Have you had a heart attack? Can chelation therapy help prevent another? Areyou age 50 or older? InFebruary 2005 Chelation Centers of Texas, a Southwest Wellness Solutions, Inc,Center, was selected by the National Instituteof Health (NIH) to be a principle investigator for the 5 year Trailto Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) which will evaluate the effects of ChelationTherapy in the treatment of coronary artery disease. ChelationCenters of Texas is seeking men and women age 50 and older who have had a heartattack to participate in study on the effectiveness and safety of aninvestigational treatment for heart disease. The investigational treatment is acombination of chelation therapy and high-dose vitamin therapy compared with placebo (inactive treatment). For initial evaluationplease call 409-938-1770 Ext. 118or 1-800-360-3382 Contact us What is chelation therapy? Chelation (pronounced key-LAY-shun) therapy is aninvestigational therapy using a man-made amino acid, called EDTA. It is addedto the blood through a vein. A national research study is now testing whetherchelation therapy is safe and effective for treating heart disease. Why is this study being conducted? Many people are considering using chelation therapy becauseof the belief that it may treat heart disease. However, this has not beenscientifically proven. Past studies did not show benefit but may have been toosmall to be conclusive. That is why the National Institutes of Health isconducting this large study to find out whether chelation therapy is safe andeffective in treating heart disease. What will you be asked to do? Before you join the study, you should discuss yourparticipation with your doctor. Your participation in the study will last up to5 years. During that time, it will be important that you continue your standardheart disease treatments. You will be randomly assigned (by chance, like flipping a coin) to receive one of several differenttreatment combinations. Randomly assigning people to treatment groups helpsensure that the treatments can be compared objectively. What will you will receive? Either chelation therapy or placebo solution (an inactivetreatment) Either high-dose vitamins or placebo pills All participants willreceive low-dose vitamins. You will visit your study site for your treatmentsonce a week for 30 weeks. Then, you will have 10 more visits, between 2 weeksand 2 months apart. Each treatment will take about 3 hours. The study team willwork with you to schedule your visits at a time that works best for you. Remember,participation in this study is your choice. You can leave the study at anytime. Why participate? Help the medical community find new and effective treatmentsfor heart disease. Join a nationwide effort to learn whether chelation therapyworks. Your health will be closely monitored while you are enrolled in thestudy. Are there any risks or side effects? Chelation with EDTA has been used to treat heavy metalpoisoning such as lead. For this use, there is a low occurrence of sideeffects. The safety of EDTA for treating heart disease has not beenestablished. The most common side effect is a burning sensation at the sitewhere the EDTA is delivered into the vein. Rare side effects can include fever,headache, nausea, and vomiting. Even more rare are serious side effects thatcan include a sudden drop in blood pressure, abnormally low calcium levels inthe blood, permanent kidney damage, and bone marrow depression (meaning thatblood cell counts fall). Reversible injury to the kidneys, although infrequent,has been reported with EDTA chelation therapy. Other serious side effects canoccur if EDTA is not administered by a trained health professional. Inaddition, because chelation therapy removes important vitamins and mineralsfrom the body, it will be very important for you to take the vitaminsupplements supplied by the study. It is also important that you continue totake your standard heart disease treatments. What are the costs? There are no costs for taking part in the study. You shouldcontinue to see your regular doctor and maintain your health insurance to coverall medical care not included in the study. For initial evaluationplease call Joanie Bessman, FNP-C,Site Supervisor 409-938-1770 Ext. 118or 1-800-360-3382 Contact us | 
