<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Hi everyone, just though I might contribute to the discussion on chelation, and add a little to the recent post by Ellen Switkes. I think Ellen was correct in her summary of what chelation does. It was developed around the time of the first world war to treat soldiers who had been poisoned (largely by lead) during that conflict. I think it worked reasonably well and many treated soldiers were able to return to the front lines to be killed by a more direct method. The substance used (EthyleneDiamineTetra- Acetic acid, or EDTA) was indeed developed to bind some substances and enable their easy removal from the body. It (EDTA) is widely used in today's research labs as a means of "cleaning up" solutions used in biological studies, particularly to remove calcium from solution (scientists usually need to know exactly how much calcium is in the solution that bathes their experimental tissues, since calcium is so critical to many cellular processes). Of course, whether chelation therapy works in the way it is sometimes promoted remains open to debate. I think an important point to mention is that, as long as it is not over used, it is probably not harmful. Recent evidence, however, suggests that it may be of little use to those with some vascular problems (see below). As always, we have to review the evidence and make up our own minds. The following summary comes from a recent study done here, in Dunedin. I guess this means that therapy must be legally available here in NZ, and I suspect it is elsewhere also. van Rij AM, Solomon C, Packer SG, Hopkins WG, Department of Surgery, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand. Chelation therapy for intermittent claudication. A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial [see comments]. Circulation 1994 Sep;90(3):1194-9 BACKGROUND: The use of repeated intravenous infusions of EDTA, which has become known as "chelation therapy," has been promoted for treating intermittent claudication as well as a wide range of other disorders. Multiple reports of excellent results in large numbers of patients have encouraged the use of this regimen. The lack of well-controlled studies substantiating the benefits of this treatment has limited its use mainly to private clinics. The aim of the study was to assess the benefits of chelation therapy in patients with intermittent claudication. METHODS AND RESULTS: A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial included 32 patients with intermittent claudication who were randomized to a treatment group (15) and a control group (17). Main outcome measures were subjective and measured walking distances and ankle/brachial pulse indices. Other outcome measures included lifestyle and subjective parameters of improvement, cardiac function, ECG, renal function, hematology, blood glucose, and lipid biochemistry. No clinically significant differences in main outcome measures between chelation therapy and placebo groups were detected up to 3 months after treatment. Measures of mood state, activities of daily living, and quality of life factors were not consistently affected by chelation therapy. An equal proportion (13%) of each group thought that they had received the active agent. The proportion of patients showing an improvement in walking distance was not significantly different between the chelation group (60%) and the control group (59%). CONCLUSIONS: Chelation therapy has no significant beneficial effects over placebo in patients with intermittent claudication. Hope this is helpful Phil Philip Sheard Developmental Biology Unit, Department of Physiology, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand. Ph (64 3) 479-7344 Fax (64 3) 479-7323