Chelation Therapy For Heavy Metals
Why Everyone Needs Chelation Therapy
Part II
by Ron Manzanero, M.D.
In my previous article about Chelation (key-lay-shun) therapy, I began to explore some of the reasons why people would want to consider this treatment as part of their health care. In this article I would like to expound upon the disease-causing aspects of lead and mercury, and show how chelation therapy can help treat some common diseases.
Lead exposure is a known cause of hypertension in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, March 26, 2003, issue. Another AMA article states that “accumulated” lead exposure is now recognized as a risk of age-related cataracts in men (Journal of the American Medical Association, Dec. 8, 2004). Additionally, this article mentions lead as a cause of the cognitive decline often believed to be a part of “aging.” Lastly, the January 23, 2003, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine states that everyday, low-level lead exposure can be a cause for progressive chronic kidney failure. It is interesting that the authors cured the kidney failure by treating the patients with EDTA chelation therapy! Has your doctor been screening you for lead toxicity?
A common source of mercury exposure is dental “silver” fillings. The acts of chewing food and brushing our teeth, when “silver” fillings are present, release mercury vapors that in some individuals exceed the OSHA limits for mercury in the workplace. These vapors can be inhaled and have been shown to inhibit neuron development and create brain lesions similar to those in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients (Neurotoxicology, 1997). In the Part 1 of this article, I referred to a 2001 Journal of Immunology article stating that mercury is a potent cause of systemic autoimmune disease. In another medical journal, an article states that dental amalgam, because of its mercury content, can be a risk factor in autoimmune diseases, and further suggests that patients with autoimmune “thyroiditis” might have amalgam-derived mercury as a cause (Neuro Endocrinology Letters, Feb-April 2003). A common cause of hypothroidism is autoimmune “thyroiditis,” typically of unknown cause. I now routinely check my autoimmune diseased patients, as well as hypothyroid patients who have antibodies against the thyroid, for mercury exposure.
The optimal way to check the body for its toxic metal reserve is through a provocative chelation challenge, followed by collection of a 6-hour urine sample to see how much lead, mercury, arsenic, and other toxic metals has been stored in tissue reserves. Measuring toxic metals from blood tests and hair analysis can be quite misleading, as blood and hair will only reflect recent exposure. What chelation doctors are looking for is what the above AMA journal article describes as “accumulated” toxic metals. In other words, what has collected in your body over many years? We need to start thinking not only about acute toxicity, but also about the cumulative effect. Here is where the chronic fatigue, autoimmune disease, hypertension, cataracts, and other diseases factor in. According to some experts, even brain disorders like autism and Alzheimer’s disease may have a toxic metal/mercury basis.
Toxic metals can be safely removed with chelation therapy. Lead removal from the body is best done with EDTA chelation therapy. There are better methods of chelation for removing mercury from the body, including the use of DMSA, DMPS, and D-penicillamine. Bear in mind, all of these medicines have potential side effects and must be administered by a physician who is experienced with these chelating medicines. For a listing of chelation doctors, you can contact the American College for Advancement in Medicine at: www.acam.org.
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