This press release contains dated information and should be used for background only.
Research participants are needed at the University of Kansas School of Medicine for a study exploring the potential use of a controversial treatment for blocked arteries. KU is one of several sites across the country studying the effects of Chelation Therapy, which some doctors think can reduce calcium collecting and clogging arteries.
Dr. David Meyers, professor of cardiology, along with Dr. Jeanne Drisko, Program Director for the Program in Integrative Medicine, is conducting the study at KU, which is funded by the National Institute of Health's Institute of Alternative and ComplimentaryNational Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
Meyers explained the roots of the chelation controversy.
"A drug called EDTA has been around for a long time and is still used for the treatment of lead poisoning," Meyers said. "Around 1960 a doctor proposed that calcium, like lead, can be eaten away or chelated, by EDTA. Since that time it has become a highly controversial subject.
"On one side, virtually every medical organization including the FDA and AMA has said it is not an effective treatment and it is not paid for by insurance companies. On the other side there is an organization of doctors who say that it does work and they list thousands of patients they say have been saved by chelation therapy."
Chelation therapy is just one of many controversial treatments that the NIH has decided to look into through the Institute of Alternative and Complimentary Medicinerigorous study.
"Through the years there have been many treatments that have never been substantiated by clinical studies and have remained controversial. The NIH is now looking at those to see which ones have basis and which ones don't," Meyers said.
Drisko added, "We are interested in determining if chelation therapy is safe and efficacious in the treatment of cardiovascular disease because so many patients are seeking this therapy. We want to make safe recommendations for our patients and we are confidant that this study will help us answer these important questions.
"This study is a good example of how mainstream medical researchers are partnering with complementary and alternative doctors to rigorously study a controversial therapy in common use. In the end, the consumer benefits by having unbiased facts available."
Although three studies from outside the United States have found no merit to chelation therapy, Meyers said this would be the largest study ever one the subject.
To participate in the study, subjects must be 50 years old and have had a previous heart attack. The study involves one three-hour infusion a week for 30 weeks. Meyers said all patients would continue on their current treatment plan and that the medicine involved is FDA approved and safe. The study treatments are free, but participants will not be compensated.
For more information or to find out if you are qualified to participate the study, contact the University of Kansas Hospital Physician's Referral Line at (913) 588-1227.