Comfortable setting for chelation therapy

Chelation therapy is a safe, effective and relatively inexpensive treatment to restore vascular health in cases of atherosclerosis without surgery.  It improves cardiovascular function and improves blood flow to all the organs of the body including the heart. Chelation therapy involves the intravenous infusion of vitamins, magnesium, saline solution and an amino acid, EDTA. The intravenous solution is slowly trickled into the bloodstream and seeks out toxic metals in the body such as lead, cadmium, and aluminum. It also binds with calcium, the "glue" in arterial plaque and gradually over time, improves the macro and micro-circulation to the extremities, heart, and other internal organs.

So far, Chelation Therapy is approved by the U.S. FDA only for heavy metal poisoning such as lead or for severe digitalis toxicity. However nearly 50 years of research indicates that Chelation therapy can help reverse chronic degenerative diseases such as atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and arthritis.

Other forms of chelation therapy are very effective at removing heavy metals such as mercury, lead, aluminum, cadmium, copper and others from the body.

I.V.Phosphatidylcholine Therapy

[non-proprietary Plaquex Therapy]
A recent change to chelation therapy protocols for cardiovascular disease at IHA has been the inclusion of I.V.phosphatidylcholine therapy, alternating 2:1 with EDTA chelation.
Phosphatidylcholine Therapy is the New Non-surgical Swiss Treatment Protocol for Angina Pectoris Sufferers and arterial blockages.
A few years ago, physicians stumbled onto a generic product isolated from soy beans which had been tested clinically 20 years prior to treatment of patients severely ill with coronary artery disease. 20 patients suffering from irreversible angina pectoris pain and being sustained on beta blockers and nitroglycerine products were entered into the program which consisted of the infusion over a period of 50-60 minutes of the above solution 3-5 times per week for a total of 30 treatments.
To the amazement of the researchers, 19 patients who finished the treatment protocol were completely asymptomatic and free of medication. One patient dropped out at the beginning of the program for no reason.
The Phosphatidylcholine treatment program involves, administering essential phospholipids in the form of Phosphatidylcholine parenterally (by intravenous infusion) to a patient to reverse age related changes in the lipid composition of organs and tissues, such as heart muscle cells, red blood cells and arteries by lipid exchange. Since the aging process in heart muscle is characterized by a decrease in phosphatidylcholine, and a concomitant increase in sphingomyelin and cholesterol. The treatment is designed to promote exchange of PC to heart cell membrane and exchanges of SM from the heart muscle. The Phosphatidylcholine treatment program is also designed to promote cholesterol exchange from the organs and tissues, such as heart muscle cells, red blood cells and arteries.

      Benefits of Phosphatidylcholine :
The most important effect of Phosphatidylcholine is its remarkable ability to reduce plaque depositions in the arterial walls. It also lowers cholesterol and homocysteine levels. Studies in lab animals have shown that it increase their life span by up to 36%.

An important therapeutic application of the Phosphatidylcholine treatment program is increasing and individual's ability to withstand cardiac stress. This application is valuable for the individuals who have suffered cardiac trauma, such as myocardial infarction or who are at high risk of heart trauma.

    Effect of Phosphatidylcholine (PC)

• PC reduces Angina Pectoris pain and frequency of attacks
• PC lowers LDL Cholesterol
• PC increases HDL Cholesterol
• PC improves walking distance
• PC improves sexual potency
• PC Improves Brain Function

Phosphatidylcholine is useful in the treatment of patients with angina pectoris, with reduced blood flow to the brain and extremities and prophylactically in the treatment against fat embolus and strokes.

http://www.diet-and-health.net/Supplements/PhosphatidylCholine.html

Vascular Health

The plaque on arterial walls is comprised of fats, collagen, fibrin, mucopolysaccharides, cholesterol, foreign proteins, and other substances found in the environment and western diet. It is popular thinking that cholesterol in the food we eat is the primary cause of heart disease and that the best defense is to lower the blood levels, with diet and drugs. There is a statistical correlation between high cholesterol levels and an accelerated atherosclerotic process, so that medical science has concluded that dietary cholesterol and saturated fats in the diet are the main culprits.

