At Anti-Aging & Regenerative Associates, we offer chelation therapy to treat various health conditions, including metal poisoning and osteoarthritis. Our facility offers this treatment as an IV infusion package, which involves receiving injections with chelating agents to treat patients’ bodies. This treatment is noninvasive, meaning patients do not have to undergo surgery to receive medication.
If you or a loved one is interested in getting chelation therapy, you can visit our facility in Port Orange to speak with one of our physicians about how this treatment could improve your health.
What Is Chelation Therapy?
Chelation therapy is a chemical-based procedure that involves injecting patients with chelators. These chelating agents attach themselves to metals found in the bloodstream and form compounds, which are then filtered out of the bloodstream via the kidneys and expelled through urination.
What Chelating Agents Are Used in Chelation Therapy?
We might use several chelators depending on the type of metal poisoning or health condition you have. One of our physicians will prescribe one chelator over another to treat your symptoms.
Common chelators include:
- Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA): One of the more common chelating agents, EDTA can remove metals such as copper, lead, and iron from the bloodstream. It can also remove calcium, which can help reduce artery blockages.
- Dimercaprol: We use this chelator to treat more severe cases of metal poisoning, such as mercury or arsenic poisoning, as well as Wilson’s disease, which occurs when the body has large buildups of copper.
- Penicillamine: This chelating agent can also treat Wilson’s disease as well as chronic immune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis (an inflammatory disease that causes pain in the joints) or scleroderma (a skin disorder caused by excess collagen production that can lead to skin hardening or tightening).
Other chelators include deferoxamine and deferasirox, which treat varying levels of copper and zinc poisoning, among different types of metal poisoning.
What Conditions Can You Use Chelation Therapy to Treat?
Chelation therapy is primarily used to treat metal poisoning in both adults and children. The Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology released a report in 2019 on the effectiveness of chelation therapy on metal poisoning, noting that this treatment showed positive results in removing metals such as copper, lead, iron, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic.
However, other studies show that chelation therapy may effectively treat inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammation-associated cachexia. Arthritis Research & Therapy released a 2005 study that found:
- Chelation therapy reduced systemic copper levels, inflammatory cell invasion in joint tissue, and synovial hyperplasia.
- This treatment can hinder growth factors that trigger pannus formation, which causes bone degradation.
- Rheumatoid arthritis patients experience minimal side effects and improve their well-being overall.
Biometals later released a report in 2011 that supported chelation therapy as an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Its research found that the study participant no longer had symptoms of metal poisoning or rheumatoid arthritis, and that their oxidative status increased after six months of treatment.
Can Chelation Therapy Treat Heart Disease?
Some medical professionals hypothesize that because chelation therapy can bind to calcium and remove it from the bloodstream, this treatment could apply to heart and coronary artery diseases. However, the Mayo Clinic points out that there is insufficient evidence to support this theory.
If you would like to use chelation therapy as an alternative treatment for your heart disease, our physician can go over the benefits and side effects of this therapy. Additionally, our physicians practice internal medicine, so if other treatments are more suitable for your overall health, we can prescribe those options.
What Are Some of the Benefits of Getting Chelation Therapy?
Benefits of chelation therapy include:
- Metal level reduction: Chelation therapy removes heavy metals from the bloodstream, which can be beneficial for metal poisoning or related diseases, such as chronic kidney disease, Wilson’s disease, and hemochromatosis.
- Antioxidation: Chelation therapy can serve as an antioxidant and reduce inflammation in the body, including the joints.
- Detoxification: The International Journal of Molecular Sciences found chelation therapy was an effective treatment for neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicity can relate to toxic metals ingested, but it can also involve cigarette or substance use.
Other benefits of chelation therapy currently remain unproven, but some practitioners claim this therapy can treat conditions like heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes.
Are There Side Effects to Getting Chelation Therapy?
Side effects from chelation therapy vary by the dosage used for treatment and the severity of the patient’s health condition. Milder side effects may occur because of the injection. These side effects include:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Headache or migraine
- Fever
- Diarrhea
- Skin rash
- Flu-like symptoms
More severe side effects of chelation therapy include abnormal weight loss, an increase or decrease in blood pressure, abdominal pain, kidney or liver damage, anemia, and hypocalcemia.
Our physicians can provide a complete list of side effects based on your condition, then discuss how long you may need treatment and realistic goals for what to expect during and after your treatment.
Call Now to Schedule a Chelation Therapy Appointment at Our Facility
If you would like to receive chelation therapy or another IV infusion therapy we offer, you can schedule an appointment at Anti-Aging & Regenerative Associates to speak with one of our physicians. We can take blood samples to send to the lab for analysis to determine which treatment options we provide may be suitable for your health condition.
Call (386) 366-7418 today to set up your appointment with our facility. Our office location is on 633 Dunlawton Ave, Port Orange, FL 32127 near the Halifax Medical Center.