In addition to EDTA, at Healthy Healing we also use DMSA in capsule form as chelating agent. This is helpful as EDTA alone, although it is effective and doubtless the best known and most frequently used chelator around the world, cannot and will not remove all toxins from the body. When it comes to mercury, EDTA is actually ineffective. However, mercury is almost omnipresent in the modern world, and it is necessary to reduce its harmful impact.
One website dedicated to DMSA as a chelator only states the obvious when it says that "Lead and mercury are two heavy metals that seem to have found their way into almost everyone. Lead and mercury do not occur naturally in the body and as such are very toxic. These two heavy metals are known to interfere with how nerves communicate. Meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) is a compound approved in the 1960’s by the FDA for the removal (chelation) of heavy metals. DMSA is considered the preferred agent for the chelation (removal) of heavy metals in both adults and children. Mercury is considered to be the second most toxic substance on the planet (uranium is #1) and the negative effects of mercury exposure are well documented.
Meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) is also known as succimer and sold as a prescription under the trade name Chemet. DMSA is also sold as an over the counter nutritional supplement in some areas but it is often very difficult to find and can be very expensive (over $1 per capsule). DMSA has a somewhat strong sulfur like smell. It’s chemical properties make it particularly suited to chelate (remove via excretion) mercury and lead, the two most common toxic heavy metals in people.
One of the main advantages of DMSA is its large therapeutic window. This means there is a wide margin between the amount necessary to produce the intended result and the level that could potentially overload the patient. This makes DMSA exceptionally safe."