EDTA/DMSA Chelation

EDTA
EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is a synthetic amino acid that is used to remove toxic heavy metals from the body.

There are currently three forms of EDTA chelation

• Intravenous
• Oral
• Suppository

Intravenous EDTA chelation, although very efficacious, is very expensive, invasive, time-consuming and inconvenient. All this puts this needed therapy out of reach for most people.

For these reasons we know offer safe, effective oral and suppository forms of EDTA in varying dosages.

Higher dose EDTA suppositories are available after consultation.


DMSA
Meso-2, 3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) is a sulfur-containing organic compound that is FDA approved for the treatment of lead and mercury toxicity both in children and adults. Although it is sold as a prescription drug, it is also available as a dietary supplement. DMSA has been administered as a heavy metal chelator since the 1950s, and no other substance has been found to be more practical, safer, and more effective for this purpose.

Mercury contamination is most often associated with fish consumption, mercury amalgam dental fillings, mercury preservatives in vaccines, and other modern industrial exposures. Historically, lead contamination has been connected mainly to lead-based paints and leaded gasoline, both of which have been discontinued. However, children can still be exposed to old lead-based paint, and lead contamination is still an issue in areas where lead is being mined or smelted.

Other heavy metals include cadmium and arsenic, which are derived mainly from cigarette smoke but also from occupational and environmental exposures.

It has long been recognized that sulfur-containing compounds have the ability to chelate heavy metals. Within the normal operation of the human body, there are natural sulfur-containing compounds which perform this service, and these include N-acetyl-Cysteine (NAC), R-Lipoic Acid, A-Lipoic acid, S-adenysl methionine (SAMe), and reduced glutathione (rGSH).

Chemically, DMSA is a dithiol, which means that it contains two sulfhydryl (also know as S-H) groups, plus an analogue of Dimercaprol, also known as BAL, which is a lipid-soluble substance also used alone for metal chelation. However, unlike DMSA, BAL cannot be taken orally; rather it has to be injected deep into muscles in an oil solution. Moreover, BAL is much more toxic than DMSA. DMSA has a large therapeutic window, meaning that there is a wide margin between the amount needed to produce desired results and the amount that is potentially toxic. It can be said that DMSA is the least toxic of the dithiol compounds.

There are currently two forms of DMSA chelation

• Oral
• Suppository