Are There Benefits Behind EDTA Oral Chelation?

The Facts Behind Oralo Chelation & EDTA's Effectiveness
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and Europe. According to U.S. 1992 mortality statistics, about one million people per year die of CVD in the U.S. -that's approximately ½ of all deaths registered every year, an average of one death every 33 seconds!

CVD includes coronary heart disease or diseases of the arteries (Atherosclerosis), heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, arrhythmia, rheumatic heart disease and other dysfunctions. In 1994, over 500,000 coronary bypass surgeries were performed in the U.S. and over 400,000 angioplasties. These procedures are costly and are often accompanied by prescriptive drug therapies with unwanted side effects.

Preventing Cardiovascular Disease with EDTA Chelation
The corrosion of your cardiovascular system is a slow process that may generally go unnoticed for years. A CVD prevention program should include improvements to your diet, some daily exercise and nutritional supplements that will not only improve your overall health but also "clean out" your veins and arteries through chelation.

Oral chelation "grabs" a number of unwanted substances that can cause LDL Cholesterol plaque build up and free radical damage from the cardiovascular system, renders them harmless, and prepares them for excretion through the urine. Oral Chelation is a natural process of "roto-rootering" the cardiovascular system, helping the body cleanse the arteries and veins, as well as detoxify the liver and kidneys.

EDTA Chelation as an FDA-Approved Treatment
EDTA (or ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid, also known as edetic acid or tetra acetic acid) is a synthetic amino acid having a molecular weight of 292.25 and a molecule formula of C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₈ . EDTA is approved by the FDA for the treatment of lead poisoning and other metal toxicities when used intravenously, and a number of studies have found it also effective in treating blood vessel diseases, improving blood flow to the heart, legs and brain. Interestingly, the U.S. Navy administered EDTA orally to thousands of sailors in the 1940's to help combat lead toxicity. Today it is also used as an antioxidant in foods, as a chelating agent in many pharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals, and as an anticoagulant for blood taken for hematological investigations.

EDTA is a chelating agent (meaning it has the ability to attach itself to metals and minerals) and forms a stable, soluble complex with calcium that is readily excreted by the kidneys. In the USA, a dose of 50 mg per kg body weight of EDTA in 24 hours by slow intravenous infusion has been suggested for adults with a maximum daily dose of 3 grams, although dosages up to 5 grams have been used with complete safety intravenously. EDTA is also used topically for treatment of calcium deposits, calcified corneal opacities and burns of the eye. EDTA does not remove the bound calcium in teeth and bones, only metastatic calcium or pathologic calcium causing damage to the body.

Oral Assimilation of EDTA
Assimilation of EDTA is effective when taken either intravenously or orally. When taken orally, EDTA, like other amino acids of similar molecular weight, passes through the stomach unaffected where it is then absorbed directly through the epithelium cells of the duodenum. EDTA has been incorrectly written about in the past by authors who apparently have not understood that the biochemistry and assimilation of proteins (made from chains of amino acids) and unattached Free Form Amino Acids all occurs in the duodenum, being unaffected by the stomach and the gastric juices.

Often misunderstood is the fact that stomach acidity has nothing whatsoever to do with the digestion of proteins, which all takes place via enzymatic reaction later in the duodenum, and that orally consumed Free Form Amino Acids are likewise not affected. In fact, the pH of the stomach when secreting HCL is generally around 3.0, which has absolutely no affect on the molecular bonds of Free Form Amino Acids (including EDTA) and thus, cannot and will not destroy them. (Please note: EDTA in solution may exhibit a pH of 4.0 all on its own.)

All Free Form Amino Acids, including EDTA, need no digestive process to enter the bloodstream. They are already small enough molecules to enter the bloodstream immediately; and that's why they are used so effectively in I.V. parenteral solutions. Thus all Free Form Amino Acids, including EDTA, will pass unharmed and unchanged into the duodenum where they then are directly assimilated into the bloodstream. Again, they are not, as mistakenly alleged by some, broken down or destroyed by the gastric processes.

Only the liver can change or transaminate one amino acid into another, and at other times, amino acids can only be broken down further by the biochemistry within individual cells themselves for the purpose of energy. But what is important to realize is that none of these anabolic and degradive processes take place within the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, the notion that taking Free Form Amino Acids orally, including EDTA, will not prove effective in entering the bloodstream is a misnomer. Indeed, as any biochemical or medical text book will attest, just the opposite is true.

Comparing EDTA I.V. Chelation and TriCardia+
Basically, the only advantage of I.V. administered EDTA over that of oral administration is that of initial speed. I.V. EDTA will immediately enter the bloodstream whereas orally administered EDTA will take at least 20 minutes to an hour before EDTA will be fully absorbed, as the gut will buffer the amounts of EDTA entering the bloodstream, ensuring a slow and even assimilation. (Please note: Oral administration of EDTA is, in fact, much like the slow and even assimilation provided by the drip of an I.V. administration; it just takes a few minutes longer to get into the bloodstream.)

Also I.V. administration will ensure that EDTA will not be used for other purposes in the body and will be primarily available for immediate chelation in the circulation. However, within 30 minutes (and perhaps sooner), I.V. chelated EDTA will begin to circulate to other areas of the body wherein molecular competition (similar to that of orally consumed EDTA) will be experienced. Other than that, there is no known nor scientifically proven advantage of I.V. administered EDTA over that of orally administered EDTA.

