peripheral vascular disease

Chelation Therapy for Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease

blood-1237550-639x450E. Ernst, MD, PhD, FRCP (Edin)

Abstract:

Chelation therapy is viewed, promoted, and practiced as a form of complementary/alternative medicine (see References 1 and 21 2 ). It uses repeated intravenous administration of EDTA, usually in combination with vitamins, trace elements, and iron supplements as a treatment for a variety of diseases.3 4 5 Oral chelation therapy also has been advocated (see Reference 66 ) but will be excluded from this review. Among others, chelation therapy is claimed to be effective in reversing the arteriosclerotic disease process,7 8 in particular peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). Proponents claim that it can be an alternative for amputation in severe cases.8 This goes back to an observation made in the 1950s, when it was noted that patients undergoing EDTA therapy for lead poisoning felt a relief of angina pectoris after this therapy.9 While various authors9 10 11 12 13 1415 have subsequently reported promising results in uncontrolled studies, others have been unable to confirm these in similarly designed trials.16 17 The debate of whether or not it is a useful form of therapy for PAOD therefore continues.18 19 2021 22 23 24 25

Meanwhile, numerous clinics have been set up in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere using and promoting chelation therapy for PAOD. In the light of recent trial data, it is therefore timely to systematically review the evidence from randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials and ask whether chelation therapy for PAOD is safe and effective.

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/96/3/1031.long

 

EDTA chelation therapy in the treatment of vascular disease.

Chappell LT1, Janson M.

Abstract

A retrospective analysis of treatment results from 2870 patients, with various chronic degenerative and age-associated diseases, who were treated with di-sodium magnesium EDTA chelation therapy, suggests that the case against EDTA Chelation Therapy should be re-opened.

Using qualitative but never-the-less standardized criteria for improvement, our analysis shows that EDTA Chelation Therapy resulted in “marked” improvement in 76.89% and “good” improvement in 16.56% of patients with ischemic heart disease; also, “marked” improvement in 91% and “good” improvement in 7.6% of patients with peripheral vascular disease and intermittent claudication. In a group of patients with cerebro-vascular and other degenerative cerebral diseases, 24% had “marked” improvement, and 30% had “good” improvement. Of four patients with scleroderma, three had “marked” improvement and one had “good” improvement. Seventy-five percent of all of the patients had “marked” improvement in “geriatric symptomatology of vascular origin”.

The authors recommend renewed study of EDTA Chelation Therapy. The possibility of a “tomato effect”, i.e., a drug which works, but the majority of physicians believe that it doesn’t work, needs to be ruled out. A favorable climate needs to be created, in which FDA-approved studies of its usefulness in treating peripheral vascular disease can take place.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8820322