Chelation Therapy Edmonton | Optimum Wellness Integrated

Chelation Therapy is effective in that it is able “to grab” or “to bind” heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and aluminum, to name a few, and remove them from the body.

In 2019 it was discovered that Canadian tap water contained high levels of lead. According to Health Canada and the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no safe level of lead exposure.

Individuals who live in areas abundant in industry, farming, and natural resource extraction, such as Alberta, may be exposed to higher levels of environmental toxicants. Exposure to these toxicants such as lead, mercury, and cadmium can cause a myriad of symptoms and diseases.

They do this by accumulating in the body and producing “free radicals”. Free radicals are molecules that are highly reactive and cause damage to your cells. Higher amounts of toxicants in the body tend to create more free radicals in the body which in turn are more likely to cause disease and dysfunction.

There is a way to test and assess the overall burden of these toxicants in the body. There is also a way to reduce the amount of many of these toxicants in the body. This can be done through a procedure known as chelation therapy.

About Us

Optimum Wellness Integrated clinic, under the direction of Dr. A.J. DeNault B.Sc. Pharmacy, ND, has been providing chelation therapy in the Edmonton area for over 15 years.

Optimum Wellness Integrated clinic has administered thousands of chelation IVs to patients with good results. We have one of the largest IV rooms in Western Canada.

Our IV room has a full nursing staff and is overseen by multiple naturopathic doctors. We also use infusion pumps to ensure the safety and efficacy of our treatments.

Toxin versus Toxicant

While commonly used interchangeably these terms are distinct. A toxin is a natural substance that is produced by living organisms that may be poisonous to humans. Ex. Snake venom. Whereas, a toxicant is a man-made product, natural or synthetic, that causes harm. Some toxicants are also known as heavy metals, toxic metals or as toxic heavy metals.

What is Chelation Therapy?

Exposure to toxicants in the environment, and even some medical treatments may cause harmful compounds to build up faster than the body can eliminate them. These compounds can accumulate in the body. They accumulate in certain tissues and the body’s detoxification systems cannot get rid of them, especially toxic heavy metals.

When these toxicants accumulate in high enough amounts they may cause health issues. Chelation therapy may be the only way to remove these toxic heavy metals from your body.

Chelation stems from a Greek word that means “to claw” or “to grab”. Chelation therapy involves the administration (either I.V. or oral) of compounds that bind to and remove toxic heavy metals, toxicants, and other undesirable compounds from the body.

Common chelating agents are EDTA and DMSA. Chelation can be used to remove many toxic heavy metals, some of which are: aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, etc., from the body. Read more about Mercury Chelation.

Excess heavy metals are also known to cause neuro-degenerative diseases such as neuritis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases that plague modern mankind.

By removing heavy metals, free radical damage is significantly reduced or reversed.

One of the ultimate effects of chelation therapy is to restore the health of the arteries. This is obtained by the removal of the pathological heavy metals and the increased production of a naturally formed substance called nitric oxide.

Current research now validates nitric oxide as an endothelial-relaxing factor that relaxes the blood vessels, decreases the resistance to blood flow, and subsequently improves the delivery of oxygen and other vital nutrients that the vessels supply to the tissue.

Such effects are desirable in a majority of cardiovascular diseases.

Chelation therapy may benefit the following conditions:

Clinical studies performed by doctors performing I.V. Chelation Therapy have documented positive benefits in the treatment of the following disease processes:

Arteriosclerosis and Atherosclerosis
Coronary Artery Disease, Carotid Artery Disease
Cerebral Vascular Disease (strokes, transient ischemic attacks [TIA’s], Alzheimer’s)
Peripheral Vascular Disease (claudication, pre-gangrene)
Certain Cardiac Arrhythmias
Autoimmune Disease (Scleroderma, Multiple Sclerosis, RH, SLE)
Collagen Vascular Disease (rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus)
Diabetes Mellitus, both Type I and Type II
Heavy Metal Toxicity (lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, etc.)
Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism

Hypercalcemic States
Osteoporosis
Venous Stasis Disorders
Peripheral Neuropathy
Fibromyalgia
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Allergic disorders
Neurological Conditions
Neurodegenerative Disease
Strokes
Circulatory Blindness
Auto-immune diseases, such as Rheumatism.

What are toxic metals and where do they come from ?

Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, aluminum, etc.. are toxic to the human body. Lead among other damaging effects, inactivates the vital enzymes upon which the body depends for many of its critical processes. Unfortunately high levels of lead may be found in our environment. Leaded gasoline from automobiles and from the oil and gas industry has spewed thousands of tons of lead into our atmosphere which is being breathed in or is gaining entry into our bodies through our food. It is estimated that most of us have a lead burden of 500 times that of our forefathers, much of it trapped in our bones and other tissue.

Mercury is even more toxic than lead and causes damage to the immune system. It is a common industrial waste in our water and it is also absorbed from our mercury amalgam fillings. Another source is excessive fish consumption. Read more on Mercury Chelation.

Aluminum has been found in toxic concentrations in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. It is found in food cooked in aluminum pots, in underarm deodorants, in tap water in certain areas, in baking powder, and in some drugs and foods.

