Article Surfing Archive

Today is the age of metal indeed ' beyond machines making the world go round on its cogs and gears, metals are also invading the human body. No, we're not turning into androids like in your favorite sci-fi film. These metals aren't going to make the human body more efficient and effective ' quite the opposite.

From the most innocuous household objects ' the aluminum frying pan, Mom's cosmetics, the fish for dinner ' to the air and water we count on to live, metallic elements like lead and mercury find their way into our bodies. They gradually accumulate in the bloodstream, increasing the risk of incurring diseases commonly associated with or affecting the circulatory system. For instance, atherosclerosis ' the hardening of arteries ' can be caused by prolonged exposure to and intake of metals. And that may only be the beginning. If your arteries were stiff with the plaque buildup, high blood pressure could be the next stop down the road. Chronic heart disease not much farther on.

Alternative medical practices these days (and since decades ago) offer chelation therapy to rid the body of these metals and improve circulation. Chelation involves administering substances, 'chelators,' that bind with metals and flush them out of the body: essentially like laxatives in function, only chelators go the extra mile. They go beyond the digestive system and into the bloodstream, tracking down these metals and taking them out with them. Ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA), an amino acid, is the chelating agent used in most cases and does particularly well against lead. EDTA also relieves constricted blood vessels of the calcium deposits that cause the hardening of artery walls and prevents any harmful free radicals.

Chelation therapy is done intravenously or orally. IV chelation injects a measured combination of the chelators and other necessary vitamins and minerals directly into the bloodstream. Doctors and other medicinal professionals are entailed to prescribe and perform the treatment. Each session takes a couple of hours, and depending on the patient's condition, chelation therapy may have to persist for several months.

There's an advantage and a sense of comfort in being in the hands of professionals. But because of the costs, the time consumption, and the chance of acquiring a disease from the intravenous needle, most afflicted individuals and consumers in general refer to oral chelation.

By the term itself, oral chelation involves taking in a solution or capsules like a dose of medicine or vitamins. EDTA is again the common chelator, like in IV chelation, and in this case it is usually accompanied by vitamins and natural substances that enable EDTA to be assimilated in the circulatory system.

The first successful formula for oral chelation was developed by Harry W. Hersey in 1984. Now called The Original Oral Chelation (OOC), the formula includes unprocessed honey, which allows for a faster and more efficient absorption of EDTA. Oral chelation products like OOC are widely used to prevent and reverse atherosclerosis, heart disease, and other deficiencies of the circulatory system. They're also taken to generally enhance circulation and detoxify the body of unwanted substances.