Chelation can be dangerous, bypass cannot have option

By Vikas Vaidya

There are boards displayed near Government Medical College and Hospital and Super Speciality Hospital, reading ‘bypass taliye’ (Avoid bypass). Some doctors advertise chelation therapy can be an alternative to bypass. Experts warn that there is no alternative to bypass and Chelation therapy can be very dangerous.
No approved medical research has found any benefits to chelation therapy for any use other than removal of heavy metals from the body. One Cardiologist at Super Speciality Hospital said that U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers over-the-counter (OTC) chelation products to be unapproved drugs and devices. There are no FDA-approved OTC chelation products, says one doctor on condition of anonymity
Dr Sameer Mehta, world famous Cardiologist bluntly opposed the chelation therapy. He said, it can lead to many side-effects, and one should not go for chelation therapy. The use of EDTA chelation therapy as a treatment for coronary artery disease has not been shown to be effective and is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In Nagpur some persons definitely practise chelation therapy which they claim that patients can be treated through this therapy and bypass can be avoided.
Dr Nitin Tiwari, former Secretary of Cardiological Society of India said, “Whenever this topic comes, I always oppose. I do not have grudge against any doctor I can very responsibly say that avoiding bypass, if one goes for chelation therapy then he is surely on the path of death.”
There are few doctors in Nagpur and Amravati who on one hand are doing DNB Cardiology and on the other hand promoting chelation therapy, which is very shocking.
Chelation therapy is the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body.
One renowned cardiologist on condition of anonymity said that the final results of Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT), published in November 2012, showed no support for the use of chelation therapy in coronary heart disease. Chelating agents not only remove heavier metals but also essential metals and this risk is often overlooked in those seeking to use chelation therapy, added this doctor.
Many times patients because of fear of surgery approach doctors who are ready to treat them with chelation therapy, or we can say these doctors lure the patients that they could be treated by Chelation therapy. These patients after being faced by chelation suffer serious complications, come to Cardiologist. Such patients become critical and in the process lose money and time too.