Answers To Your Questions About EDTA Chelation

EDTA Frequently Asked Questions

IS EDTA SAFE? EDTA is heavily used by food manufacturers and the medical industry. It is FDA approved as a preservative for blood and is so safe it's even used in baby food. Just in the United States alone, over two-hundred-thousand children have been treated with EDTA for lead poisoning. In Europe, hospitals use EDTA as a standard treatment for kidney stones.

There have been over 10 million intravenous EDTA chelation treatments in the U.S., and hundreds of thousands have taken oral EDTA supplements. Amazingly there have been no reported deaths attributable to EDTA. Compare that to prescription medications with all their side effects and risks of death, or the dangers of surgery.

DOES STOMACH ACID DESTROY ORAL EDTA? EDTA is an amino acid, and just like other aminos it passes thru the stomach into the duodenum where it is absorbed by epithelium cells. Stomach acid or other digestive juices have no effect on it. EDTA and other free form amino acids are small enough molecularly, that they enter the bloodstream immediately without digestion. EDTA is not broken down by the digestive process.

CAN EDTA HARM ARTERIAL STENTS OR OTHER METAL OBJECTS IN THE BODY? EDTA only binds to oxidized (positively charged) metal ions that are already dissolved and present in blood or tissues. Arterial stents, joint replacements, metal plates, etc. are made from high grade stainless steel, titanium, or other precious metal alloys that will not oxidize or break down in body fluids or tissues. You can safely use EDTA without fear of causing problems to implants.

CAN EDTA BE USED TO TREAT ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION? Medical research has shown that ED (erectile dysfunction) can be an early warning sign of more serious problems, such as coronary artery disease. Some medical professionals have suggested that men seeking treatment for ED should also be screened for coronary health. Since EDTA helps clear arteries of plaque deposits, it stands to reason that ED caused by blood flow problems might be helped. While there have been no comprehensive medical studies of using EDTA for treatment of ED, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest it may work for some individuals.

CAN EDTA TREAT PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE (PAD)? Also known as peripheral vascular disease, PAD is a painful and very serious condition where main arteries in the legs become obstructed, causing a lack of blood supply (ischemia) that can be chronic or acute. It is estimated that over ten million Americans suffer from PAD. There are several health conditions such as diabetes or hypertension that can make a person more predisposed to developing PAD. Numerous treatment protocols exist including surgery. Due to the effectiveness of using EDTA to clear arterial plaque, there have been reports of some people successfully treating PAD with EDTA, though no conclusive studies have yet been undertaken.

WHAT ELSE CAN EDTA TREAT? Like with erectile dysfunction, there are many reports of EDTA being used to treat conditions other than the standard uses of removing toxic metals from the body, dissolving kidney stones, or clearing arteries of plaque.

Some other possible uses of EDTA include as an anti-aging treatment, to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, increasing intracellular potassium levels, reducing heart valve calcification, to treat varicose veins, heal calcified necrotic ulcers, decrease macular degeneration symptoms, dissolve small cataracts, improve vision in diabetic retinopathy patients, lower the need for insulin in diabetics, and detox snake & spider venoms. Though no known comprehensive studies have been performed, some have also suggested that EDTA may help dissolve amyloid brain plaque in Alzheimer patients.

WHY DOESN'T MY DOCTOR RECOMMEND EDTA? There are some physicians who will tell their patients about EDTA, but unfortunately the U.S. medical industry is built around expensive (and profitable) prescription medications and surgical procedures. This is how pharmaceutical companies and hospitals make their money. If an inexpensive and safe alternative were promoted it would wreck the medical industry's business model.

Think about what the drug companies do when one of their popular and pricey medications nears the end of its protected life and is ready to become a generic drug. The drug manufacturer will unveil a new medication that will do the same as the old one, and it may even be compositionally similar to the old medication. Then they pour big dollars into advertising to convince the public they need it, while also sending their pharmaceutical reps out to pound on doctors' doors to encourage them (dinner, golf outings, free samples) to prescribe it.

Never mind that surgical procedures and prescription drugs carry huge risks of death or disability. The patent for EDTA expired a long time ago and thus Big Pharma can't make money from it, so they and their cohorts in the industry won't consider it as a treatment option.

HOW DO I KNOW IF EDTA IS WORKING? Your health problems didn't develop overnight and it will take time for them to improve. In the case of kidney stones, you will know when your pain and symptoms abate. At that point you've probably passed the reduced size stone and may not have even realized it when it passed. As I mentioned on the kidney stone page, after passing my last stone six years ago I continued to take EDTA for six weeks every six months as a preventative and haven't experienced additional stones, so I trust it is working.

When trying to reduce the level of toxic metals from your body, you can have a urine analysis performed to measure the level of various metals in your body. After three months of using EDTA, the test can be repeated to measure how far your toxic metals levels have dropped.

If you are attempting to clear arterial plaque, your doctor can perform numerous tests including measuring your blood for lipids, C Reactive Protein (CRP), homocysteine, etc. Also EKG's and other diagnostic physical tests can be performed to measure heart health. Again you aren't looking for a quick cure, but sustained steady progress.

At this point let me say that if you suspect you have any medical condition, you should see your physician to receive a conclusive diagnosis. Information on this website is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or be a substitute for professional medical care. Hopefully you can find a doctor who looks favorably upon diet, nutrition, and alternative therapies as an option instead of relying solely on dangerous pharmaceuticals.

Over the past twenty-five years I have taken responsibility for maintaining and treating my own health. That is not to say I never go to a doctor, as I have had procedures such as LASIK performed on my eyes and I do have a yearly physical. However, no one knows my body better than me, and I do my own research and if at all possible will take a natural approach to treating health conditions. EDTA is part of my health arsenal.