EDTA Chelation Therapy:
Efficacy in Brain Disorders

H. Richard Casdorph, MD, PhD

H. Richard Casdorph, M.D., Ph.D., is Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California Medical School, Irvine, California. He practices in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease at Long Beach, California. He received his training in cardiovascular diseases at the Mayo Clinic and received his Ph.D. degree in Medicine from the University of Minnesota. He has also taught at UCLA Medical School and has been Chief of Medicine at Long Beach Community Hospital.

ABSTRACT: Fifteen patients with well-documented impairment of cerebral blood flow were studied utilizing the isotope technetium 99m. A highly significant improvement (P = .0005) in cerebral blood flow occurred following approximately twenty intravenous infusions of disodium EDTA. All fifteen patients improved clinically, including one with little or no improvement in measured cerebral blood flow. EDTA chelates and removes aluminum as well as calcium. Aluminum has been incriminated in senile and pre-senile dementia. This study is especially noteworthy in view of the fact that medical science has no other effective treatment for many of these conditions. Radioactive nuclide studies were performed at the Nuclear Medicine Department of the Lon Beach Memorial Hospital, California.

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FIGURE 1

The curve on the left illustrates the normal brain flow curve. The upstroke of the A wave indicates blood flowing into the brain followed by a normal decline to point B as the washout effect of fresh blood, not containing radioactivity, reduces the level of technetium to the baseline at point B. This is followed by a slight recirculation wave C, followed by a baseline or steady level of radioactivity. The 3 sets of curves on the right indicate changes that occur to cerebral blood flow with progressively more severe cerebrovascular occlusion.  As blood flow becomes impaired there is a delay of flow into the brain, causing the peak of the A wave to move to the right. This is associated with a decrease in the washout phase inasmuch as fresh blood flows less readily into the brain to wash out the existing radioactivity.   This causes an elevation of b point as illustrated. The elevation of point B from normal is taken as an index of the degree of occlusive cerebrovascular disease, and conversely, the reversal of this effect, lowering of point B after EDTA is used as a measure of the benefit of chelation therapy.

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FIGURE 2

Actual Data as measured by a Searle Radiographics scintillation camera. This represents a relatively normal cerebral blood flow for both the right (R) and left (L) sides of the brain of a 62 year-old white male with mild diabetes and arteriosclerotic heart disease. Even though this study was considered "normal," we note a slight diminution in the amplitude of the A wave over the left (L) side of the brain.

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FIGURE 3A

Actual raw data, brain blood flow study of a 51 year old white female with a mistaken diagnosis of schizophrenia.  This measurement showed very reduced brain blood flow.

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FIGURE 3B

Brain blood flow measurements of that same patient after EDTA chelation showing marked improvement in blood flow. The patients clinical symptoms improved correspondingly.

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Raw Data of this type for all 15 patients in this study can be found in in the: TEXTBOOK OF EDTA CHELATION THERAPY edited by Elmer M. Cranton, M.D. The overall results were consistent with the patient above, as summarized in TABLE 1 below.

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TABLE 1

Journal of Advancement in Medicine Volume 2, Numbers 1/2, Spring/Summer 1989

For the full-text study, go to your nearest medical library or order
The Textbook of EDTA Chelation Therapy.

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