Why is EDTA Chelation not more accepted or popular?

EDTA chelation has been in use since the late 1940’s and while it has helped millions of people improve their health it is still unknown to the vast majority of people in the U.S. and around the world. For something that is so very helpful to everyone and with very little downside why isn’t it more popular? There are a few reasons, some understandable and others very pathetic.

After EDTA chelation was invented it was only available for a couple of decades, well into the 1980’s, via expensive and time consuming I.V’s. EDTA chelation was only really used to help with atheriosclerosis and to “unclog arteries”, the idea of removing toxic heavy metals like Mercury, Lead and Aluminum was still some time away. While heart disease was and is a major health issue most people just felt it was part of getting older or they would consult with their medical Doctor and Doctors would only prescribe drugs or surgery, which is all they really know. The medical establishment did what they normally do and invented drugs that may or may not help but had serious side effects and recommended surgery like angioplasty, heart bypass or the insertion of stints. All of this can do some good but it is only treating the symptoms and is not getting at the root cause, plus Doctors, Drug Companies and Medical Device companies make a lot of money off of the sale of these drugs and surgery. If your Doctor only recommends the drugs they prescribe or surgery they perform and never mention EDTA chelation how would the average person ever know there is an effective, relatively low cost alternative? Only alternative medical practitioners like NaturoPaths would know of the benefits of EDTA chelation but since the vast majority of what they do is not covered by insurance many people are reluctant to spend money on something that is not guaranteed to work.

Over time EDTA chelation did become more popular, alternative health practitioners like Chiropractors even started adding I.V. EDTA infusions to their practices. But it was still rather time consuming and the fact you needed on average 30 I.V.’s which cost about $100 per session it was expensive as well. At the same time the FDA started cracking down on practitioners of EDTA chelation and many of the clinics were closed and several people were prosecuted and fined. Since the only way to receive the benefits of EDTA chelation was through an I.V. and with few clinics offering this service most people were literally not able to get the benefits of EDTA chelation. At about this time Oral EDTA products started popping up on the internet but it was soon shown that these products, while inexpensive, were ineffective. EDTA as a synthetic needs to remain whole to be effective and over 95% of the EDTA from these new Oral EDTA products was destroyed in the stomach before it could be utilized.  But for many people it was still a way to receive some of the benefits of EDTA Chelation without spending a lot of money or time getting an IV. Then along came EDTA suppositories.

In the late 1980’s Dr. Bruce Halstead started testing using EDTA rectally via enema’s to help with lead poisoning on children, Out this came the idea of putting EDTA in a suppository for ease of use and effectiveness as over 95% of EDTA will be absorbed through the colon wall and into the hemorroidal veins. Using this route of administration the EDTA will stay in your body up to 4 times longer than with an IV making it more effective plus you can use the suppository as your leisure saving time. Suppositories are also far less expensive than IV’s so you will save a lot of money as well. EDTA suppositories started gaining in popularity in the in the early 2000’s as they are easy to use, effective and inexpensive. But in 2008 the FDA sent off warning letters to the main EDTA suppository companies World Health Products and Kelatox, effectively removing them from the market and making in nearly impossible for the average person to get EDTA Chelation Therapy. Combined with the fact that the vast majority of medical doctors tell their patients that EDTA Chelation is not only ineffective but potentially dangerous has kept EDTA Chelation in the shadows of healthcare.

Even with all of these obstacles put in our way a few companies and a burgeouning group of Natural Health practitioners have been keeping the products and benefits of EDTA Chelation alive for the benefit of millions of people around the world. I am not sure if EDTA Chelation will become mainstream or not but I do know that it will not go away and those of who believe in its amazing benefits will keep providing the products needed to help people improve their health and their lives.