Thus, as is with other Free Form Amino Acids, when EDTA is taken orally, it should be with other Free Form Amino Acids to ensure that biochemical competition (such as transamination occurring within the liver) is minimized and reduced, not only upon consumption, but later within the bloodstream, so as to keep EDTA populations in Free Form and at a maximum. Indeed, for this very reason, I.V. formulas could be improved greatly with the addition of other Free Form Amino Acids.

TriCardia+ can be used safely with I.V. Chelation, as an additional agent of chelation as well as to provide additional help of buffering the body from chelation results. But, TriCardia+ has additional benefits offered over and above I.V. Chelation alone, namely the detoxifying of the liver and kidneys. Normal I.V. Chelation does not cleanse the liver or the kidneys, the filters of the cardiovascular system, whereas TriCardia+ does.

Despite the power of EDTA I.V. Chelation, it is only effective in removing some (not all) heavy metals from the bloodstream. EDTA is most attracted to metals and heavy ionic metallic minerals which have a double valency, such as lead and calcium. I.V. Chelation does not and will not remove all toxic elements and metals from the cardiovascular system.

However, TriCardia+ offers not only safe amounts of EDTA, but 31 Free Form Amino Acids (e.g. L-Cysteine) which help chelate other excess toxic metal possibilities such as nickel, tin, zinc and copper more efficiently from the system. L-Glutathione in particular alters the action of dangerous peroxides, and has also been recently shown to be an effective agent against the HIV-1 virus, as well as help in removing dangerous excesses of homecysteine from the body. In general, most I.V. Chelation formulas are not as sophisticated nor as broad a spectrum as TriCardia+ and do not have the elements which would create such safety and power. Furthermore, the additional nutraceuticals in TriCardia+ help the body rid itself of toxins faster and more efficiently than I.V. Chelation alone.

EDTA I.V. Chelation is only effective in removing free (not bound or attached) heavy metals and minerals from the bloodstream. It cannot, and will not, ever breakdown or dissolve cholesterol- calcified plaque as some imagine. By itself, it is useless against the cholesterol plaque already formed and lining the veins and arteries of our cardiovascular system. The reason is that EDTA as a chelating agent can only attach itself to unattached or free metals and minerals in the bloodstream. EDTA cannot attach itself to the calcium or lead which is bound to the walls of veins or arteries.

But unlike I.V. Chelation, TriCardia+ contains a complex of buffering agents, safe and all natural ingredients, which by themselves, have been shown to help the body naturally dissolve calcified acidic plaque. Once dissolved, the chelating agents found within TriCardia+ can then naturally grab onto the now freed metals and minerals, removing them safely from the cardiovascular system. This breakdown of plaque can be increased by further buffering with other alkalizing agents, such as those found within Växa's Buffer-pH+. It is known that by decreasing systemic acidic values, calcification can be slowly and safely dissolved over time.

Although I.V. administered EDTA can help kidney function by removing heavy metals, and thus indirectly increase the efficiency of circulation and ionic distribution within the kidney, it does not address other nutritional support problems of the kidneys and liver as does TriCardia+. The other natural ingredients within TriCardia+, along with EDTA, will similarly help the body to naturally improve circulation and ionic balance within the kidneys. But TriCardia+ contains specific phytomedicinals, which ingredients by themselves have been shown to help the body quickly and effectively dissolve calcified stones and other toxic and unhealthy debris which may collect within the kidneys (and the gall bladder), while detoxifying the liver, allowing these materials to harmlessly and painlessly pass from the system as well. I.V. Chelation formulas do not offer this advantage.

Lastly, TriCardia+ contains a chorded blend of micro-nutritionals and glycosaminoglycans which possess natural abilities to specifically help the body to regenerate and heal the overly stressed, traumatized and damaged tissues of the cardiovascular system, liver and kidneys. I.V. Chelation has little, if any, initiatory nutritional support powers of cellular regeneration.

The result is that due to the additional strengths of TriCardia+, which are not offered by I.V. Chelation alone, many Chelationists are now successfully complementing I.V. Chelation Therapies (which have a limited range of activity) with the Oral Chelation and Detoxifying powers of TriCardia+.

Dosage of EDTA in TriCardia+
A full daily dose of TriCardia+ (12 capsules) contains 1.5 grams of EDTA, buffered within a combination of 31 other Free Form Amino Acids and other buffering compounds, as well as the full spectrum of mineral ascorbates, phytomedicinals and free radical and heavy metal scavengers.

The Results of Oral and I. V. Chelation
Appropriate buffered Chelation, which not only removes heavy metals from the body, but helps in the dissolution of calcified plaque within the cardiovascular system should, overtime, improve circulation tremendously. Both Oral and I.V. Chelation seem very effective, and may have synergistic results when used together. Remember, chelation by itself is a process which is a natural function of the body systemically. Increasing the population of chelating agents, either by oral or I.V. means, can only enhance the effectiveness of chelation in the long run.

Medical texts estimate that an increase in just 1mm in diameter of the lumen within veins and arteries will permit a 4-fold increase in blood flow! Such an increase allows fresh oxygenated blood and nutrients to efficiently feed all the cells of the body, as well as aid in the speedy removal of all waste products coming from those cells. Such a cleansing can aid in the recovery and treatment of a number of diseases including:

1- Cardiovascular Disease (including Arteriosclerosis, Heart Attack, Stroke, High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure)

2- All Forms of Cancer

3- Diabetes and Obesity

4- Neurological diseases including MS, MD, ALS and Parkinson's

5- Liver and Kidney disease

6- Senility, Dementia and Alzheimer's

7- Immune Deficiencies

8- Osteoporosis and Tooth Loss

9- Hormonal Imbalances and Premature Aging

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