Oral Chelation with natural herbs and supplements

The modern model of production and economy of our civilization has brought us many comforts but there is a considerable rise our environment of neuro-toxic chemicals and heavy metals.

Medical science is investigating oral chelation methods to address this emerging problem but there is still a lack of good diagnosis. Currently, toxicity diagnosis is under developed because of the high costs of lab tests and the difficulty of a successful and accurate analysis.

Oral chelation is an affordable method to detox these pervasive chemicals in our bodies that would not be possible to excrete any other way.

Introduction to oral chelation

Neuro-toxins are lipophilic substances, that is, attracted by fatty tissues which attach to the nervous system. In the process they disrupt the normal function of the neurons, that’s why we have developed ways of detoxing those substances through the liver, kidneys, perspiration, etc.

These mechanisms are not enough given the exposure to these toxins we have nowadays. The liver is the main detox organ in human body expelling toxins through the bile but since those substances are attracted by fatty tissues they’re reabsorbed by the nerve endings of our intestine.

Oral chelation for heart disease

Many health practitioners and clinics advocate for the effectiveness of EDTA chelation in cases of arteriosclerosis and peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). It is claimed that the effectiveness for arteriosclerotic processes is due to the binding effect chelation have over calcium mineral deposit in calcified arteries.

A 1997 research review on EDTA chelation studies ^[1] revealed that the results of chelation against PAOD and arteriosclerosis were inconclusive and not superior to placebo.

Since the early 2000s there has been a increasingly popular oral chelation method for restoring cardiac health that claimed to dissolve atheromatous plaques from the arteries thus improving cases of many heart diseases.

While the formula that claims to have these effects has many nutrients that promote overall health we wouldn’t recommend it for what is claimed to do. Instead we mention this article on the background of said formula and its creator and let readers judge by themselves.

The oral chelation method described here won’t clean the arteries of a person with a heart disease with noticeable effects but improves overall health and increase body’s ability to regenerate and regain vascular health. In those cases the oral chelation method below should be combined with a low cholesterol diet and addressing all nutrient deficiencies, especially vitamin B₁, to help the arteries regain elasticity and strength.

Types of neuro-toxins

Heavy Metals

• Mercury
  • Exposure may come from any dental amalgam, even those not based on mercury may have a content of up to 50% and contrary to what dentist assure, it is released into our bodies.
  • Contaminated food, a growing concern in the fishing industry.
  • It has an amplifying effect with the other toxins.
• Lead
• Cadmium
• Aluminum

Biological toxins

• Ascaridin, a toxin produced by intestinal parasites
• Botulinum toxin
• Toxins from streptococci, clamydia, staphylococci, tuberculosis, lyme disease, mycotoxins (from fungi) and virus toxins.

Synthetic toxins

• Dioxin
• Phthalates
• Formaldehyde
• Insecticides
• PCBs

Food additives

• Some artificial sweeteners and food coloring
• Some thickeners, emulsive and foaming agents
• Sulfur based preservatives

Cosmetics

• Fluoride
• Parabens
• Aluminum based moisteners
• Propylene glycol
• Triclosan
• Steareth

Symptoms of neuro-toxicity

This is one of the reasons why neuro-toxicity is not receiving the attention it needs. It is very difficult to diagnose with currently available methods in traditional medical practice.

Almost any disease can be caused by, contributed to, or exacerbated by neuro-toxin exposure. For example early in the exposure you may experience:

• Loss of short term memory, concentration impairment
• Numbing of the senses
• Loss of sleep
• Chronic fatigue
• Depression and general emotional instability

Later after a prolonged exposure, especially in the case of mercury:

• Immunity disorders
• Kidney dysfunction
• Hypo or hyperthyroidism
• Increased food allergies
• Fibromyalgia symptoms
• Sterility and hormonal disorders
• Exacerbation of chronification of previous or new infections
• Eventually a higher presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria

How to Diagnose

It is very difficult to relate the symptoms described to toxin exposure. Many heavy metals like mercury are transported and absorbed so fast that a lab trace-element test won’t show a toxic level. Independently of what is tested; hair, fecal, urine, blood, etc. The only way for the metals to appear in test in to be already doing a chelation.

