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Oranges

Heavy Metal Chelation

Heavy metal chelation is done to remove heavy metals from the body using chelating agents.  Chelating agents are substances that bind to heavy metals so they can be safely excreted from the body. Common agents use are DMPS (2,3-dimercaptopropanesulfonic acid), DMSA (2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid) and EDTA

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​These chelators will bind to heavy metals including:
Mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, aluminum, titanium, gadolinium among several others.

Where are these heavy metals coming from?

  • Our foods! – pesticides (arsenic), packaging (aluminum)

  • Water

  • Air - cigarette smoke, exhaust,

  • Skin - paints, shampoo, hair dye, cosmetics

  • Metal fillings – contain mercury

  • And they are passed on through breast milk to babies

What does heavy metal chelation treatment involve?

Chelation involves a 60 minute intravenous therapy approximately every week for a minimum of 10 chelation treatments, depending on the amount of heavy metals that need to be removed.  We also intersperse these IV chelation appointments with Nutrient Supportive IVs to reduce potential side effects of chelation therapy. In between your visits we have you take oral minerals, supplements to support the liver and kidneys to help replace good minerals that can be removed along with the heavy metals.

How do I know if I have a lot of heavy metals?

There are many common symptoms that can be related to heavy metal burden.  After a full naturopathic assessment where the doctor has found rationale for testing for heavy metals we will set up a 30 min follow up where a urine provocation test will be performed. This test involves taking a urine sample at the beginning of the appointment to evaluate current exposure to metals. We then administer chelating substances including Calcium EDTA and DMPS via IV over the next 45-60 mins. These chelators help to bind and draw heavy metals from tissues of the body including the brain, bone and organs. The patient then collects urine after leaving the office for 6 hrs to evaluate the heavy metal burden of the tissues of the body and sends the kit to the lab with a prepaid mailer. Reports from the test can be expected about 2 weeks from sending the sample.

What are symptoms of heavy metal toxicity?

  • Fatigue

  • High blood pressure or early cardiovascular disease

  • Learning difficulties and behavioral problems in children

  • Infertility

  • Hormone dysfunction

  • Issues with mood

  • Immune dysfunction – frequent infections, allergies

  • Chronic yeast infections

  • Osteoporosis

  • Kidney damage

  • Cancer – cadmium has estrogenic activity

  • Diabetes – risk increased by arsenic

Preconception planning

Heavy metals and chemicals like PCB’s are stored in our body tissues and passed to our children through the placenta and through breast milk.  If you are planning on having children and breastfeeding your babies, doing some heavy metal chelation before getting pregnant may be an important step in ensuring good health for your children. 

A recent study showed that lead exposure can lead to higher rates of Parkinsonism and cognitive decline in adults as well as lower IQ and learning difficulties in children.

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