General Health & Wellbeing | Health Articles | What is Oral Chelation and how can it help prevent heart disease

Oral chelation is the solubilization of a metal salt by forming a chemical complex or sequestering. One way of doing this is with ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid (EDTA) salts, which have a multidentate spiral ligand form that can surround metallic and other ions.

The term "oral" simply refers to "mouth." When you take something "orally," you take it into the mouth. Hence, the word oral chelation. This word can be contrasted with "intravenous" which is a word that means that something enters your body through a vein rather than through your mouth.

"Intravenous" actions (including IV Chelation) are generally done by a doctor or a nurse who sticks a needle in a vein, often in your wrist.

The word "chelation" starts with the Greek Root of this word - chele. Chele, in Greek, means the claw part of a crab or lobster. So, "chele" refers to a grabbing action. When combined, getting "chelation" you simply have a word that means the "grabbing action" of some substance. Oral chelation is dispelling substances by taking the preparation orally.

The ingredients which make oral chelation "work" are Cysteine, N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine and EDTA.

EDTA is an important ingredient in oral chelation. It has a chemical and physical characteristic that it is attracted to heavy particles. It is not quite like a magnetic attraction, but in any event when there is EDTA in your blood stream, and some heavy particle (such as a particle of lead, mercury, iron, etc.), the EDTA and the heavy particle come together such that the heavy particle is coated with the EDTA, and passed out by your system

EDTA is an artificial amino acid, and since the body regards it as a foreign substance, the body eliminates the entire particle - the heavy particle coated with EDTA.

The body can't tell that underneath the coating is some material (iron mixed with carbon, perhaps) which the body might be willing to keep even though it is harmful to the body. So, this coated EDTA particle gets sent to the kidney and you urinate it out into the toilet. You just got rid of some heavy particles.

EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is a common sequestrant and antioxidant which is a part of oral chelation. This oral chelation is added to foods, body care, and household products.

The oral chelation also occurs as disodium calcium EDTA, tetrasodium EDTA, and disodium dihydrogen EDTA. As a sequestrant, this oral chelation binds trace minerals such as copper, iron and nickel that may be in the product. If not inactivated, these minerals will lead to discoloration, rancidity and textural breakdown. When added as an antioxidant, EDTA prevents oxygen from causing color changes and rancidity.