Chelating agents were originally used to treat heavy metal poisoning from chemical warfare during World War I. Since then these treatments have been found useful to manage elevated levels of heavy metals from other causes. As the atmosphere and oceans become more polluted, more of the world’s population absorbs heavy metal toxins such as mercury, lead and arsenic from air, water and food. Other chelating agents are being used in an effort to reverse plaque buildup in the arteries that causes heart attack and stroke. A recent study indicates that chelation therapy is of some benefit for those at high risk for cardiovascular events, especially if diabetes is also present.

Heavy metals toxicity: Until action was taken to curb the use of lead in paint, workers who painted the hulls of ships during World War II, as well as young children who inadvertently ate lead paint, were treated with chelation therapy, which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Unlike toxicity from the environment, these exposures were only in a limited population.

More worrisome is that the carbon-based fuels responsible for global warming also spread heavy metals into our water and food supply through the atmosphere. Catfish and trout from streams on the East Coast have been found to have elevated levels of mercury, especially near urban and industrial centers that burn coal.

The great oceans of our blue planet now contain mercury from these same causes. At Manakai o Malama we often test patients who are found, for example, to eat ahi three or more times per week and find a large portion have elevated mercury levels. Because ahi are at the top of the food chain, they concentrate mercury from massive amounts of biomass. Excessive levels of mercury or lead are associated with fatigue and disorders of the neurological and cardiovascular systems.

Heart attack and stroke: The leading causes of death in modern society are, by far, heart attack and stroke, the result of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and a sedentary lifestyle. These risk factors, especially combined with inflammation from chronic infection, cause plaque to grow and block the arteries that feed the heart and brain. This is the reason that so many people receive stents and bypass surgery each day. In increasing numbers, providers now recommend chelation therapy as an adjunct to conventional treatments and lifestyle changes. This application is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but chelating agents are available through compounding pharmacies.