Chelation Therapy Calls into Question Chronic Nature of Disease. Heart disease and related conditions are the number one killer of women, yet a recently released poll found that only 31 percent of women felt they were at risk for heart disease despite the fact that 84 percent reported having one or more risk factors. The poll, conducted by Lifetime Entertainment Services in partnership with the National Institutes of Health and non-profit organizations, also found that only 43 percent of respondents knew that women were more likely than men to die from heart disease.

Dr. Conrad Maulfair, director of the Maulfair Medical Center www.drmaulfair.com) in Topton, PA, is alarmed but not surprised by the poll's findings, saying that most women don't understand that heart disease develops long before the first symptoms appear. "While the symptoms of atherosclerosis, commonly referred to as hardening of the arteries, may appear suddenly as chest pain or a stroke, the disease may have begun 20, 30, or even 40 years earlier."

"Even those who understand that atherosclerosis develops slowly over long periods of time may have misconceptions about the factors that contribute to the disease and draw the wrong conclusions about its prognosis," says Dr. Maulfair, "I doubt there is a woman in the United States over 40 who does not believe, with certainty, that cholesterol is bad and that it causes blocked arteries. Most women regard high levels of cholesterol in the diet and in blood akin to a death sentence from atherosclerotic disease," he notes.

On the contrary, Dr. Maulfair says that only a certain type of cholesterol makes up a significant part of the plaque that blocks arteries. "Damaged LDL cholesterol is the main ingredient in plaque, not undamaged, normal cholesterol."

According to Dr. Maulfair, free radicals reactive molecules that rob cells and tissues of electrons damage LDL cholesterol, which is then more likely to adhere to the arterial wall. "Damage from free radicals left unchecked day after day, week after week, year after year results in the inability of cells and tissues to function normally, and can lead to the destruction, decreased function, and death of those cells."

This information has profound implications for the way atherosclerosis is perceived and treated. "When a diagnosis is made," explains Dr. Maulfair, "it is generally accepted by both the patient and the healthcare professional that the disease will be present for the rest of the patient's life." But this is not necessarily so, according to Dr. Maulfair, who adds, "When the underlying causes of the condition in this case, free radical damage are treated, the disease process can often be slowed or reversed. "

The most promising candidate for the eradication of free radicals is intravenous chelation therapy. Chelation works by binding to the toxic metals and excessive iron and copper in the body that cause free radical damage, allowing those toxins to be excreted through the urine. Likewise, chelation lowers the body's level of metastic calcium, which is a form of calcium that deposits itself in the walls of the arteries prior to the formation of arterial plaque.

Dr. Maulfair explains there are three components of a chelation therapy program. "First, intravenous chelation treatment removes the metastic calcium and the iron and copper that accelerate free radical damage. It also removes toxic metals, such as lead and cadmium. Second, specific mineral nutrients and antioxidants essential for healthy cell function are taken orally. Third, a comprehensive diet and exercise program supports the progress toward wellness."

According to a 2005 study published in the journal Evidence Based Integrative Medicine, people with vascular disease who underwent non-invasive intravenous chelation therapy experienced fewer cardiac events in the subsequent three years than those treated with bypass surgery, angioplasty, or other conventional medical therapy.

Dr. Maulfair stresses that knowledge enables women to understand and reduce their risk for heart disease, as well as the treatment options available to them. Summing up, Dr. Maulfair says, "It's important to note that heart disease is not necessarily a chronic, degenerative disease with no hope for improvement, but that it can be treated and, in fact, reversed."