chelation therapy

noun

: the use of a chelator (such as EDTA) to bind with a metal (such as lead or iron) in the body to form a chelate so that the metal loses its chemical effect (such as toxicity or physiological activity)

Examples of chelation therapy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For very high exposures, a treatment known as chelation therapy, which involves an oral medication that binds to lead so that it can be excreted in urine, has been shown to be effective at reducing blood lead levels. Aaron Specht, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024 Any child whose blood lead level is above 45 µg/dL may require hospital admission and chelation therapy. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 14 Nov. 2023 Over the next several days, Buttar treated Desiree with IV chelation therapy, vitamin cocktails and a lotion chelator rubbed on her arms. Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 4 Aug. 2023 The first ding from the board stemmed from Buttar's treatment of several cancer patients with substances like hydrogen peroxide, ozone or glutathione, and his treatment of a child with autism using a skin application as part of a metal-extraction procedure known as chelation therapy. Scott Bronstein, CNN, 19 Oct. 2021 Parents desperate for solutions have exposed their children to fringe treatments like chelation therapy, which have not been shown to work and can even be harmful. Adam Hadhazy, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2011 Bluebird has rationalized the high price of Zynteglo by referring to the lifetime cost of transfusions and chelation therapy, which the company says can run as high as $6.4 million. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022 And so a one shot gene therapy at $2 million sounds extremely expensive, but actually over somebody's lifetime would be cheaper than paying for the chelation therapy. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 15 June 2022 Doctors discovered that the little girl’s lead level was extremely high and hospitalized her to begin chelation therapy, a process that removes heavy metals from the blood. New York Times, 29 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chelation therapy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chelation therapy was in 1960

Dictionary Entries Near chelation therapy

Cite this Entry

“Chelation therapy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chelation%20therapy. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Medical Definition

chelation therapy

noun
: the use of a chelator (as EDTA) to bind with a metal (as lead or iron) in the body to form a chelate so that the metal loses its toxic effect or physiological activity
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