The workings of chelation and DMSA

So many things have come to mind over the last couple of nights that I have so many ideas I want to blog about. So within the next coming days you may see more articles than you normally see from me. Today I want to talk about chelation; the word chelate comes from the Greek root chele, which means "to claw", and DMSA (Dimercaptosuccinic acid); chelating agent I give Jordan every four hours every other weekend to rid Jordan of the metals in his body.

First let me tell you about chelating agents in general. A chelate is a chemical mixture of a metal ion and a chelating agent. A chelating agent is a substance whose molecules can form different bonds to a metal ion. There are only a few types of agents. They can be given three different ways which are; oral, transdermal-TD (rubbing onto the skin) and intravenous-IV (injection through the body). The first one is DMSP (Dimercapto-propane sulfonate), which is a more potent form of the DMSA, but it is more prominent in removing mercury. It is available in IV or oral form. I've also read the the DMSP stays in the body longer and reduces the mercury levels more in the brain than in the body. But I've come across so many different articles it's really hard to say what's really the truth about it. Only thing I'm sure of is it's potency and focuses on mercury.

Then there is EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), which is chemical solution that can be administered and best works through IV. This agent binds tightly to lead and cadmium, less to aluminum and arsenic, and weak to mercury. It is poorly absorbed with taken orally, only 2-4% gets into the bloodstream. The IV forms of chelation are more effective but also more dangerous because of the ability of these agents to remove not only the metal burden but have been associated with deaths because of hypocalcemia, which is low levels of calcium.

The only transdermal chelator I could find was L-Glutathione (Liposomal glutathione). Every cell in our body creates glutathione but because the liver is involved in detoxification its cells make 7 times more than the other cells in the body. So the higher the glutathione content, the more efficiently it can remove toxins.


Then there is DMSA. This agent removes lead and other metals from the body tissues and organs only, and it can not remove metals from the brain. You want to start with the DMSA because you want to remove the metals from the body FIRST because it reduces the possibility of the metals from the body being moved into the brain. Then you add the chelator that will remove them (metals) from the brain. Now that would be ALA (Alpha lipoic acid). ALA isn't really a chelator but an antioxident and increases the formation of glutathione. Jordan is taking ALA along with DMSA, however it is said the ALA does not remove lead from the brain, but other metals like mercury. Which is why even though Jordan is taking the ALA it isn't doing anything as far as his lead levels from the brain, so that tells me that Jordan must have a lot of lead in his entire body because if we are working on his body and the levels keep going up and down, can we image what's in his brain? I shudder at the thought.

I posed a question to myself yesterday, and never asked the doctor this. Why if we raise the mg Jordan gets of the chelating agent, does the levels go up if we are pulling more out? I found the answer to be the following. As we add the agent to the system it makes the metals become "free-floating" so they can bind, move through the bloodstream, get processed through the liver and kidneys, and excreted through the urine/stool. And as I give him more every four hours, more gets "grabbed". After the last treatment some of the metals bind to what's left of the chelator in the body and some stay free floating in the blood stream or re-bind back into the body. And that's why test results may show there is a higher level of metals than there were originally, but the total amount of metals will actually be lower. After a round when dealing with lead, which is what we are working on, the levels will be lower, because the blood lead was excreted, but the lead that remained in the body organs will move out into the blood to create a new equilibrium, which will show a rise in the level even though it is actually lower.

So now it makes sense to me. I mean I don't understand why his levels elevate and decrease because he gets the same amount unless directed by the doctor. And that has only changed when his weight increased and could tolerate a higher dosage. The only thing I can think of is the stress that his body may go through at times. He has had a couple of diet changes, which resulted in him eating less, getting less juice and losing a little bit of weight. The stress on his body can affect the amounts that can be pulled because of the various chemical mediators that can be put into the blood as a response to being stressed. I am hopeful the dosage

he is at now will be successful. He is already showing signs of improvement after the first day of the first round. But he also has because more emotional. Last night he cried for no known reason. It was really hard to comfort him because he didn't want me to know he was crying, but he can't help but come to me when he's upset. I hope it won't be like this
the next round.