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The debate on how to chelate metals rages on! After two and a half years of research, I am yet convinced that PCA-rx and the Cutler protocol are two acceptable ways to remove metals from the body. (The Cutler protocol actually encompasses several approaches). Chlorella and cilantro have been shunned by some as inadequate methods because they can form imperfect bonds with metals, hence allowing for the possibility for these to be dropped on the way out of the body. And both are thought to mobilize more metals than they can carry out of the body.
However, as I was reviewing conference notes from the well-known LLMD expert, Dr. Klinghardt, and which were updated in January, 2006, I became fascinated by his opinion that cilantro is the only chelation agent capable of mobilizing mercury stored in the intracellular space; that is, that which is attached to mitochondria, liposomes, etc. He believes that the problem of cilantro grabbing onto more metal than it can carry out of the body can be remedied by simultaneously taking a high-quality chlorella product. Finally, using cilantro in liquid form as a boiled tea is thought to remove the toxins that the herb is known to contain.
So what about the problems with chlorella? While hard-core evidence of its effectiveness chelating metals, and especially mercury, is scarcer than DMSA or DMPS (Cutler’s protocol), it remains a popular treatment method. Perhaps then, its effectiveness depends upon, in addition to a person’s biochemistry, the brand and type of chlorella used? For instance, C. pyreneidosa is thought to absorb toxins better, as will a high-quality brand such as Biopure or E-Lyte.
According to Dr. Klinghardt, the quantity matters, too. Too small amounts of chlorella will mobilize more metals than can be carried out of the body, while larger amounts carry out more than they mobilize. I don’t know, however, what this “threshold” amount would be. It is likely to vary from person to person.
In the end, I feel that PCA-rx by Maxam Labs is yet one of the safest, and most effective chelation methods for Lyme disease sufferers; however, it is cost-prohibitive for some and where this is the case, agents such as chlorella and cilantro, when properly administered, may be adequate to do the job.