Chelation therapy
A medical treatment that uses a prescription drug, EDTA, to remove heavy metals such as lead from the body. It is usually administered by a slow drip of IV infusions over the course of several hours on each visit.
Claims: It is widely touted by practitioners of alternative medicine as helping with Alzheimer’s, heart disease, Parkinson’s, cancer, fatigue — essentially whatever condition anyone may face, even for those who do not have high levels of metals.
Risks: Chelation can cause serious harm, including removing essential minerals the body needs, damaging kidneys and lowering blood calcium levels. The drop in calcium can lead to cardiac arrhythmia and death. There are also reports of headache, vomiting and pain.
Regulations: The FDA has not approved chelation for any condition other than heavy metal poisoning, typically documented by blood tests showing high concentrations. That typically means lead at a level seen only in cases of major exposure.
Red flag: Instead of using a blood test to check for heavy metal toxicity, being asked to take a provoked urine test, which experts say is not accurate.
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