Detoxification

Late Night Relief IV

Many adults have nights that involve being out later than normal and consuming more alcohol  then they prepared for. This combination can lead to a rough following day that nobody  predicts or has time for – often referred to as a hangover. Scientific studies point hangovers  being caused by dehydration, inflammation and oxidative stress, better known as free radical  response. Alcohol contributes to the reduction of important B vitamins and other nutrients  especially with regular and heavy use. It’s causes dehydration via blocking Anti-Diuretic  Hormone (ADH) which we replenish with at least a liter of fluids each session. If you experience  the symptoms of a hangover such as headaches, upset stomach, vomiting and fatigue, this IV  therapy can help rehydrate, reduce inflammation, relieve headaches and improve energy.

KEY INGREDIENTS
• B-COMPLEX (Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, methyl-B12)
• MAGNESIUM
• CALCIUM
• SALINE
• INCLUDED OPTIONAL ADD-ON MEDICATIONS:
1. Zofran – for nausea (or vomiting)
2. Ketorolac – for pain relief (eg, headache)

INDICATIONS
• Hangovers
• Migraines

Hydrogen Peroxide IV Therapy

Glutathione

EDTA Chelation

Jeffrey A. Weiss, MD:

I completed my Fellowship in Advanced Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Hospital, so this month’s “Heart Health Awareness Month”, is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Currently, 1 in 4 Americans die of heart disease, with coronary artery disease (CAD) being the leading cause of death among American men and women alike.

Since heart disease is such a major killer, I want to share important new information about cardiac chelation (key-LAY-shun) therapy. You may have heard that it is alternative medicine, voodoo, expensive, and even dangerous. However, recent research funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests that this old treatment  can benefit patients with diabetes mellitus and prior heart attacks.

Chelation therapy was first used in the early 20th century to treat heavy metal poisoning. The treatment involves administering a drug called a chelator, which has a magnetically charged pocket that can “grab” a metal and hang onto it, like a strong magnet, allowing the metal to be excreted out the urine. One chelator, calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat lead poisoning. There are reasons to think that chelation to remove metals might treat or prevent heart disease. Many complications of diabetes mellitus are likely caused by chemical reactions that happen to the excess sugar in the blood. These reactions are catalyzed, or facilitated, by metals. Our environment is polluted with metals that are toxic to our systems, especially in the tristate area. Lead (toys, soil, gasoline, plumbing), arsenic (well water), mercury (many fish), and cadmium (from rechargeable batteries) are among the top 10 most toxic substances listed by the US government. EDTA chelates lead and cadmium.

Chelation treatment was first reported to have clinical benefits in patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease through a fortuitous set of observations starting in 1956. Subsequent clinical investigations of chelation, however, were mixed and serious research in this area ceased in the early 1960’s. Alternative medicine practitioners continued to use chelation for prevention of complications of atherosclerosis based on their anecdotal experiences. Because of the lack of proof of benefit and the implausibility of the proposed mechanism of benefit (physical removal of calcium from complex atherosclerotic plaques), most major mainstream medical organizations during the 1980’s and 1990’s made policy statements against chelation.

When teaching medical students, residents and fellows, I like to pretend that I’m talking to patients to get them to lessen their grip on medical jargon in preparation for patient interactions. When talking about the heart and cardiovascular system, I make an analogy of it being a home with plumbing and electric systems. For example, when the plumbing (circulation) is compromised, it adversely affects the electric (rhythm). When you think of arteries as pipes that get clogged, you see it’s a mechanical problem and that medication can only go so far at alleviating it. Short of a root-rooter (left heart catheterization with angioplasty and stent), the most effective way of cleaning the pipes would be Drain-O (chelation), something you can infuse into the circulatory system that hits plaque and allows you to eliminate it via urination.

The first Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT1) was developed because members of the U.S. Congress expressed concern that chelation use was widespread yet there was no reliable data on either its safety or efficacy. TACT1 was completed in 2012 (enrolling 1708 patients) and it showed that a combination of up to 40 infusions total with intravenous (IV) di-sodium EDTA plus oral multivitamins and multi-minerals (OMVM) compared with intravenous and oral placebo, led to a significant reduction in cardiovascular event in patients with prior myocardial infarction, age 50 or older, already treated with standard evidence-based medical therapies (aspirin, statin, beta-blocker, and ACE inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker). In the subgroup with diabetes (633 patients), the results were dramatic: the chelation-based strategy reduced cardiac events by 51% and reduced total mortality by 43%. There is nothing else available today that is comparable in diabetes therapies – Aspirin comes closest at 28% reduction in mortality (after 2 years of use, with a number needed to treat (NNT) of 330* compared to only 6 months to benefit and a NNT of 6). In response to the data from TACT1, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association allowed chelation for treatment of chronic ischemic heart disease.

The landscape for chelation therapy has changed, and environmental toxins have emerged as modifiable risk factors for heart disease (Environmental Cardiology). The US Food and Drug Administration reviewed the TACT in a positive light but encouraged researchers to carry out another study to confirm these results (TACT2). TACT1 examined the two major components of the chelation strategy in common use by alternative medicine practitioners, EDTA chelation and oral multivitamins and multi-minerals (OMVM). Because the analyses found those two therapies provided additive benefits, both the NIH and FDA supported the decision to test the strongest strategy in TACT2, chelation plus OMVM, to promote the most efficient trial possible. TACT2 will enroll 1200 patients with diabetes who are 50 years of age or older, have had a heart attack (prior myocardial infarction [MI]), and have good kidney function (serum creatinine 2.0 mg/dL or less). Patients will be randomly allocated to receive either chelation plus OMVM, or placebo (inactive substance). All patients will be followed for approximately five years. Because this study focuses on those who benefited the most in the TACT1 trial, researchers anticipate even more impressive results.

To learn more about the benefits of chelation therapy and to schedule a Consultation with Jeffrey A. Weiss, MD, FACP, please call the Infusion Center of New Jersey at 973-272-6220 or book via our website at at infusioncenterofnj.com. 842 Clifton Avenue, Suite 4, Clifton, NJ 07013.