New edition
„Die Magie des Goldes – Goldtherapie für Hund, Pferd und Mensch“ (The Magic of Gold – Gold Therapy for Dogs, Horses and Humans) (in German)

 

Ralf Schweda is an internationally recognized expert in gold implantation in animals and known through countless television programmes. In the new edition of his book, which has been out of print for a long time, he provides comprehensive information on gold implantation in animals and humans for the first time, supported by images.

Read more here.

  

 

Dear Visitors,

Welcome to the information portal of the charitable association “Goldimplantation zur Gelenkbehandlung und Schmerztherapie e. V.“ – Team Ackermann (registered society for gold implantation for joint treatment and pain therapy).

Gold implantation is a drug-free method employed to treat pain in the joints of humans and animals with signs of arthrosis.

Based on our own experience and numerous talks to medical doctors and patients, we are convinced that the vast majority of patients treated up to now have benefited from gold implantation. Our surveys carried out so far and various findings in this field are promising.

Gold implantation on humans - Alternative treatment for joint diseases - Osteoarthritis - ArthritisIn order for the effectiveness of gold implantation for humans to be broadly recognised, studies with higher numbers of subjects, i.e. studies with at least 100 patients, should be aimed at in addition to the pilot studies already available. We, the society called “Goldimplantation zur Gelenkbehandlung und Schmerztherapie – Team Ackermann“ (gold implantation for joint treatment and pain therapy – Ackermann team), want to encourage these studies in the German-speaking regions. For this purpose, we are in contact with medical doctors, institutions and patients and are always in search of new contacts and supporters from these three groups. Since 2017 we have also been carrying out our own retrospective observational study.

 

In summary: the society pursues the objectives of

  • providing information relating to gold implantation for humans,
  • encouraging studies in collaboration with medical doctors in order to establish gold implantation on a broad scale,
  • carrying out its own studies on gold implantation in humans,
  • supporting the training of medical doctors in this method,
  • 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.

We would be very glad of your support in this endeavour!

Your Ackermann Team

 

You will find an overview here:

1.   The history of gold implantation
2.   Methodology
2.1 Classical gold implantation
2.2 Berlock® implantation
3.   Supposed way gold implantation works
4.   State of research
4.1 Studies on gold implantation for humans
4.2 Criticism
5.   Assumption of costs by health insurance companies

Gold implantation
Gold implantation is a method of treating pain in the joints of humans and animals with signs of arthrosis. First promising indications of the effect on humans have been given by pilot studies for some joints. Further convincing studies with higher numbers of test subjects are in the making.

1. History of gold implantation
In 1975 the US-American veterinarian Dr Terry Durkes from Marion, Indiana, started treating hip dysplasia in dogs with gold implants at acupuncture points [1]. From about 1988, the Danish vet Dr Jens Klitsgaard from Aalborg applied gold implantation in dogs and cats [1a]. Ralf Schweda was the first German vet to learn the practice of gold implantation from him in 1994. So Schweda became the pioneer in Germany and an internationally recognised expert for gold implantation, moreover he is known from countless TV broadcasts. Meanwhile, the method is widespread in its application on domestic animals, especially dogs, cats and horses. In veterinary medicine about 20 studies exist at present [13], whose research results, however, are not considered transferable to human medicine.

In human medicine the medical doctor Dr Hans Kryger Kjerkegaard, Aarhus, Denmark, was the first to use gold implantation on humans in 1996, and has employed it since then about 10,000 times (as of 2023). For the first time in Germany, the Ackermann Team, Hannover, made the gold implantation known in a nation-wide campaign in 2010. With the society “Goldimplantation zur Gelenkbehandlung und Schmerztherapie e. V.“ (gold implantation for joint treatment and pain therapy), founded in 2015 and recognised as charitable, the Ackermann Team set itself the target to get gold implantation for humans established throughout Germany and Europe. Here you find a list of doctors applying gold implantation on humans in Germany, Denmark and Austria.

