Dear Doctor,

GLCCM (The Great Lakes College of Clinical Medicine) provided the forum in Baltimore at their October, 1999, conference for the Great Oral EDTA Chelation Debate.

Since you may not have been present, but you can still enjoy the debate. You can obtain the tape from InstaTape in Coeur d’ Alane, Idaho, Greg Stavish, 1-800-Now Tape.

Dr. Ted Rozema served as moderator and it appeared, at least to me and several other observers, that there was some significant consensus achieved: The FDA was right for once: Oral EDTA definitely removes significant quantities of lead from the human body.

This information alone can have tremendous significance for ACAM physicians in view of the new public interest that is just now starting to be focused on the adverse health effects virtually everyone is suffering as the direct result of the chronic low level lead poisoning we ALL now have!

The lawsuit filed by the State of Rhode Island against the lead industry by the same law firm that handled much of the tobacco litigation is just the tip of the iceberg, as the very next day California filed a suit against the Lock and Key industry because of extremely high lead in keys that children often put in their mouth, and adults often play with the keys, then eat finger food.

Since many of your patients may soon start to have a substantial interest in improving their children’s IQ and immune systems, and generally helping themselves achieve higher health through lower lead levels, you should be aware that the FDA approved ORAL EDTA years ago for the treatment of asymptomatic lead toxicity. Many experts would argue that we all suffer from this condition, but not at levels that generally would warrant parenteral therapy. The experts state that lead can cause strokes, hypertension, etc.

To assist you in understanding more about the effectiveness of oral EDTA, I am providing you herewith selected key information from a few of the thousands of references regarding EDTA that I have reviewed over the past 30 years.

Fortunately, for all concerned, Martin Rubin, PhD, has recently delivered all of the references he had obtained from myself and others over the years to Dr. Ted Rozema. ACAM has never possessed all of the available published and unpublished information regarding EDTA. There is a great deal of information that I have reviewed over the years, that has lead me to champion the far broader use of EDTA, preferably on a daily basis, therefore orally, as well as for its intravenous use. I believe oral use will never replace intravenous but it is clearly synergistic as you can not get rid of too much lead!

Unfortunately I loaned many of my original documents, some of them obtained directly from one of Abbot Laboratories lead EDTA researchers (Dr. Norman Clark, Sr.) containing information no ACAM doctor has ever reviewed, without obtaining copies, to Dr. Martin Rubin. I was assured they would be organized into a Book to be edited by Dr. Rubin on chelation. My documents would be returned as soon as they had made copies! That was well over 10 years ago and I have NEVER had them returned to me, much to the detriment of all ACAM physicians who have never seen this information. Now, with these papers in the possession of Dr. Rozema, the exciting full story about the far broader potential uses of EDTA will finally come to light. Some of the research papers, from the private files of Abbott Laboratories, involved correspondence between Abbott and several heads of departments from universities around the United States. The ongoing research included such diverse topics as the usefulness of EDTA in (1) acute rheumatoid arthritis (2) psoriasis (3) scleroderma (4) kidney stones (5) cirrhosis of the liver. There are many other important research papers, including some that support my strong belief that EDTA is misplaced in the cardiovascular arena, and may one day rise to wide spread recognition as a significant anti-aging therapy. There was a 50%increase in life span of multi-cellular organisms and even more dramatic benefits on lifespan of sperm cells, proving there is a relative lack or long-term toxicity as these were immersed daily in EDTA.

Since I am, perhaps, one of the very few who has personally reviewed most of this literature over the past 30 years, I continue to believe that we have not yet found the best explanation(s) for the dramatic benefits that our patients continue to enjoy from the use of EDTA in any form, so it is underutilized!

One of the more interesting articles, which helped guide my introduction of EDTA into the oral cardiovascular support formula originally developed by Dr. Morrison (after some 10 million dollars worth of research), was published in Nature. Researchers E. Windsor and G.E. Cronheim of Riker Laboratories, North Ridge, CA. April 15, 1961, Vol. 191, No. 4772, pp. 263-264. This important article indicates that EDTA acts as an "adjuvant." (I think there may be many other "adjuvant" activities, at the molecular level, associated with EDTA that we have yet to identify.)

The researchers described the use of EDTA to enhance absorption of heparin and synthetic heparinoids. I was working with Dr. Lester Morrison on anticoagulants, and we were checking the bio-availability of our formula using the Chandler loop. This is a well-accepted technique to prove that a compound has biological anticoagulant activities. We were using a sulfated polysaccharide, derived from red algae. We were extremely excited to find that when we added EDTA to his formula, that we got better than a five-fold increase in activity. This made it possible to get an oral "heparin-like" activity from a safe biological material. We were able to improve the lipid-clearing and anti-coagulant efficacy of his mixture by making a EDTA/sulfated polysaccharide and we confirmed this with the use of the Chandler loop.

Of possibly more interest, however, to many physicians, is the lead removal potential of EDTA. The incredible statement made from researchers at the University of California, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, that although they proved that oral EDTA is only approximately 4% to 5% absorbed, that in spite of this low absorption, they find the material is effective in accelerating the excretion of yttrium and lead. They conclude the article by stating that "There is no satisfactory readily apparent explanation for this surprising efficacy." J Lab and Clin Med, April, 1954, vol 45, No 4, pp566-570.)

