CHELATION THERAPY
The air, water and soil are loaded with heavy metals such as mercury, lead, aluminum, cadmium, arsenic, tin and nickel. As these agents accumulate in your body, they can cause a host of health problems, including arrhythmias and other heart conditions. (Heavy metals can also prevent or inhibit weight loss by interfering with the body’s normal production of hormones and can be implicated in certain chronic conditions.) Recent studies reveal that patients with a dilated heart (cardiomyopathy) have increased levels of mercury and other metals present in their systems. Unfortunately, there isn't a simple blood test or even hair analysis that will definitely diagnose the toxicity of these heavy metals.
At Fratellone Medical Associates, we evaluate heart patients for heavy-metal toxicity as an important part of their treatment. To ascertain their presence, we perform a heavy metal challenge, using a single dose of DMSA, an oral medication that acts as a metal chelator. The DMSA bonds with heavy metals so the kidneys can excrete them. If metals show up in urine collected over the next six hours, chelation will be prescribed as a safe way to remove them. For more on heavy metals, see Heavy-Metals and Their Effect on The Body.
The Effect of Heavy Metals on The Body
Metals such as mercury, lead, aluminum, cadmium, arsenic, tin and nickel are everywhere in our environment. Mercury is extremely toxic—even more so than lead. Because mercury contaminates our water supply and the oceans, large amounts are found in fish, particularly the bigger ones, such as tuna and swordfish that are higher on the food chain.
Mercury is also present in cosmetics, fabric softeners, foot wear and sneakers with reflectors, plastics, solvents and more importantly in silver amalgam dental fillings, which are 50-percent mercury. A single silver filling can release 3 to 17 micrograms of mercury each day. (Note: You should not have your silver fillings removed without consulting an integrative or holistic dental practitioner. If removed without the proper technique, the mercury vapor released combines with chemicals in the mouth to create minute amounts of toxic methyl mercury. This is absorbed through the tissues of the mouth and air passages and transported to the brain and other body tissues.)
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