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PRECIOUS METALS CRITICAL IN MEDICINE
Review of precious metals by Harold Hough Oct/Nov 2009
For centuries alchemists and doctors used precious metals like gold
and silver as medicines. India and Egypt used gold-based medicinal preparations
and in China it was used in the treatment of ailments such as smallpox,
skin ulcers and measles. But, as scientists learned more about disease
and the body, many of these cures were relegated to the realm of folk
medicine remedies.
However, as scientists learn more about the physical and chemical properties
of precious metals, they are discovering that gold, silver and platinum
have valid uses in modern medicine and that many of the folk medicine
applications were valid. Precious metals are actually better able to keep
open wounds clear of bacterial infection than many “modern”
antibiotics. They have also found new uses - platinum, for instance, is
used in Cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug.
One of the first modern medical uses of gold was as a treatment for rheumatoid
arthritis. The Frenchman Jacques Forestier reported in 1929 that the use
of gold complexes was beneficial in the treatment of arthritis. Later
research after WW II proved that gold drugs are effective in treating
rheumatoid arthritis patients. Many experts consider gold to be among
the most effective drugs for reducing the inflammation in the joints and
so reducing the symptoms of pain and stiffness.
Gold is also proving its worth in cancer treatment. Doctors use small
gains of radioactive gold (about the size of a grain of rice) for the
treatment of prostate cancer. One advantage of gold is that it is dense
and opaque to X-rays, which makes placement easier. This visibility in
X-rays means it is used for stents that help support weak blood vessels
in the treatment of heart disease. In fact, many surgeons prefer gold-plated
stents because they have the best visibility under X-ray.
Gold also has benefits in chemotherapy because tiny gold nano-particles
can pass through the inherently leaky blood vessels attached to a tumor.
That allows powerful anti-cancer medicines attached to the gold to target
cancers while avoiding healthy body tissue.
Gold is also important in rapid testing like fertility tests, tumor markers,
toxicology, allergies, food safety, plant and crop diseases. But the largest
use of gold in medicine is on the Indian Subcontinent. Gold is one of
the substances used in medicines, which are taken in powder or tablet
form. Gold is considered to be an excellent ‘rejuvenator’ and
as such is taken by millions of Indians each year. A typical daily dose
would include one or two milligrams of gold along with a mixture of herbs.
So much gold is used in these remedies that some precious metals analysts
think that several tons of gold are used every year for these remedies.
Gold may also be used to keep skin looking young. 'Gold appears to slow
down collagen depletion and the breakdown of elastin to prevent sagging
skin,' claims Kathryn Danzey, who supplies salons with the Umo 24 Karat
Gold Facial Treatment, developed in Japan. Its anti-inflammatory properties
are also thought to decrease skin inflammation and seem to slow down melanin
secretion and thus reduce age spots.
SILVER
Silver also has a long medical history. The Romans used silver nitrate
therapeutically, and the writings of Paracelsus outlines the virtues of
silver as a healing substance. In the 1800s, several physicians discovered
the antibacterial qualities of silver and applied them to their practice
of medicine. They used silver nitrate successfully in the treatment of
skin ulcers, compound fractures and other wounds. At the turn of the Twentieth
Century, Dr. William Halstead, one of the founding fathers of modern surgery,
advocated the use of silver foil dressings for wounds. These dressings
were used extensively until just after World War II, and were listed in
the Physician’s Desk Reference until 1955, when the use of antibiotics
became widespread.
Although silver fell out of favor as an antibacterial treatment, it began
to receive more attention as antibiotic resistant bacteria appeared in
hospitals. Researchers felt that silver’s unique ability to destroy
some bacteria could help battle these “Super Bugs.” In the early
1970’s, the Veterans Administration Hospital in Syracuse, New York
pioneered the study of silver-coated fabrics for the treatment of complex
bone infections. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Army Surgical Research Center,
studied the use of silver-coated fabrics on burn wounds. Today nano-particles
of silver are commonly found in bandages and ointments.
Today, gold, silver and platinum are receiving medical attention that
only ancient alchemists would have imagined. Although physicians will
never view gold and silver as they did centuries ago, it is obvious that
these precious metals have achieved a new respect in the medial community.
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