How does IV chelation therapy work?

 

What are the symptoms of heavy metal toxicity?

Heavy metals such as lead, aluminum, cadmium, and mercury are considered neurotoxins. When a person has been exposed to a toxic level of one or more of these metals, they can cause brain fog, fatigue, eczema, skin rash, hair loss, constipation, bloating, anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure.

Getting a correct diagnosis is the first step in detoxifying heavy metals from your system. Dr. Shiva Lalezar, a leader in Functional Medicine in Los Angeles, uses IV chelation therapy to holistically treat specific, targeted medical conditions related to heavy metal toxicity.

How does IV chelation therapy work?

Chelation therapy works by administering chelating agents that bind to heavy metals and safely remove them from the body through the urine. These compounds work by forming multiple chemical bonds to a metal ion.

This diagram is a chelate complex formed by the chelating agent EDTA and the toxic heavy metal cadmium (Cd). Once the metal ion is bound, the combined structure is called a chelate complex.

This complex envelops the often-dangerous metal ion and prevents it from reacting in the body to do damage. Chelation treatment has been in use since the 1940s to treat poison gas exposure and later, to treat lead poisoning. Today, chelation therapy is used to treat exposure to many different toxic metals.

Why come to Dr. Lalezar for IV Chelation Therapy in Los Angeles?

Dr. Lalezar’s practice, the Health and Vitality Center, is one of the leading centers for functional medicine in Los Angeles, and Dr. Lalezar is regarded as one of the best holistic doctors in Los Angeles.

The Health and Vitality Center has been featured on Fox News and in Suzanne Somers’ Doctor Resource Guide. Dr. Lalezar is certified in Chelation Therapy by the American College for Advancement in Medicine.

She has over twenty years of experience in administering IV chelation therapy.  She relieves your symptoms holistically by treating the problem at its source. Dr. Lalezar uses an integrative approach that combines the most advanced conventional medical therapies with state-of-the-art Functional Medicine treatments for maximum results.

What substances are used in chelation therapy?

Dr. Lalezar uses the following compounds for chelation therapy:

EDTA

EDTA (EthyleneDiamineTetraacetic Acid) is a type of amino acid. It is used as a chelating agent for a number of heavy metals such as lead, Aluminum, cadmium, nickel, gadolinium and arsenic. The type of EDTA used at the Health and Vitality Center is compounded calcium-EDTA and disodium-EDTA.

DMPS

DMPS, a sulfur-based compound that is particularly efficient in binding to mercury in the bloodstream given via IV. Mercury is present in many people who have silver fillings in their teeth or who have consumed high Mercury fish such as Tuna, King Mackerel, Sea Bass, Cod, Cat Fish, Orange Roughy, or Swordfish.  Unfortunately, CA board of pharmacy has placed many restrictions on most compounding pharmacies to not ship DMPS and EDTA to California.  These restrictions are not applied to other states. 

As a result, the Health and Vitality Center is now offering oral DMSA (meso-2, 3-dimercaptosucccinic acid). DMSA removes mercury and lead via the kidneys, bile and the stool.  To Dr. Lalezar’s surprise DMSA has been as effective as IV DMPS in removing most metals.  Dr. Lalezar pairs DMSA oral chelation with high dose IV Vitamin C and IV Gutathione.  These IVs prevent remobilization and movement of heavy metals from one compartment to another.  

Glutathione

Glutathione is not a chelating agent. However, Dr. Lalezar administers it with either EDTA, DMPS or DMSA because it increases the efficacy of your chelation therapy while reducing the incidence of adverse reactions and redistribution.  Glutathione makes the toxins water soluble so you can kick it out in your urine and stool.  

Which medical conditions can IV Chelation Therapy help with?

Dr. Lalezar uses chelation therapy for several conditions, including:

• Heavy Metal Overload
• High Blood Pressure
• Cardiovascular Disease

How is intravenous chelation therapy administered?

Your chelation therapy will be administered by an IV expert in the Health & Vitality Center’s IV therapy suite. The entire treatment process is personally supervised by Dr. Lalezar. You can comfortably listen to music, browse the internet on your laptop, or read a book. Most chelation therapy treatments can be completed within half hour to one hour.

How do I know if chelation treatment is right for me?

Dr. Lalezar gives each patient a urine toxicology screening to evaluate the concentrations of heavy metals in the body. The results of this diagnostic test will determine whether Dr. Lalezar recommends chelation therapy or not.  It’s also important to provoke with a chelating agent prior to collecting your urine for 6 hours to see how much heavy metal is excreted in the urine.  

Can IV Chelation therapy help patients with silver dental fillings?

Many patients concerned about their silver fillings come to the Health & Vitality Center for evaluation. Amalgam fillings are composed of 70 percent mercury. Every time you chew or drink hot fluid, you release 17 ugs of mercury vapor from each tooth on a daily basis.

The toxic mercury vapor is then absorbed into the body. Fortunately, Dr. Lalezar has had great success using chelation therapy to remove mercury from patients. She can also refer you to a holistic dentist who is experienced in removing these fillings safely.