TREATMENT DATABASE
Chelation therapy involves use of intravenous EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) to bind and remove metal molecules from the body. It was developed in the late 1940s to treat lead poisoning. A decade earlier it was discovered that EDTA, a synthetic amino acid compound, had the ability to bind with calcium. (As a consequence, EDTA is classified as a calcium channel blocker.) The resulting calcium combinations then bind with heavy metals in the bloodstream and remove them by way of the kidneys and bladder. Although the only approved use of chelation in the United States is to treat heavy metal poisoning (chiefly lead, arsenic and iron), chelation therapy has also been used to treat chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes, stroke, cataracts, senility, Parkinson's disease, and osteoporosis.
USES IN ME/CFS: Few ME/CFS physicians have included chelation in their protocols. In 1994 Dr. Boergman of South Africa reported a 100% improvement rate in 16 ME/CFS patients using EDTA chelation. One of Dr. Boergman's patients recovered totally after 10 infusions. The others reported 60% to 90% recovery from physical and mental symptoms. (It is important to note that Dr. Boergman's study was quite small and has not been replicated. Other physicians have not substantiated Dr. Boergman's findings.)
There is a subset of health practitioners who believe that mercury amalgams are responsible for ME/CFS. They routinely advise patients to have the amalgams replaced, followed up by chelation therapy to remove mercury from the body. While some people have gone through this costly process, most have not found chelation curative.
| Rating | Side Effects | Reason for Treatment | Dosage / Duration | Age | Sex M/F | # of years Ill | Additional Comments | Illness Severity | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Can feel better with more energy while on round, can feel achy and tired after the round. There is sleep disruption with the night dosing. It takes a number of days to get back into my normal pattern. | I discovered I was mercury toxic. | 3 year 3mg (gradually increasing as tolerated) 4X day | 63 | Female | 26 | Note that I am doing a particular kind of chelation, which is the Andy Cutler Frequent Dose Chelation Protocol. The Cutler Protocol has been helping me the most out of any treatment I've tried, including other types of chelation. Now I know why the other types of chelation aren't necessarily effective (which is correctly noted in the description). Also other types of chelation (or sauna) will not get mercury out of your brain. Only ALA can do that. I see people like us at the Cutler Chelation Facebook group often having improvements (even if they don't have an ME/CFS diagnosis - remember that most of us remain undiagnosed). Note that this form doesn't capture how the chelators are dosed. The chelators are dosed in 2-1/2 day and night rounds. Then you take a break for 1-2 weeks. Then rinse and repeat. For very sick people like me it may take 300 rounds. So that can be years for a full recovery, but you get gradual improvements along the way. I'm on round #82. I was diagnosed with CFS/Fukuda (because that was in 2000), but I also fit the CCC, the ICC, and the IOM. Improvements I've had so far: 1. I no longer have autoimmune thyroiditis and don't need to take medication. My labs have been normal for years. 2. I need vast amounts of electrolytes and I've had reductions in my need. This indicates improvement in the adrenal glands. Potassium has gone from 3000mg/day to 50mg, magnesium from 3000mg/day to 2400mg, sodium from 3000mg/day to 2000mg. 3. Improvements in muscle strength especially the legs. When walking up the slight hill in my driveway, I used to feel the energy rapidly draining from my legs, now I barely notice that there's a hill. Stairs are easier. 4. Improvements in mental health - used to need 150mg of sertraline. Now I only need 100mg. I would feel anxious for days before any social event. Now I'm starting to look forward to them. I feel hopeful about this treatment. For more information, visit the Andy Cutler Chelation: Safe Mercury and Heavy Metal Detox Facebook group. The moderators will help you evaluate if mercury is your issue, and if so, how to get started chelating. There is also an excellent book called The Mercury Detoxification Manual by Andrew Hall Cutler and Rebecca Rust Lee. | Moderate/Severe | 08/04/26 |