Chelation Therapy: FAQ
What is Chelation Therapy?
Chelation therapy is an FDA-approved therapy for treating mercury, lead, and other types of heavy-metal poisoning. First developed and used in the 1950s, it is now considered part of alternative medicine as growing research has shown that chelation therapy has potential to treat and reduce the risk of heart disease, help control high inflammation and cholesterol levels, cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and more.
How Does Chelation Therapy Work?
An amino acid, or “chelating agent,” known as EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is administered into a patient intravenously (IV). EDTA works by binding salts to molecules (toxic heavy metals) in the blood. The chelation agent adheres to the toxins in the body, which is then flushed out via urine.
How Is Chelation Therapy Performed?
During a chelation therapy procedure, EDTA is administered via IV, usually into a vein located in the hand or arm. A session can take several hours to complete.
Little to no recovery time is needed after the session and most patients are free to drive themselves home and go about their day as they normally would.
What Are The Side Effects of Chelation Therapy?
Although chelation therapy is generally safer and less toxic than standard surgical procedures for vascular diseases, it does come with potential side effects. These are generally minor and usually go away quickly. Like most injections, it’s possible to feel some mild burning, redness or swelling at the site.
Rare side effects can include headache, fever, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. Although very rare, kidney damage and heart failure can also occur due to blood pressure levels dropping suddenly and abnormally low calcium levels in the blood.
How Much Does Chelation Therapy cost?
The cost of chelation therapy will vary by each patient. Generally, the more extensive the problem, the greater the cost. Each treatment can range anywhere from $75 to $125, depending on the extent of the problem being treated.
How Many Treatments Of Chelation Therapy Do I Need?
Patients may need anywhere between 20 and 60 treatments of chelation therapy over 12 – 36 weeks, depending on the severity of your condition. to see the best results. The length of each session is 1 ½ – 3 hours. For an average patient, a series of 30 EDTA infusions are given.
Schedule An Appointment At Kentuckiana Integrative Medicine!
To learn more about scheduling a consultation for chelation therapy at our Louisville regenerative medicine clinic, contact us today at 812-913-4416!
