DTPA vs EDTA, brief reminder

Integrative physicians are the ones who recognized the disease GDD early on - earlier than me - so I will always hold them in esteem for that. Maybe now actually I am one of their number. One issue that I am struck by is the lack of knowledge by essentially the vast majority of treating practitioners in the fields of heavy metals and chelation: the stability constant of the chelator and the heavy metal is of paramount importance and must be known in order to use a chelator

The thermodynamic stability of DTPA is 300,000 greater for Gd than EDTA. That is the main reason EDTA was looked at, but never used, by the MR contrast agent companies to begin with: too weak a binding ligand. This translates into that EDTA is much more likely to re-release Gd back into the tissues - which ironically, if indeed there is a lower Flare intensity with EDTA than DTPA (which I doubt there is, but just postulating it), it may reflect there is less Gd-EDTA transported in the blood system to the kidneys than Gd-DTPA - and my opinion is that the retransportation of Gd in the vascular system stimulates peripheral blood mononuclear cells to release cytokines > only now the cytokines are released waving good-bye to Gd exiting the body (which is a good trade-off).

Again, I can only tell people what I would do myself if I was in their situation. I would never undergo EDTA for GDD, only DTPA. On the future, other agents will be available that show equal or better affinity for Gd. HOPO may turn out to be such an agent. It will need to show a similar safety profile in humans.

Right now DTPA is the best agent in town, by far. There is no reason any physician using EDTA, cannot switch to DTPA, and follow my protocols. To say you can't use DTPA only EDTA is like saying I can only drink water out of a plastic glass and not a glass glass... makes no sense, essentially the same stuff. The difference between DTPA and EDTA is mainly two things: 1. DTPA is vastly superior, and 2. DTPA is more expensive.

I have heard comments, or a comment, that there are problems with DTPA not seen with EDTA, this does not make any sense - unless they are referring to there may be more Flare with DTPA- there is always more Flare if more Gd is removed. I have written other blogs how to manage that. This comment to me is in the rubric of, physicians who think GDD does not exist. They speak with the conviction reserved for those who know nothing at all about what they are talking about, bolstered with the safety net of having no experience at all on the subject. In the end therefore, I only recommend what is the best currently available, and I express it in the best way I can: this is what I would do if I were in your shoes.