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Chelation Therapy

Reducing your body’s burden of heavy metals to support heart and metabolic health.

Every day, we take in environmental toxins through the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the products around us. The body has natural ways of clearing these toxins, but heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury can build up over time with repeated or long-term exposure. This kind of chronic, low-level exposure often goes unnoticed for years, even as research continues to link heavy metal accumulation to oxidative stress, inflammation, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and diabetes.

Chelation therapy was originally developed to treat lead poisoning. Today, it’s also being studied as a way to support cardiovascular health in people who already carry cardiovascular risk factors.

What Is Chelation Therapy?

Chelation therapy uses a compound called EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) to bind to certain metals in the body so they can be filtered out through the kidneys and eliminated in urine. EDTA has been used for decades and remains one of the most established treatments for heavy metal toxicity, particularly lead and cadmium.

Because these metals are linked to oxidative stress, inflammation, and damage to blood vessels, researchers have also studied whether lowering the body’s metal burden could benefit cardiovascular health. Every treatment plan is guided by your history, clinical findings, and appropriate lab testing. This is never a one-size-fits-all approach.

How It Works

EDTA is delivered through a slow intravenous infusion. Once in your bloodstream, it binds to specific metals, forming a stable complex your kidneys can filter and remove. Other heavy metals may call for a different chelating agent depending on your exposure history and lab results.

Chelation therapy isn’t meant to indiscriminately “flush out toxins.” It’s a carefully monitored medical treatment that begins with a proper assessment and continues with ongoing monitoring throughout your care.

What to Expect During Treatment

Before your first infusion, we complete a thorough health assessment that includes your medical history, medications, kidney function, cardiovascular risk factors, and heavy metal lab testing where appropriate.

During the infusion itself, you’ll sit comfortably for several hours while the solution is administered slowly. Many patients read, work, listen to music, or simply relax during their appointment. Because EDTA is cleared through the kidneys, we monitor your hydration and kidney function throughout treatment, along with mineral levels, since EDTA can bind to essential minerals as well as heavy metals.

Could Heavy Metals Be Affecting Your Health?

Chronic heavy metal exposure often causes no obvious symptoms, or symptoms general enough to be easy to overlook, including:

  • Persistent fatigue or brain fog
  • Headaches or difficulty concentrating
  • Muscle and joint discomfort
  • Digestive concerns or mood changes
  • Elevated blood pressure
  • Reduced kidney function

These symptoms have many possible causes, so they can’t confirm heavy metal exposure on their own. That’s why a thorough history and appropriate lab testing come before any treatment is considered.

Who Might Benefit From Chelation Therapy?

You have a known or suspected history of heavy metal exposure, whether occupational, environmental, or otherwise

Lab testing has shown elevated levels of lead, cadmium, or other heavy metals

You carry cardiovascular risk factors, particularly alongside diabetes

You want a thorough, individualized look at how environmental toxins may be affecting your long-term health

What Does the Research Say?

Chelation therapy’s role in cardiovascular health has been studied for decades. The largest study to date, the NIH-funded Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT), followed more than 1,700 patients over 50 who had a previous heart attack. It found a modest reduction in cardiovascular events among those receiving EDTA chelation, with the greatest benefit seen in patients who also had diabetes.

A follow-up study, TACT2, focused specifically on patients with diabetes and a prior heart attack. While chelation therapy successfully lowered lead and cadmium levels, it didn’t show a statistically significant reduction in cardiovascular events compared to placebo.

Taken together, this research reflects both the promise and the complexity of this treatment. Chelation therapy remains an established option for heavy metal toxicity, and its role in cardiovascular disease continues to evolve as more research is done.

What Our Clients Are Saying

Is Chelation Therapy Right for You?

Chelation therapy isn’t the right fit for everyone, and it doesn’t replace a healthy lifestyle or evidence-based medical care. Instead, it’s one tool that may be considered as part of a broader, individualized treatment plan.

Dr. Emina Jasarevic, ND takes a thorough, evidence-informed approach to every patient. We start with a full review of your medical history, current concerns, lifestyle, environmental exposures, medications, and any previous lab work. From there, we recommend additional testing where appropriate and build a personalized plan that may include nutritional and lifestyle support, IV nutrient therapy, EDTA chelation, or a combination suited to you.

Our goal isn’t simply to remove heavy metals. It’s to understand what’s affecting your health and build a plan that supports it for the long term.

Book an Appointment Now!

Or call our office at 250-868-0221, or email info@mindbodysoulkelowna.ca, to learn whether chelation therapy is right for you.

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References | Peer-Reviewed Research

Lamas GA, Goertz C, Boineau R, et al. (2013). Effect of Disodium EDTA Chelation Regimen on Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Previous Myocardial Infarction: The Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT). JAMA, 309(12), 1241–1250.
Available at: JAMA – TACT Randomized Trial

Escolar E, Lamas GA, Mark DB, et al. (2014). The Effect of an EDTA-Based Chelation Regimen on Patients With Diabetes Mellitus and Prior Myocardial Infarction in the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT). Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Lamas GA, Anstrom KJ, Navas-Acien A, et al. (2024). Edetate Disodium-Based Chelation for Patients With a Previous Myocardial Infarction and Diabetes: TACT2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA.
Summary available from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: TACT2 Study Summary (NCCIH)

Lamas GA, et al. (2015). EDTA Chelation Therapy to Reduce Cardiovascular Events in Persons with Diabetes. Current Cardiology Reports.

Lamas GA, et al. (2016). Heavy Metals, Cardiovascular Disease, and the Unexpected Benefits of Chelation Therapy. Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

References | Integrative Medicine Resources

Townsend Letter. Chelation Therapy in Cardiovascular Disease: An Update on the Science.
Available through the Townsend Letter website

Townsend Letter. Impact of TACT on Conventional Cardiovascular Therapy.
Available through the Townsend Letter website

Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (NDNR). Chelation and IV Nutrient Therapy.
Available through NDNR (Naturopathic Doctor News & Review)

References | Clinical & Government Resources

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH): Chelation for Coronary Heart Disease – What You Need to Know

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH): Questions & Answers About the TACT and TACT2 Trials

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH): Cardiovascular Disease and Complementary Health Approaches

Goldfrank LR, et al. Goldfrank’s Toxicologic Emergencies. 11th Edition. McGraw-Hill Education.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR): Toxicological Profiles

World Health Organization (WHO): Lead Poisoning and Health

American Heart Association: Scientific Statements & Cardiovascular Health Resources