2. Methodology
Different methods have been developed for gold implantation, which have led to different schools and traditions of the method both in its application to humans and to animals. There are essentially two fundamental concepts regarding the way gold implantation takes effect [13]: “Gold acupuncture” is based on the assumption that the gold implants lead to a lasting acupuncture effect in the sense of a permanent stimulus [1, 9, 10]. “Gold implantation“ is based on the assumption that the specific effect of gold itself is responsible for the pain-therapy effect [11, 12]. The gold implants are placed at the patient’s individual pain points, mostly near the joint, which were determined prior to the intervention by means of palpation [8].

With regard to gold implantation at the individual pain points near the joints, two methods have emerged so far: classical gold implantation and Berlock® implants.

2.1 Classical gold implantation
With classical implantation of particles of gold, small cylindrical segments (about 1–2 mm) of 24-carat gold wire of 1 mm diameter are implanted close to the joint. Under local anaesthetic, the segments are placed around the joint by means of a hollow needle. The particles lie outside on the joint capsule, not inside the joint. The number varies between 10 and 50 pieces, depending on the joint.

2.2 Berlock® implantation
A research team of the University of Aarhus, Denmark, suggests that the effect of the gold implants is affected by the size of the surface area. As a consequence, implants have been developed that consist of very fine gold wire rolled into coils.

3. Supposed way in which gold implantation works
Basically, gold implantation is supposed to be effective in case of degenerative, traumatic or inflammatory joint alterations accompanied by pain, e.g. in knees, hips, fingers, toes, the back (spine), shoulders and ankle joints. The main objectives are to remove pain by containing inflammation and to increase mobility. Higher mobility generally facilitates muscle growth, which in turn can lead to cushioning the damaged cartilage substance. Cartilage abrasion in the joint is irreversible by nature.

Gold compounds, especially gold salts and sodium aurothiomalate, have been used as a basic therapy in rheumatology for years. However, these remedies have adverse effects, some of them considerable, resulting from the chemical compound with complex salts. In this case the salts help the gold to be solubile, which is not necessary with gold implantation.

On a moleculobiological level, different mechanisms of how gold works are being discussed. The earlier assumption that gold, as a noble metal, remains largely inert (neutral) in the body is considered disproved. In 2002 it was proved for the first time that after the implantation of gold particles in the tissue of mammals, gold ions are released into the surrounding tissue [5].

Several studies on gold implantation therefore assume that the findings of research into gold salts can be transferred to gold implantation, though avoiding the side effects associated with gold salts.
Other studies selectively investigate the effects of the gold ions without reference to gold salts [12, 14, 15]. Inserting pure gold locally seems to influence the immune system. Basic research shows: gold prevents the leaking of cytokine HMGB1, which contributes to triggering inflammatory reaction, from immune cells [4, 7, 17]. Furthermore, in animal experiments a research team was able to demonstrate gold ions in mast cells (immune cells) and macrophages [5]. It was also possible to demonstrate a gene-regulatory, immune-modulating effect of gold ions in 2012 [6]. However, the precise bio-chemical process of the anti-inflammatory effect of the gold is still unknown.

Side effects or allergies to pure gold (fine gold) have not yet been described. In the case of gold salts and gold alloys, used in dentistry or in artificial joints, side effects have been described in the shape of intolerance reactions and type 4 allergies.

You will find scientific studies on the subject of gold implantation which have been published in scientific journals and websites here .

