What is the cost comparison?
Bypass surgery is the mechanical repair of only a small portion of the arterial tree. Total costs average about $45,000 and can be as high as $60,000 or even more. Chelation therapy is an office treatment which improves blood flow throughout the entire vascular system at a fraction of the cost of bypass surgery. For example, if 20 to 40 four-hour chelation treatments in a physician's office were required for a given patient, it would cost an estimated $2000-$4000.

What about safety and side effects?
Chelation therapy is among the safest of medical procedures. More than 400,000 patients have received over four million treatments during the past 30 years. Not one death has been directly caused by chelation therapy, when properly administered by a physician who was fully trained and competent in the use of this therapy. Side effects are possible, as with any drug therapy. Vein irritation, mild pain, headache and fatigue may occur. Occasionally a mild and transient fever occurs. These and other minor side effects, if they occur, are easily controlled by adjusting the duration and frequency of treatment, or with the use of other simple measures. Side effects tend to diminish after the first few treatments. Most patients experience few or no side effects.

How do I know if I need or can benefit from Chelation Therapy?
If you have chest pain or leg pain on walking; shortness of breath; painful, discolored feet; transient loss of vision; paralysis; or rapidly failing memory, see a physician! Any unexplained or persistent symptoms which affect your heart, head or limbs should be explored for circulatory blockage.

How will I be able to tell it Chelation Therapy has helped me?
Patients routinely report reduction or elimination of their symptoms with an increasing sense of well being after chelation therapy. Family and friends are often the first to notice and report improvement in appearance, behavior and performance. Comparison of pre- and post-therapy diagnostic tests can provide objective evidence of effectiveness.

Can my personal physician give this treatment?
Any licensed physician can legally administer this treatment. Courses to train physicians in the safe use of chelation therapy are offered twice yearly by the American College for Advancement in Medicine. Interested physicians should contact ACAM for information about training and certification in this important type of medical therapy.

Can Chelation Therapy be used after Bypass Surgery?
Yes! Although chelation therapy is best utilized to avoid bypass surgery, many patients who have previously undergone one or more bypass procedures, often with little or no benefit, have subsequently benefitted greatly from chelation therapy. Treatment for each patient must be individualized. If all else fails, including chelation therapy, bypass remains available as a last resort.

Is Chelation Therapy legal treatment?
Yes! Chelation therapy is completely legal. A licensed physician is free to utilize any therapy of acceptable risk which, in his or her professional judgement, is of potential benefit -- even if advertising claims for treatment are not yet approved by the FDA. The FDA does not regulate the practice of medicine but only limits marketing and advertising claims for drugs. The FDA has approved marketing claims for the use of EDTA to treat lead poisoning and several other conditions. Treatment of atherosclerosis is not yet an allowable claim for inclusion in the marketing literature of EDTA.