The Longevity Center

Hi. My name is Dr. Glorybelle Molano, addressed by most of my patients as “Doktora Belle”.  I have been practicing medicine for 15 years and has since concentrated on Integrative Medicine for the last decade.  I am the Lead Physician at The Longevity Center Chelation and Wellness Clinic, Inc.   This is my own chelation story.

It was in 2008, I was an ER doctor at the time, connected with a secondary hospital in Metro Manila, when a friend of mine, also a fellow doctor asked me to moonlight for a few days at a clinic, then known as Altermeds Clinic in Quezon Avenue, Quezon City. Quite close to my residence then, I agreed.  She told me that it is primarily an adult and geriatric center, and patients are mostly doing  IV chelation therapy.   The word “chelation” is not foreign to me, it has been mentioned in one or two lectures in medical school but the therapy sounded interesting.  She gave me a short orientation, and practicing adult medicine for awhile then, I did not anticipate many issues.

On the first day, patients were quite surprised to find a new face at the doctor’s table, but most are engaging and welcoming, and all quite eager to share their story.  Designated to sit down on recliners for a couple of hours, they are just rearing to have a chat.  Most are in their senior years, majority have heart conditions, and all are happy that they have had chelation therapy and have been doing it for years.

Long story short, I was hooked on their stories and the more patients I get to talk to, my interest in the subject matter grew, and my curiousity led me to many books and readings (online and printed) on this novel field of Integrative Medicine.  I can call myself an advocate of this branch of medicine, and a firm believer in the therapeutic effects of IV chelation therapy.  After a decade of being a chelation doctor, I have seen my share of cardiovascular cases, stroke cases, diabetic patients, peripheral vascular disease patients, even cancer patients who have incorporated this therapy in their treatment, as adjunct or complementary, or sometimes as sole therapy, and each have their own story to tell.   I have seen, along with my doctor colleagues, patients from their 20s to their 90s, embraced this treatment as part of a healthy lifestyle.  But we are mostly looking towards a future when the preventative aspect of chelation therapy becomes an ordinary thing, because it works best and benefits best when utilized early on and early in the disease process.

As for my chelation story, this is about my mother.  My mother is Dhals and she is at present 76 years old, going on 77 years strong this June.  Early in my days with this clinic, already as The Longevity Center then, around 8 years ago, when she called from the US (she was US based then, living with my brother and his family), that she is ill.  She has some discomfort in the Left Chest area and wanted to have treatment in the Philippines.  My mother rarely complains and her rushing home for a medical condition was taken seriously by her children. By then she was around 67 years old, and was not on any maintenance medications.

She admitted to having intermittent mild to moderate left chest pains.  She has shortness of breath, and cannot withstand walking for long periods of time.  She would resist going up and down stairs because she is easily fatigued.  Her blood pressure was also elevated.  My belief in the treatments that we are administering then was almost at its peak, and she is a good candidate.  Not overly cautious and questioning as a person, she readily agreed to start IV chelation therapy.  At present, I try to administer to her regular maintenance therapy of 6-12x sessions per year, and as always, she is amenable, despite being bound to an IV line for a couple of hours and the pain of IV insertion.

In the beginning, in the course of her therapy over several months, my mother, or Nanay Dhals, noted specifically absence of chest pain, better breathing, and improved energy.  Her overall sense of well being improved and she would say to friends that she feels younger.  Follow up medical check ups in the US would reveal considerable good health for a person her age.  And though she has some maintenance medications, she feels healthy and is living life to the fullest.  She is pictured here appreciating newly harvested organically grown fruits and vegetables from her niece’s garden in California (March 2018). Photo credit to the owner.

As her doctor, I will not anymore go into the specifics.  But as her daughter, I can say that I learned and knew about chelation therapy in time to save our Nanay’s life.  Without a thorough check up, we wouldn’t have known of her heart condition if not for her adamant request to come home.  And knowing how treacherous a heart condition can be, we couldn’t have enjoyed her company up to now, and although she is a little needy and more sensitive these days,  she still is the life of the family gatherings and small parties.

I am thankful for every life saved, and my family and friends are aware of how I can be (a little) pushy and vocal on the subject, but first and foremost, my advocacy is still preventative chelation therapy.  In the coming months, maybe I can write more stories about my patients’ cases with their consent.  But for now, and I have been meaning to write this for while, this is my chelation story.  Thank you.

By:

Dr. Glorybelle Molano

Lead Physician, The Longevity Center

Former Member, American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM)

Member, Philippine Association of Medical Specialists (PAMS) – Alternative and Integrative Medicine

Member, Philippine Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology (PSGG)