4. State of research
4.1 Studies on gold implantation on humans
Kjerkegaard published a randomised, double-blind trial of gold implantation on humans in 2011 [2]. All patients suffered from spondylarthritis (spondylosis of the cervical spine). Since the area of implantation was not visible to the patients, they did not know whether they had obtained gold or placebo treatment (a blinding). In this study, the examination after one year showed a significant decrease of their symptoms in 16 out of 24 probands within one year of the treatment. The average pain value according to the VAS scale went down significantly from 7 to 2, and the consumption of pain relievers was reduced by 30 per cent or more among these 2/3rds of the test persons. In the group with placebo treatment (inserting the hollow needle without gold implants) only 2 out of 22 test persons experienced the improvements mentioned above, and the mean VAS value remained unchanged at 7.
A further scientific pilot study on knee osteoarthritis was published by Nejrup in 2008 [3].
According to subsequent internal enquiries (follow-ups) by the attending doctors, a positive effect of gold implantation has appeared in more than 80% of the cases in an observation period of 21 years at present [8].

An overview of scientific studies on the subject of gold implantation which have been published in scientific journals and websites is found here. The charitable association “Goldimplantation zur Gelenkbehandlung und Schmerztherapie e. V.“ – Team Ackermann – is carrying out a retrospective observational study in cooperation with Dr Melanie Endrizzi. In 2019 the results from 200 patients and 230 treated joints showed a significant decrease of the pain value for about 2/3 of the patients interviewed. Read more here.

4.2 Criticism
The situation regarding studies of gold implantation is criticised in the sense that the majority of studies available at present relates to domestic animals (primarily dogs). The transfer of scientific findings from veterinary medicine to human medicine is basically not regarded as permissible. In addition, the proposed explanations of how it works partly rely on in-vitro experiments.
Furthermore, criticism is directed at the fact that there are indeed studies on humans that have been carried out double-blind and placebo-controlled, but with too low a number of probands (n=48). To be recognised in Germany the proof of efficacy requires that the study group consists of at least 100 people per group.
In order to improve the situation regarding studies in the long term, the charitable society “Goldimplantation zur Gelenkbehandlung und Schmerztherapie e. V.” (gold implantation for joint treatment and pain therapy) started an evaluation of patient data in 2016 on a scale that is statistically relevant and has set itself the medium-term objective of encouraging large clinical trials of this method [16].

5. Assumption of costs by health insurance companies
At present, the statutory health insurance companies generally do not refund the cost of gold implantation. In many cases, private health insurance companies defray attributable costs.

List of references

[1] Durkes, Terry E.: Gold bead implants. Problems in Veterinary Medicine (1992) No. 4, pp. 207–211. And in: Schoen, A. (ed.): Veterinary Acupuncture. Ancient Art to Modern Medicine. Mosby, USA, 1994, pp. 285–290. back

[1a] Klitsgaard, J.: Goldimplants, practical experience with 400 hipdysplasia cases in the dog. In: Proceedings of the Twenty-Second Annual International Congress on Veterinary Acupuncture. 5–8 September 1996, Spiez/Switzerland; ed. IVAS. 1996. back

[2] Kjerkegaard, Hans Kryger; Kirkeby, Ruth; Christensen, Thorkild B.; Schlünzen, Lise: Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Pain-Relieving Effect of Gold Bead Implantation on Cervical Osteoarthritis. Medical Acupuncture (2011) Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 87–91. back

[3] Nejrup, Kirsten; Olivarius, Niels de Fine; Jacobsen, Judith L.; Siersma, Volkert: Randomised controlled trial of extraarticular gold bead implantation for treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a pilot study. Clinical Rheumatology (2008) No. 27, pp. 1363–1369. back

[4] Larsen, Agnete; Kolind, Kristian; Pedersen, Dan Sonne; Doering, Peter; Pedersen, Mie Østergaard; Danscher, Gorm; Penkowa, Milena; Stoltenberg, Meredin: Gold ions bio-released from metallic gold particles reduce inflammation and apoptosis and increase the regenerative responses in focal brain injury. Histochemistry and Cell Biology (2008) No. 130, pp. 681–692. back

[5] Danscher, Gorm: In vivo liberation of gold ions from gold implants: Autometallographic tracing of gold in cells adjacent to metallic gold. Histochemistry and Cell Biology (2002) No. 117, pp. 447–452. back

[6] