Unconventional Treatment May Help against Heart Disease

A controversial alternative treatment for heart disease has produced surprising results. EDTA chelation therapy has long been discredited by cardiologists and mainstream medical organizations such as the AMA and the American Heart Association. That has not stopped patients from seeking out practitioners who offer the series of infusions. At last count, 100,000 people undergo chelation annually.
A government-sponsored five-year clinical trial recruited over 1,700 patients and randomly assigned them to infusions of EDTA or placebo. EDTA binds to heavy metals such as lead and mercury. It also grabs calcium, which is a major component of arterial plaque.
Although EDTA is an accepted treatment for lead poisoning, its use for heart disease has long been regarded with suspicion. The results of this trial show some benefit for patients getting EDTA infusions: They were 18 percent less likely to die or have a second heart attack, stroke or repeat cardiac procedure. Thirty percent of the volunteers getting placebo infusions experienced one of these problems compared to 26 percent of those getting EDTA.
People with diabetes fared even better, with a 39% relative risk reduction after chelation therapy. The researchers point out that such improvement compares favorably with other heart medications, but they also cautioned that the results were modest and not strong enough to recommend routine use of chelation for heart attack patients.
[JAMA, March 27, 2013]
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