How it all started
On one of her walks in the forest with her dog Nico, Bärbel Ackermann got to know about gold implantation from the owner of a dachshund, which was able to run free of discomfort since the treatment of its spine using this method. As soon as her dog Nico also developed osteoarthritis in the joints, Bärbel Ackermann decided for gold implantation after in-depth diagnostics by the vet Ralf Schweda. What a joy when Nico was able to run free of discomfort just one day after the first gold implantation.
Due to this experience investigations started. It seemed the Danish physician Dr. Hans Kjerkegaard, Aarhus, has been practising gold implantation successfully as an arthrosis therapy on humans since 1996. But doctors in Germany? Almost nil. Convinced of the effectiveness of this method on animals as well as humans, it was and still is a heartfelt wish of the lady born in Berlin to find a remedy. Since 2010, therefore, and as the first person in Germany she has been championing energetically and extensively the establishment of gold implantation for pain treatment in joints of humans with signs of osteoarthritis. A significant stimulus came from an article published in the newspaper Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung on 28 July 2010 entitled „Das Milliardengeschäft mit Knie und Hüfte – Krankenkasse beklagt hohe Kosten durch die starke Zunahme von Prothesen/Häufige Nachoperationen“ (The billion-Euro business with knee and hip – Health insurer complains about high cost due to the strong increase of prostheses/Frequent revision surgery).
With the support of further advocates of gold implantation, as the “Ackermann Team” she called people’s attention to gold implantation through numerous activities and founded the association „Goldimplantation zur Gelenkbehandlung und Schmerztherapie e. V.“ (registered society for gold implantation for joint treatment and pain therapy) in 2015, which is recognised as a charitable organisation. Health insurance companies, health ministries, medical associations, the Joint Federal Committee, patient representations, orthopaedic clinics, physicians, associations of statutory health insurance physicians, media representatives, journalists and professional associations have been written to. A lot of information has been provided on an own website. It is, inter alia, due to the commitment of this team that the gold implantation has become better known in the German-speaking region and by now is being practised on humans by further doctors in Germany and Austria.
Meanwhile the society is carrying out its own study on the effect of gold implantation in cooperation with Dr. Melanie Endrizzi, Düsseldorf, and is convinced that this gentle method has to and will be available to all arthrosis patients as a benefit provided by the statutory health insurers one day. This is what we campaign for.