The known tests for neuro-toxin diagnosis are:

Metals

• Hair follicle analysis: not very reliable since it can show low metal levels in hair but still have high levels in other body tissues.
• Porphyrins: level testing in urine
• Administering chelating agents and test urine levels: the chelator increase the water solubility of the metal tested making it easier for the kidneys to excrete it.
  • Warning: you won’t be able to mobilize heavy metals with this kind of test if deficient in calcium, potassium, sodium or sulfur.

Synthetic toxins and molds

• Performing a biopsy of fatty tissue
• Mold panel: done by some companies; Immunosciences Lab, Red Labs, etc.
• Urine test

Indirect diagnosis

• 

  Inferring from the symptoms described before.

• Environmental exposure
  • Working in an occupation with toxic chemical exposure
  • Consumed medical or recreational drugs in the past
  • Having many food allergies
  • Having amalgam fillings. This makes mercury contamination a fact not a possibility. You must consider the removal of your amalgams with a dentist formed in mercury toxicity
  • High intake of chemicals like cosmetics, cleaners, etc.
  • Ingesting contaminated food, the cases of heavy metal poisoning by contaminated fish species like tuna, salmon, farm fishes are rising alarmingly.
• Functional Acuity Contrast Test (FACT): it measures the ability to see details at low contrast levels and is often used as a nonspecific test of neurological function.
  • Since many other factors can affect the ability to perceive contrast this should be taken as a supporting test.

Oral Chelation Treatment

Preparation

First the you have to prepare your body so it has the best possible conditions to mobilize and detoxify neuro-toxins through oral chelation:

• Decrease or eliminate processed foods, sugar, alcohol, stress, coffee, cigarettes, etc.
• Drink more water and detoxifying tisanes low in theine as the only liquid in your diet.
  • This is very important as without a higher amount of water, kidneys may get contaminated with metals.
• Substitute processed foods with detoxifying foods like tamarind fruit for fluoride detoxification and many others mentioned in this article (healthy foods to eat).
• Strengthen your intestinal microflora.
  • Better use natural fermented foods like milk kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, etc.
  • I wouldn’t recommend soil based organisms. They are getting popular but researchers are inconclusive about their safety yet. Once they are in your intestine they’re there for good.
  • They are resistant to any type of antibiotic and their long term effects on intestinal health are unknown.
• Increase the protein and fatty acid intake.
  • Proteins are precursors of antioxidant agents that help in metal detoxification.
  • Fatty acids are the main component of our nerve system and brain. They will help your body repair the damage caused by heavy metals.
• Address your mineral deficiencies
  • If you are deficient in calcium, germanium, manganese, molybdenum, potassium, selenium, sodium or sulfur, toxic metals will attach where those minerals should have been.
  • Trace minerals are gradually decreasing in our diets because of intensive agriculture and soil mineral exhaustion so many of us are deficient without even knowing it.
  • Strengthen your gastric juices with betaine capsules especially if you have a gastrointestinal disease, a food allergy or you are over 45 years old.

Natural Oral Chelation and Binding Products

The majority of the foods we mention next are in parts two (healthy foods to eat) and three (healthy diet foods) of the “Health and Nutrition” series. Many have detoxifying properties that will help in the detox process and you can combine with the ones in the present article.

Chlorella

There are two species of Chlorella which have one of the highest toxin binding properties known in nature.^[2] Chlorella Pyreneidosa, harder to digest, but with the most binding potency and Vulgaris easier to digest but less properties.

There are many claims about methods to improve digestibility, none is proved. Only chlorella grown indoors have a thinner cell wall due to lack of sunlight which improves digestibility but lowers chlorophyll content, decreasing its properties.

There is a growing concern on possible contaminated chlorella coming from China but a 2013 heavy metal lab test battery showed only noticeable levels of aluminum which is only a fraction of what is in day to day food. ^[3]

Procedure and dose

Chlorella is an essential factor in oral chelation processes since it is through fecal matter the only way to excrete the majority of the heavy metals stored in the body. Especially in the case of mercury we excrete up to 90% in this manner.