Other scientists see the LDL (low-density lipoproteins) as the main culprit, but LDL cholesterol does not cause damage unless it is oxidized. Cholesterol is actually an antioxidant and free radical scavenger, liberally disbursed in cell walls to protect all cells. Serum cholesterol levels are now believed to be indicators of free radical damage. In other words, although vascular disease appears to present with high cholesterol levels the vascular degeneration due to free radical damage has occurred before the cholesterol levels are raised. If we observed that firemen usually surround a burning house, we could mistakenly assume that firemen are the cause of burning houses. Cholesterol is synthesized in the body in response to the epidemic level of free radical damage, brought on by the various stresses and toxins of the modern world, including poor quality fats and oils.

Once the arterial wall has been damaged an electrostatic charge attracts calcium, cholesterol and fibrous tissue, which continue to build up forming plaque on the arterial wall. This plaque (atheroma) reduces the flow of blood, starving vital organs, including the heart, for oxygen and other nutrients. Cell walls then become leaky, allowing excessive calcium, sodium, and other elements to enter. When calcium accumulates to a critical point, deposits form, like concrete. These calcifications can often be seen on x-ray. Disordered calcium metabolism can also cause coronary and other arteries to go into spasm, further reducing blood to vital organs.

Ben Boucher M.D., of Cape Breton, N.S. asserts that the buildup of metals in our bodies causes free radical oxidation, which damages cells. He explained in a Medical Post report that when the cells of the artery walls are damaged, cholesterol accumulated, strangling circulation. Boucher believes that Chelation therapy can reverse the effects of free-radical oxidation, allowing oxygen and nutrient rich blood to flow freely through the arteries. A Finnish study also links heart disease to excessive amounts of iron stored in the body. Chelation therapy pulls excess iron out of the human system.

Testing at IHA for cardiovascular disease risk

Bypassing Bypass Surgery

Heart disease is the number one killer in North America. Dr. Nortin Hadler M.D. a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina believes that only three to five percent of the 300,000 bypasses performed in the U.S. were actually necessary.

Henry Macintosh M.D. said: "bypass surgery should be limited to patients with crippling angina, for whom more conservative therapies were ineffective." Elmer Cranton, M.D., co-author of "Bypassing Bypass", claims Chelation therapy results in a 75 to 95 percent success rate in improving blood flow in patients with clogged arteries.

Diabetes

As early as the 1960's, Chelation therapy was shown to help diabetics, allowing some patients to reduce or even stop taking their medications. This result was attributed to the fact that diabetes damages blood vessels, and Chelation therapy seems to reverse some of that damage. Many of the difficult complications of diabetes are due to vascular degeneration and may be improved with Chelation.

Alzheimer's Disease

Chelation therapy also helps remove aluminum from the body, a metal that may contribute to Alzheimer's disease. Drs. H Richard Casdorph and Morton Walker, authors of Toxic Metal Syndrome: How Metal Poisoning Can Affect Your Brain, state that Chelation therapy has been shown to help at least 50% of elderly people who have tried it. They document greater mental clarity, improved memory, and increased IQ, working best in patients with early stage Alzheimer's, a condition for which conventional medicine has little to offer.

Cancer

An 18-year follow up study was done in a small city in Switzerland. A group of 59 patients were given a series of Chelation treatments. Another group of 172 patients was observed as controls. Both groups of people were selected from a neighborhood adjacent to a busy highway. All persons were equally exposed to the same amount of lead from automobile exhaust, industrial pollution and other carcinogens. Exposure to carcinogens was no greater for the studied population than exists in most other metropolitan areas through out the world. After 18 years only one of the 59 Chelation patients died of cancer, while 30 of the 172 non-treated group died. Death from atherosclerosis was also reduced.
Garry Gordon M.D., is quoted as saying, "Anything that reduces your burden of toxic metals, which feeds the fire of free radicals, sufficiently safeguards your immune system so that your body can more effectively handle early cancers".

Other conditions

Chelation therapy is also known to be helpful in alleviating the disability and discomfort of degenerative illnesses such as arthritis, scleroderma and lupus. Allergies and chemical sensitivities also appear to be improved. There is some evidence that degenerative brain conditions may benefit from chelation therapy, improving memory and cognition.  Other forms of chelation therapy are very useful in the detoxification of toxic heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, aluminum etc.  Specific tests can be performed to determine metal toxic load, and new patients are frequently screened for risk of heavy metals.