Frequently asked questions
Dear Visitor,
Since we started this campaign in September 2010, we have been asked many questions about gold implantation and about our team. We have compiled the most essential questions for you here:
What are the objectives of gold implantation?
How does gold implantation work?
Can you be treated as an outpatient?
Can gold implants be used on a number of joints?
How long will the therapy probably last?
Do I need multiple gold implantations?
Can I stop taking pain killers completely after a gold implantation?
Does gold implantation help all in types of degenerative joint diseases?
Is it possible to cure joint arthrosis by means of gold implantation?
Who can help me to decide which therapy is appropriate for my joint disease?
Is there a list of medical doctors who carry out gold implantations?
How long will the gold implant last?
Can the gold implants be removed?
Are there any risks or side effects?
Why is it that only 24-carate gold is used with gold implantation?
Can overweight affect the success of a gold implantation?
What is the cost of a gold implantation?
Why is this therapy not yet provided as a benefit by the German statutory health insurance scheme?
What is a randomised controlled trial?
Is there a difference between gold acupuncture and gold implantation?
What does your team campaign for?
How can I give you financial support?
What are the objectives of gold implantation?
Basically, gold implantation is supposed to be effective in case of degenerative, traumatic or inflammatory joint alterations accompanied by pain, for example in knees, hips, fingers, toes, the back (spinal column), shoulders and ankle joints. The main objectives are to remove pain by containing the inflammation and to increase mobility.
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How does gold implantation work?
You can find a description of the method
here
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Can you be treated as an outpatient?
The operation is generally carried out as outpatient treatment with a local anaesthetic. Normally, you will be able to go or drive home on the same day.
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Can gold implants be used on a number of joints?
Yes, that’s possible. Almost all joints can be treated: knees, hips, neck, small joints (e.g. fingers), ankle joints and back.
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How long will the therapy probably last?
Depending on the symptoms, in the cases reported to us pain relief sometimes appears very soon or, if the illness has lasted a long time, after several weeks or months. Occasionally, cases have been reported in which a change did not appear until more than a year later. In some cases there is no improvement.
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Do I need multiple gold implantations?
Due to the novelty of the method, there is no guaranteed knowledge as to how long the effect of gold implantation lasts. This is independent of the fact that patients with joint diseases may have trouble with other joints, which may then require new treatment.
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Can I stop taking painkillers completely after a gold implantation?
How an illness develops can vary greatly. In a study on gold implantation in the cervical spine,
on average a 30% reduction in the intake of painkillers has been determined for two-thirds of the patients. This was a pilot study with about 25 patients per group. Large-scale studies are still lacking in Germany.
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Does gold implantation help in all types of degenerative joint diseases?
Every person and every illness are in the last resort individual, so only a medical specialist can judge whether gold implantation is a suitable medical remedy. However, in many cases, if an operation is being discussed, it is advisable to first consider having gold implantation.
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Is it possible to cure joint arthrosis by means of gold implantation?
Cartilage abrasion in the joint is irreversible by nature. Joint arthrosis can neither be eliminated by conventional therapies nor by gold therapy.
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Who can help me to decide which therapy is appropriate for my joint disease?
Only a specialist can do this – one who knows you and the history of your illness well. It can be helpful to consult a doctor with your records (above all with good x-ray images) who has already conducted gold implantations. You will find doctors we know in this
list.
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Is there a list of medical doctors who carry out gold implantations?
Please click
here
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How long do gold implants last?
Due to the novelty of the method on humans, there is no guaranteed knowledge yet as to how long the effect of gold implantation lasts. Where required, further gold implants can be inserted or other therapies can be applied.
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Can the gold implants be removed?
No, they remain in the body permanently.
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Are there any risks or side effects?
Risks and side effects of gold implantation have not been reported to us up to now. As with every operation, even for gold implantation they cannot be ruled out.
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Why is it that only 24-carate gold is used with gold implantation?
In case of gold salts and other gold compounds, occurrence of severe side effects has been reported. In gold implantation, therefore, only pure gold is employed (24-carate gold, also called fine gold).
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Can overweight affect the success of a gold implantation?
Overweight is a frequent cause of joint problems. In case of gold implantation patients should also be encouraged to lose weight.
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What is the cost of a gold implantation?
The cost of a gold implantation varies among doctors and depends on the effort involved and the type of joint.
At present, the statutory health insurance companies generally do not refund the cost of gold implantation. Private health insurance companies have on occasion defrayed costs as well as the “Beihilfe” (subsidy).
Most of the patients treated with gold payed for the gold implantation themselves, because for them it was worth it.
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Why is this therapy not yet widely provided to humans?
Many people who have experienced the positive effect on their own pets are asking themselves the same question. Because of our own experience with dogs we too ask why gold implantation has not long since been used on humans. This was the reason for our campaign. We want to draw attention to this reasonably priced and sustainable method and obtain a broad consensus in the medical profession. To this end, randomised controlled trials should be sought in Germany too.
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If you want to undergo a gold therapy, consult your health insurance company as to whether they will share the cost. In Germany, Austria and Denmark there are doctors who are specialised in this. If you wish to be given therapy in a foreign country, ask your health insurance whether they will share the costs for treatment abroad. Private health insurance companies usually cover the costs.
You are also welcome to pass on the flyer "Gold Implantation" to your health insurance company.
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What is a randomised controlled trial?
“A randomized controlled trial ([…] RCT) is a type of scientific (often medical) experiment which aims to reduce bias when testing a new treatment. […] The RCT is often considered the gold standard for a clinical trial. […] RCTs are considered to be the most reliable form of scientific evidence in the hierarchy of evidence that influences healthcare policy and practice because RCTs reduce spurious causality and bias.”
Go on reading (Wikipedia article on this subject) ...
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Is there a difference between gold acupuncture and gold implantation?
Yes. In gold acupuncture the gold implants are inserted at acupuncture points and in the case of gold implantation they are inserted in the vicinity of the joints. There are various methods of treatment, depending on the doctor’s experience and which he or she favours. You will find more information regarding the methods
here.
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What does your team campaign for?
We aim to
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provide information relating to gold implantation for humans,
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encourage studies in collaboration with medical doctors in order to establish gold implantation on a broad scale,
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carry out our own studies on gold implantation in humans,
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support the training of medical doctors in this method,
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in order altogether to provide patients with degenerative diseases of the joints a further option for pain relief by means of an effective and gentle method of treatment.
How can I give you financial support?
The society “Goldimplantation zur Gelenkbehandlung und Schmerztherapie e. V.” (gold implantation for joint treatment and pain therapy) is approved as a charity. We would be very glad to receive donations supporting our work.
Here you will find more.
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Do you have further questions? Please write us to info@goldimplantation-fuer-menschen.de
We are confident that gold implantation will pave the way for change. As time goes on it will be found quite naturally in orthopaedic clinics and in surgeries!
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The Ackermann Team