The next interesting research published in the AMA Arch Indust Health, Vol 13, 1956, pp489-97, from the Industrial Hygiene Division, Department of Health, Victoria, Australia. This research reports a five-to-ten-fold increase in urinary excretion of lead following oral administration of EDTA. When they gave two-gram doses orally twice a day. They also separately found a 5-to-35-fold increase in urinary lead excretion in another portion of this study. There was also a very considerable increase in fecal lead excretion. Arch Dis Childh, 34-70-3/1959, entitled The Diagnostic Importance of Glycosuria in Lead Poisoning in Children by Ronald C. Roxburgh and Leonard Haas reports:

"The experience gained during the treatment of the cases with oral calcium di-sodium Versenate [hereinafter called EDETATE] leads us to suggest that prolonged courses are without danger to the patient and, in addition, continue to enhance the renal excretion of lead in increased amounts." [Emphasis added.]

(Roxburgh and Hass; Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children and The London Hospital; Received for publication July 24, 1958.)

NOTE: It is my personal experience that when using oral EDTA based chelators the levels of heavy metal excretion initially tend to increase over time. The patterns of excretion change over time, as one metal, like lead, becomes relatively depleted, the excretion of other heavy metals tend to increase. Finally you can achieve truly significant removal of many toxins but only slowly overtime. Unfortunately, heavy metal toxicity is a lifetime problem because lead is so prevalent in our environment and is stored so deeply in the bones that you never achieve zero level in anybody. However, the advantage of continuous oral EDTA is that you are not only increasing the excretion of toxins in urine and feces, but you are also continuously binding many heavy metals, making them significantly less available to induce free radical damage. NOTE: Dr Blumer proven that using just Calcium EDTA, he reduced deaths from cancer and heart attacks over 80% in an 18 year study. That treatment basically proves how important lower lead levels may be for all of us! (Oral EDTA should also help.)

In "Modern Trends in the Treatment of Lead Poisoning: A review of the Literature on the use of Edathamil Calcium-Disodium," Dr. Belknap in the Topical Review in the August, 1961 Journal of Occupational Medicine. Noted that in lead workers, oral administration of Calcium-Disodium EDTA increased the urinary lead output an average of 82%. Stippled cells and porphyrin had practically disappeared at the end of three weeks. Several other cases of marked beneficial results with oral EDTA are reported in this article.

Some of these articles appear in their entirety on the Gordon Research Website. Our plans call for many of the other nteresting articles regarding EDTA and other subjects to continue to be added to my website. (gordonresearch.com) Please visit -or I can charge for reprints.

Regarding the dosage of oral EDTA, the average recommended daily adult dose for asymptomatic lead toxicity was 4gm in divided doses; and for children, it was 1gm daily per 35 lbs of body weight in divided doses. The PDR states that the drug is approximately 5% to 10% absorbed in man. It states that with the increased excretion of lead in the urine there is a concomitant decrease in blood lead levels. Earlier editions of the PDR stated that EDETATE can dissolve ordinarily insoluble salts such as barium sulfate and lead phosphate in the neutral and alkaline pH ranges. This solubilizing property accounts for the value of this agent as a means for mobilizing heavy metal from the body. (Physicians’ Desk Reference, 30^th Ed. 1976, Riker, p1248. Copyright© by Litton Industries, Inc., Published by Medical Economics Company, a Litton division, at Oradell, NJ 07649.)

Previous editions of the PDR carried the following Indications: (1) As a follow-up to parenteral therapy; (2) To increase excretion of lead in asymptomatic patients who present laboratory evidence of lead accumulation.

Contraindications: Calcium Disodium Versenate Tablets should not be given to patients with severe renal disease.

Warnings: Calcium Disodium Edetate is capable of producing toxic and potentially fatal effects. The dosage schedule should be followed and at no time should the recommended daily dose be exceeded.

Chronic oral use of Versenate should not be used as a substitute for adequate measures to avoid undue exposure to lead. Because Versenate chelates other metals, e.g. zinc, copper, etc., the possibility of depletion of such metals in persons taking Versenate on a long-term basis should be considered, and steps taken to avoid such deficiencies. Although urinary excretion of lead usually does increase following administration of Versenate, there is the possibility that, in come cases, a concomitant decrease in fecal excretion occurs. If this were to happen, the total amount of lead excreted might appear greater than is actually the case.

Usage in Pregnancy: The safe use of calcium disodium edetate has not been established with respect to possible adverse effects upon fetal development. Therefore, it should not be used in women of child-bearing potential and particularly during early pregnancy unless, in the judgment of the physician, the potential benefits outweigh the possible hazards.

Precautions: The drug should be used with caution in tuberculosis, active or healed, and in the presence of renal disease. There have been reports of increased absorption of lead from the gut following the use of oral Versenate.

Adverse Reactions: Calcium Disodium Versenate when administered orally may act as a gastrointestinal irritant in some patients, producing diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting. Such symptoms are more likely to occur when the daily dose exceeds 3gms. Other side actions reported in a relatively small percentage of patients were leg and other muscle cramps, weakness, malaise, and albumin or red cells in the urine. None of the side actions is considered to be serious when detected early. Excessive doses may result in renal toxicity.

Dosage and Administration: Adults: The average daily dosage is 8 tablets (4gm.) in divided doses.

Children: Two tablets (1gm.) daily per 35 pounds of body weight in divided doses.

How Supplied: Calcium Disodium Versenate Tablets, bottles of 250 tablets containing 500 mg. Of calcium disodium edetate per tablet. (NDC 009—0115-25)

NOTE – today oral EDTA is supplied in our foods as a preservative and in many other ways. I formulated one known as Garlic Plus, which contains 133 mg per capsule along with 266 mg of Organic Garlic, and other useful chelating substances including Malic Acid, which has better stability constants for Aluminum and Iron than desferroxamine. Please ask for my heavy metal detoxification brochure and ask for a 1 hour audio tape discussion.

A small, introductory compilation of 60+ pages of scientific data regarding oral EDTA is available for $10.00, including shipping and handling. The entirety of the data presented to ACAM is available for $100.00 including shipping and handling.