Chelation is a chemical substance, which is used when we need to remove molecules like metals and minerals from some body. Basically chelation helps to hold the molecules collectively so that it can smooth the process of their secretion from body. It removes any kind of toxic materials from someone’s body even before it can do any damage to one’s body. It is mainly used when there are some cases of poison. EDTA is one of the most common chelating agents available.
EDTA can be called as an amino acid that is man made, which removes metals and minerals from body. Calcium, iron and copper are the materials that are removed in Chelation treatments. EDTA has been approved as a chelating agent by Food and Drug Administration of USA.
Chelation treatment has medically proved to be a treatment against poisoning due to lead and other similar heavy metals. Though it is not approved by Food and Drug Administration, it can also be used for the treatment of atherosclerosis. Chelation treatment not only helps removing poison from body but also helps in improving blood circulation in the body and removing plaques that are formed in blood vessels. EDTA has the capability to suspend the metals thus it makes its application very wide. These properties make it useful as water softener or chemical analyzer thus is used as one of the ingredients in preservatives and shampoos. It is also a powerful cleansing agent and is hence used in water treatment in places like boiler and steam engineering water treatment.
Chelation treatment can also be used for other diseases like artery disease, angina, circulatory disorder and gangrene but it still needs some medical tests to see how effective it can be. Theses tests are done to ensure complete safety of a patient.
If we talk about side effects due to chelation treatment then they are minimal. Mainly the side effects are because of the amount of chelating agent given to a patient. Some common side effects that occur due to this treatment are vomiting, headache, stomach upset, fever, low blood pressure and nausea. This treatment can be very dangerous if not done carefully. This is the main reason that this therapy is very controversial. Some people have said to suffer dangerously from this therapy but there are no confirmed reports. This treatment is very popular amongst patients suffering from poisonous diseases and many people visit daily to hospitals to get chelation therapy.
