Chelation Series Part 3: What Most Practitioners Get Wrong
- Dawn Westrum
- Jan 12
- 2 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
This article is part of the Chelation Education Series. For an overview and full list of articles, visit the Chelation page.
If you’ve ever felt like detox advice sounds more like Pinterest inspiration than biochemistry… you’re not wrong. Most practitioners talk about “cleansing” the way influencers talk about manifestation — vague, confident, and disconnected from how the body actually works.
So let's fix that.Here’s what chelation really is — and why most detox attempts fall apart before they even start.
Chelation Means One Thing: A Molecule Binds a Metal Strong Enough to Drag It Out
No binding = no removal.Weak binding = redistribution.Redistribution = symptoms.
Chelation isn’t “boosting detox pathways” or “flushing toxins.”It’s chemistry with rules — and metals don’t care how motivated you are.
Why Half-Life Timing Matters More Than Dose
Every chelator has a half-life — how long it stays active in your bloodstream.
When blood levels drop too low?
The metals unhook and redeposit into new tissue.
That’s the real “detox reaction” everyone mistakes as “healing.”
Missing even one scheduled dose is like dropping a suitcase on the airport carousel — it spins off into the wrong place and makes a mess.
Timing > dose. Every time.
Why IV Chelation Sounds Impressive… But Isn’t
IV chelation creates a massive spike in chelator levels. Then they crash.
And when they crash? Metals do what metals do best: redistribute.
This is why people often feel amazing after an IV……and then fall off a cliff 48 hours later.
It’s not detox. It’s pharmacokinetics gone wrong.
Why Stopping Chelation Abruptly Backfires
Chelation is not something you “forget to take” or “pause for the weekend.”
If you drop levels mid-round, metals unhook everywhere and redeposit anywhere — brain, nerves, liver, kidneys. It’s Russian roulette biochemistry.
This is why consistency is non-negotiable.
Why 95% of Detox Programs Fail
Most detox programs rely on:
random binders
occasional “flushes”
high-dose one-time pushes
herbs that mobilize without escorting
glutathione megadosing
“detox kits” designed by marketers, not chemists
None of these respect metal-binding strength or half-life timing. So instead of detoxing, people churn metals around their body like a snow globe.
And then wonder why they feel worse.
Why Cutler’s Method Works (While Others Crash People)
Cutler’s method is boring.Disciplined.Unsexy.
And that’s exactly why it works.
It respects chemistry:
Small, steady doses
Every few hours
Never letting levels dip
Slow, controlled escort of metals out of tissues
It’s the opposite of a dramatic detox.Which is why it’s the only method that doesn’t create dramatic crashes.
Want to Learn More?
Two books that actually get mercury right:
📘 Mercury Poisoning by David Hammond
📙 The Mercury Detoxification Manual by Cutler & Lee
Comments