Cadmium comes from cigarette tobacco and car exhaust, arsenic from industrial pollution and wood preservatives, and so the list goes on.

Types of Chelating agents used:

Calcium EDTA
Magnesium EDTA
DMSA

More Information

Each patient is encouraged to read books on Chelation which are available at major bookstores or online. Our clinic carries copies of Forty Something Forever, A Consumer’s Guide to Chelation Therapy by Harold & Arline Brecher, and Bypassing Bypass Surgery by Elmer M Cranton, M.D.

F.A.Q

How is the “specific” chelating agent determined?

The “specific” chelating agent is determined based on the types of toxic heavy metals that have been found in your body. Certain chelating agents are better than others at removing certain toxic heavy metals from your body. If multiple toxic heavy metals have accumulated in your body, you may have to receive multiple different chelating agents. These agents will usually be administered at different times. It is recommended to go through an entire cycle of one chelating agent before switching to another chelating agent.

How is I.V. Chelation given?

After careful assessment including a physical exam and laboratory testing, Chelation therapy is given by intravenous drip (I.V.) to a maximum frequency of three treatments per week. Each treatment takes about 2½ hours and is given with the patient seated in a comfortable recliner chair, in which they can read or visit with their neighbor. Depending on the patient’s condition, it is usually recommended that an initial course of 20 to 30 weekly or bi-weekly treatments be taken. After that, monthly booster treatments are recommended to maintain the benefits originally gained by the first series of treatments.

What is the dosage of the chelating agent?

The amount of chelating agent administered is carefully calculated according to each patient’s age, weight, sex, general health and blood creatinine levels according to the A.C.A.M. protocol (American College for Advancement in Medicine). If above normal blood creatinine levels are detected, the dosage and frequency of treatment will be reduced. Treatment may be stopped if in judgment of the doctor, continuing them might present any type of potential problem for the patient.

Are there side effects to I.V. EDTA Chelation Therapy?

Reaction to the chelating agent or to the vitamins included in the I.V. treatment does occur occasionally. This is usually avoided by starting with smaller doses and gradually building up to desired levels. Inflammation at the site of the I.V. may occur and is treated with cold compresses. If your blood pressure or blood sugar declines with treatment it is suggested that you see your regular doctor to adjust your prescription medicines. A drop in blood calcium occasionally occurs and is evident by muscle twitching, but this is corrected with I.V. or oral calcium.

Patients with heart failure are monitored closely as too much fluid can cause problems. Kidney damage leading to dialysis is rare, whereas if there is a modest kidney damage before Chelation, kidney function often improves. Life threatening reactions are also rare. Chelation cannot be given to people with severe kidney damage, to people on high doses of blood thinners or to pregnant women.

Is I.V. EDTA Chelation safe?

Yes, very safe. Over 1 million people world-wide have been chelated and there are no reported deaths from EDTA Chelation in the last 20 years following the A.C.A.M. protocol which is followed in our clinic. However fatality as in any medical or surgical treatment must be considered.

What are the advantages of I.V. EDTA chelation?

EDTA Chelation treatments remove heavy metals, thereby reducing chest pain (angina) and improving circulation throughout the body. In most cases, EDTA Chelation therapy improves the patent’s quality of life without requiring surgery.

Although many people gain the same or better benefits from EDTA Chelation as compared to Bypass or Peripheral-vascular surgery, it must be pointed out that EDTA Chelation and surgery may not be mutually exclusive. In cases where surgery is required, EDTA Chelation can be used thereafter to improve and maintain the surgery’s benefits.

Is the IV Therapy used alone?

Chelation therapy is part of a comprehensive program. It is enhanced when used with a total nutritional program including professional supplements, and the adaptation of a “Heart-Smart” diet. Other lifestyle modifications that are encouraged are exercise, stress management, minimal use of caffeinated and alcohol beverages and the elimination of tobacco products.

What is the difference between oral and intravenous Chelation?

Some nutritional “oral” supplements which contain EDTA or other chelation agents like DMSA have recently been alleged to be as effective as “intravenous” Chelation therapy. However the truth is that with oral chelation agents is that only 5 to 10% or less of the chelating agent is absorbed from the digestive tract when taken orally. Rectal chelation suppositories also have a low amount of absorption. The remainder passes out in the stool. Oral chelation must also be taken every day to absorb an effective amount of EDTA and when taken on a daily basis, oral EDTA binds essential nutrients in the digestive tract and blocks their absorption, causing nutritional deficiencies.

When EDTA is given intravenously there are no absorption issues. Furthermore, nutritional “oral” supplementation taken during the I.V. Chelation program more than compensates for any losses incurred during the I.V. therapy.

Is Chelation covered by Insurance?

Chelation is not covered by Alberta Health Care. Some private (work) insurance companies may cover part of the therapy costs, however our clinic does not provide any third party billing. After each treatment our clinic provides each patient with an invoice for either their insurance coverage or their personal files.

Disclaimer

Please be aware that individual responses to treatments may vary. Results are not guaranteed. Speak with your naturopathic doctor about the appropriate treatment plan for your case.