Because of this first you should clean the intestines of heavy metals using chlorella in adequate doses. The algae will bind the metals found in the gut walls and, once clean, the metals stored in the surrounding connective tissue will move to the intestine walls through osmosis.

• Powder is the cheapest source but some people use tablets for convenience. We don’t recommend capsules, the capsule gel rises the price up to 380%.
• Start with a low dose, a quarter of a teaspoon or one 0,5g tablet, once a day.
• If there is no nausea or burping up of chlorella taste, rise the dose to three quarter of a teaspoon or three tablets with each meal. In case there is nausea or burping stop taking chlorella because you are developing a food intolerance to it.
• Every tenth day optionally take a large dose of one tablespoon or sixteen 0,5g tablets with each meal.
• To ease the intake of powder you can dissolve it in water closing a wide neck bottle tightly and shaking the content until the chlorella is completely dissolved. There will be a greenish foam on the surface which is normal and you can ignore, is not necessary to drink it too.

Garlic

Garlic is one of the most potent antimicrobial agents know because of its allicin content, later digested into allicin. This helps infections exacerbated by metal toxicity.

Its content in sulfur components and selenium both help detox heavy metals and protects the body from its effects.

Therefore doses should be one capsule of dried garlic after each meal and slowly increase the dosage to three capsules.

Fish and Evening Primrose oil

Fatty acids from fish and primrose oil will protect and repair brain health. In the case of fish oil ensure that it has been refrigerated all the time before purchase. Also is becoming harder to find uncontaminated fish oil.

Dosage should be one capsule, four times a day during detox, then one capsule twice a day as maintenance.

MSM – Methylsulfonylmethane

An organic sulfur compound. The detoxification process will exhaust the human body from its sulfur contents and the chelating ability of other substances will be ineffective until the body restore its sulfur content. Its properties in inflammatory processes and promoting gastrointestinal health will help with the detoxification process.

The initial dose is 2,5g or half a tablet once a day then slowly increase the dosage to 5g or one capsule twice a day. Garlic and MSM are both a source of sulfur so they are interchangeable. If the dosage of garlic seems too high, reduce and combine it with MSM.

Cilantro

Because of the brain-blood barrier it is very difficult to detox metals from the brain but cilantro is especially effective at this.

Chinese parsley can mobilize toxic metals very rapidly from the central nervous system, spinal cord and brain to the connective tissue especially when a person takes it in adequate daily doses.

Then these metals go out of our bodies via fecal matter, the urine or allocate in peripheral tissues only with the help of chlorella or other chelating agents. Also is important to note that cilantro only mobilizes metals stored in the body, it does not help to excrete metals by itself.

Procedure and dose

Only fresh cilantro works, either using it as a seasoning in salads, preparing a pesto or preparing a homemade tincture. Commercial tinctures are not an option because of their price and the quantities a person needs for the chelation to work.

If you prefer a pesto:

• Put fresh cilantro in a blender with some garlic, olive oil, water, sea salt (unrefined) and if you can get it a bit of fish liver oil.
• The mineral content of the salt will help with the detoxification and also we have already mentioned the properties of fish oil and garlic.
  • Use the pesto as seasoning one tablespoon, three times per day with meals.

If you rather prepare a tincture:

• You can buy ethyl alcohol from a drug store or vodka and blend fresh cilantro leaves, stems and seeds.
• Then pour the blended herbs and the vodka in a tight lid jar and leave it for a month, shaking or stirring the mix daily.
• Finally take an empty dropper and fill it, leave the rest macerating and refill as needed.
  • If using only the tincture then use ten drops, three times a day.
  • Then put the drops under your tongue and rub some drops in your wrist and ankles.
  • This is because these are areas where there is a high density of nerve endings.
• In conclusion starting an oral chelation treatment may require patience and discipline but the results well worth the effort. Despite these requirements it is actually very easy to follow but it may be costly if you can’t find affordable chlorella and you prepare your own tincture or pesto.
• Do you have your own experience  or more insight on the matter of detoxifying heavy metals and neurotoxins from our bodies? Then please share your thoughts below.