Chelation therapy is a technique that uses intravenous chemicals to remove harmful substances such as heavy metals from the bloodstream. A chelation doctor administers chelation therapy and makes associated lifestyle recommendations.
Chelation Doctors
Chelation doctors may be licensed physicians or alternative health practitioners, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Chelation Therapy
During chelation therapy, chelation doctors use an IV to administer ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) or other chelation medications to the bloodstream, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Once in the blood, EDTA binds (chelates) to substances such as mercury or lead and makes them susceptible to excretion in urine.
Chelation Sessions
An individual session of chelation therapy typically lasts for several hours, the Mayo Clinic reports. Patients may undergo a series of five to 30 chelation sessions during treatment.
Lifestyle Modifications
In addition to administering chelation medications, chelation doctors usually ask their patients to commit to lifestyle modifications that may include quitting smoking, exercising regularly, reducing intake of saturated fat, increasing intake of vegetables and fruits and losing weight, the AHA reports.
Considerations
For individuals who seek chelation therapy for alternative purposes such as heart disease prevention, doctor-prescribed lifestyle modifications may actually provide the main treatment benefit, rather than chelation itself, according to the AHA.
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