Researchers in Italy exploring the role of heavy metal accumulation in patients with neurodegenerative disease and multiple sclerosis have found that chelation therapy significantly reduced the burden of toxic metal levels.
The researchers, from the University of Milan, looked at patients with neurodegenerative disease (ND) and a control group with no ND symptoms.
The patients were initially given a dose of a chelating agent known as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and then their urine was analysed to determine the levels of toxic metals present.
Aluminium, arsenic, lead, cadmium and caesium were all noted, with ND patients having significantly higher levels of these toxic metals compared to healthy patients.
The test patients then underwent a series of weekly infusions of EDTA, with each patient receiving up to 30 doses.
The researchers found that after 10 sessions there was a significant reduction in the levels of toxic metals in the patients. Related symptoms also were notably reduced – these included headache, skin tingling, difficulty walking, memory and vision loss, hypertension, and physical weakness, along with loss of motor control.
Neurodegenerative patients showed a reduction in toxic metal levels following 20-30 chelation therapies, and these levels continued to fall with repeated therapies.
It’s encouraging to see ongoing research in this area, with environmental pollutants having a plausible role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease. It is especially encouraging to see improved patient outcomes.