Naturopathic Medicine Promotes Chelation Intravenous Therapy

Every year, about 1 million people in the United States undergo the naturopathic medicine procedure chelation intravenous therapy. Chelation therapy uses a chemical substance called EDTA to bind the toxic metals in the body in order to excrete them via urination. EDTA is a man-made amino acid that removes heavy metals and minerals like iron, lead, copper and mercury from the system. This naturopathic medicine chelation intravenous procedure was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of toxic heavy metal poisoning, but it is not yet approved for arteriosclerosis.

Still in naturopathic medicine, chelation intravenous therapy is also used to treat arteriosclerosis. Every year, roughly 100,000 people use chelation intravenous therapy, despite it not being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of heart conditions. This naturopathic medicine procedure involves a needle inserted in the patient’s vein, which is attached to an IV drip of EDTA, ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid. Patients usually have chelation intravenous therapy for three hours during one treatment. Chelation therapy can last several weeks and takes up to 30 sessions, whether it’s for the treatment of metal poisoning or arteriosclerosis.

Also, because it is believed that EDTA removes essential nutrients like magnesium and vitamins B and C, these vitamins are often administered to the patient during the chelation intravenous therapy. Although backed up by the naturopathic medicine world, chelation intravenous therapy has a bit of controversy surrounding it. In an effort to discover more about the benefits and pitfalls of this procedure, the NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) currently is funding a study on the procedure to alleviate any qualms people may have about chelation.