Free radicals unmanaged become extremely destructive, attacking cells, disrupting cell membranes, causing mutagenic damage, damaging enzyme proteins, and interfering with active and passive transport across cells membranes. As a result of the dysfunction of active-passive transport of cells, nutrition is not sustained. Without proper nutrients, including anti-oxidants, one becomes more toxic and ill which may result in accelerated aging, abnormal functioning, and many scientist believe free radicals can cause errors in DNA resulting in malignant cells. Chelation removes these toxins and restores enzyme function to normal.
It is interesting to note that accelerated free radical activity is present in most disease processes including premature aging, arteriosclerosis, heavy metal toxicity and environmental illness.
WHO INVENTED CHELATION?
The father of modern biochemistry was the French-Swiss chemist, Alfred Werner, who in 1893 developed the theory of coordination compounds, today referred to as chelates. For this turning point in reclassifying inorganic chemical compounds, Werner received the Nobel prize in 1913. He went on to create concepts accounting for the process by which metals bind to organic molecules – the basis for chelation chemistry.
The first applications of Werner’s monumental discovery were in the field of industrial production. Starting in the 1920’s, many new materials, such as paints, were introduced, and in their manufacturing the elimination of heavy metal contamination was crucial. Citric acid was found to be helpful, but in the mid-1930’s Germany was motivated to develop its own chelating material and not be dependent on importing citric acid. The synthetic substance they invented was EDTA (ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetate). While creating EDTA for their own use, the Germans manufactured so much and the product gained such a reputation that they began selling it on the global market for industrial use.
Medical applications were not yet being considered for EDTA, but with war approaching military workers were afraid of poison gas being used, and they searched for antidotes. England especially had experienced poison gas in World War I, and at Oxford University researchers invented their own chelating substance to diminish the effects of exposure to poison gas. Fortunately, it didn’t have to be used.
After World Was II the new threat was atomic warfare, and our country began producing and stockpiling large quantities of EDTA, which was recognized as more effective than the British chelation material. Fortunately this application of chelation also was not needed.
While this manufacturing of EDTA for protection against radioactive fallout was going on, no one paid attention to the first medical application in real life that had been carried out in l947 by Dr. Charles Geschickter at the Georgetown University Medical Center. A patient undergoing chemotherapy had accumulated toxic nickel complexes in her system. In trying to save her, Dr. Geschickter thought of EDTA as the only thing that could work, and he successfully used it. This did not, however, lead to widespread use.
In the l950’s EDTA was tried with equal success in curing people with lead poisoning who were working in a battery plant, and the U.S. Navy used it on people who had acquired lead poisoning in repainting old ships. In both of these applications, not only did EDTA eliminate the poisoning, but the patients were relieved of atherosclerosis, chest pains, arthritis, memory loss, inability to concentrate, etc. Hearing of these cures, heart specialists at Wayne State University used EDTA on a group of patients that were believed to have incurable conditions — even the most seriously ill of the group were restored to near normalcy. From the 1950’s on, many doctors continued, with confidence based on their experience, to utilize chelation therapy in a wide variety of medical applications with great success.
Published articles regarding successful treatment of atherosclerosis with EDTA began appearing in medical journals in 1955, and many more since then. In 1973, the American Academy of Medical Preventics was formed to educate physicians and promote the utilization of EDTA chelation therapy in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. This organization was renamed the American Academy of the Advancement of Medicine in l986. In l983, the formation of the American Board of Chelation Therapy was formed to set parameters for the education and testing of physicians for competence in the administration of EDTA chelation.
Chelation, while absolutely legal, is limited in advertising claims for treatment of lead poisoning, hypercalcemia, and ventricular fibrillation secondary to digitalis toxicity. Claims for conditions other than these have not been approved by the FDA. However, in 1978, Dr. Ray Evers won a precedent case regarding a physician’s legal use of a drug approved by the FDA for a specific condition “may be used for another condition for which it has not been approved”.
Many non-alternative doctors have since enjoyed and employed the benefits of this ruling in the distribution of other prescriptive drugs. The American Medical Association, while not yet endorsing chelation therapy for atherosclerosis, does approve its use in the treatment of lead and other heavy metal poisoning. It is most unfortunate that the EDTA patent expired in 1969, resulting in the loss of interest in research by major drug companies.
