TITLE:
The Effects of Magnesium-EDTA Chelation Therapy on Arterial Stiffness
AUTHORS:
P. J. Van der Schaar, R. Th. B. Pahlplatz, E. Blaurock-Busch
KEYWORDS:
Arterial Stiffness, Pulse Wave Velocity, Central Blood Pressure, Augmented Aortic Index, Magnesium-EDTA Chelation Therapy, Cardiovascular Risks
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.6 No.21,
December
23,
2014
ABSTRACT: Traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease can only assess risks for groups of people. New parameters of arterial stiffness are more reliable for predicting cardiovascular outcomes for individuals with and without a cardiovascular history. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of Magnesium-EDTA chelation therapy using new methods and parameters such as pulse wave velocity (PWV), central blood pressure (SBPao) and endothelial function (Aix). We followed 43 patients with an abnormal PWV and SBPao, setting them up in two groups. The 21 patients in Group A had already been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. The other 22 patients in Group B also showed abnormal PWV, SBPao and Aix, but showed no cardiovascular symptoms. Each patient in Groups A and B received one Mg-EDTA treatment per week. The total treatment plan consisted of 25 Mg-EDTA chelation treatments according to the standard protocol of IBCMT. After 25 Mg-EDTA chelation sessions, PWV and SBPao improved significantly in all patients of Groups A and B. In addition, Aix improved significantly in these patients, but remained abnormal. Group C included 18 asymptomatic patients with normal PWV or SBPao. Aix was abnormal in this group, but to a much lesser extent than Groups A and B. The 18 asymptomatic patients of Group C did not receive Mg-EDTA treatment. Observation showed no significant changes in all three parameters of arterial stiffness. The results of this study indicate that a course of treatment with Magnesium-EDTA chelation therapy significantly lowers cardiovascular risks. We conclude that Mg-EDTA chelation therapy improves PWV as an indicator of arterial stiffness, SBPao (central blood pressure) as an indicator of aortic elasticity and Aix (augmented aortic index) as an indicator of endothelial functioning. These improvements in PWV, SBPao and Aix demonstrate that atherosclerosis is a dynamic and (partially) reversible process.