Why Natural Detoxification Protocols are Safer and More Effective
The two overarching biological differences between how chemical chelation therapy and natural detoxification protocols remove toxins from the body:
Chemical chelators are single-molecules engineered to directly capture a single metal ion and force its exit via one dominant route (usually urine), yet possess 3 distinct potential harms to the body, including damage to your energy-producing mitochrondria.
Natural plant and earthen approaches to detoxification work through multiple biological pathways (liver, blood, lymphatic system, bowels, skin, kidneys, and breath) simultaneously to achieve a safer, gentler, and ultimately more thorough removal of metals, chemicals, and radiation, along with the disposal of cellular debris from cells damaged by these very toxins.
Chemical chelators force a single action of capturing a metal, without supporting the body organs in any way at all to help the eliminative channels, especially the kidneys, manage the flood of toxins pushing their way out through the urine.
Natural detox therapies work in concert with the body by adding hundreds of nutritional compounds to the benefit of body organs and natural biological activity, resulting in a safer, more balanced release of numerous toxin categories, as well as a greater balance of metabolic chemistry throughout the body in the process.
How Chemical Chelation Therapy Produces Three Serious Potential Side Effects
Three serious side effects are commonly caused by the unnatural chemical chelation approach:
1 — Mineral and nutrient deficiencies [1]
2 — Oil soluble (lipophyllic) chelators carry the potential effect of the redistribution and accumulation of metals into the brain, kidneys, and possibly other organs [2]
3 — “EDTA alone can cause condensation and dehydration of the mitochondrial matrix." [3]
How are these serious side effects possible?
Chemical chelation therapy uses a variety of synthetic molecules — typically EDTA, DMSA, DMPS, DTPA, & BAL (however, new designer chemical chelators for various toxins have been developed, yet with similar side effect potentials).
The principle behind chemical chelation is that the chemicals used provide specific "ligand" (bonding) atoms, like sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, etc., designed to bond with a single metal ion, like lead mercury, cadmium, etc.
The principle is similar to how sodium and chloride bond together to form a neutral molecule — salt.
The chelation chemicals basically surround and bond with the metal ion in a way that neutralizes its free ionic charge (which formerly gave it the power to cause the harm).
This chelating action of encircling and bonding with a metal ion does two things:
- Renders the resulting complex molecule neutral and harmless to the body
- Makes the molecule water-soluble so it can be filtered by the kidneys and excreted in urine.
Sounds good so far, but....
Here’s Where Things Can Go Wrong
1 – Nutrient Deficiencies
Because chelation chemicals are also somewhat indiscriminate, they don’t just stop with removing the toxic metals, they will also strip essential minerals (zinc, copper, magnesium, calcium) from the body as well, which is the basis for most of chelation therapy's serious adverse effects from a rapid, but non-selective mineral loss:
- low calcium,
- low magnesium,
- toxicity overwhelm in the kidneys,
- mineral depletion.
A chemical chelator's ability to be soluble in water or soluble in lipids (fat) also determines whether it acts only within the fluid outside of a cell (like EDTA, DMSA, DMPS, and DTPA which cannot cross a cell's lipid membranes), or if it can penetrate through the lipid bi-layer surrounding each cell wall (as in the case of BAL and some of the new designer chelators).
Once inside the cell, the chemical chelator is then able to attach to a metal toxin — or even beneficial minerals like magnesium, potassium, or calcium, etc., resulting in neutralizing its ability to affect the body, whether in a negative or positive manner, and the combination is then excreted, typically through the urine.
2 – Redistribution of the Metals to Other Organs – Like the Brain or Kidneys
A second, and much more serious, potential side effect from chemical chelation therapy among the lipophyllic versions (BAL, in this case, as well as some of the new designer versions) has to do with the potential redistribution and accumulation of metal into vulnerable tissues.
The following study references arsenic accumulation in the brain following chelation therapy and the accumulation of the chelating chemical, or the metals being disposed of, in the kidney tissues, unable to be fully released through the urine.
The Role of Chelation in the Treatment of Other Metal Poisonings by Silas W Smith of the American College of Medical Toxicology. "While hydrophilic chelators enhance renal excretion, their mainly extracellular localization limits activity to extracellular metal pools; lipophilic chelators might access and decrease intracellular stores, but may redistribute toxic metals to vulnerable compartments.". This may create a fundamental efficacy–safety paradox: the more lipophilic [water soluble] a chelator, the better its “clearing efficiency”; however, the more lipophilic [fat soluble] the chelator, the greater its toxicity. Thus, in an aggressive attempt to “mobilize” a metal from one target compartment in order to effect excretion, chelation might facilitate translocation of the metal to other organs.
So the potential of causing more harm from chemical chelation therapy is very high and deserves to be taken seriously. Yet there is another, more pervasive potential side effect that could affect every single cell in the human body:
3 —Potential Disruption of the Mitochondria’s Typical Energy Production Role
Do we really need more chemicals to disrupt natural body functions?
Brain tissue overall is disproportionately mitochondria-dense relative to its mass — the brain is only about 2% of body weight, but consumes roughly 20% of the body's total energy expenditure, which is why brain neurons maintain such large mitochondrial populations.
A single brain cell, in some instances, can contain up to 2 million energy-producing mitochrondria.
The number of total mitochrondria in the human body has been estimated at a potential of over 100 trillion energy producing mitochrondria.
Yet, Duke University Medical Center identified two disruptions to our energy producing mitochonrdria that can be caused by EDTA alone.
ROLE OF EDTA AND METALS IN MITOCHONDRIAL CONTRACTION
- EDTA can cause condensation and dehydration of the mitochondrial matrix.
- EDTA, in the absence of energy, decreased the permeability of mitochondrial membranes
We do not need to know exactly what the full extent of damage these two effects alone can cause to our personal and cellular energy levels. The fact that a disruption of any kind exists is enough to know that chemicals cause harm to natural body functions.
The known and unknown harms of synthetic chemicals on natural biological systems may well explain a contributing factor to the exponential rise in chronic health conditions worldwide today (except among isolated indigenous cultures).
Question science, trust Nature!
Natural Detoxification Protocols
There are numerous safe natural ways to clean out the undesirables within the body, ranging from liver cleanses, clay baths, clay body packs, sweat therapy, red light therapy, exercise, a variety of fasting methods, deep breathing, and herbal/mineral support for the detox pathways.
Here is an article that covers the best herbal and clay products for gentle, yet effective and safe ways to cleanse toxic chemicals and metals from the body naturally:
References
1 -- Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA) — Adverse Effects
2 -- The Role of Chelation in the Treatment of Other Metal Poisonings
3 -- ROLE OF EDTA AND METALS IN MITOCHONDRIAL CONTRACTION
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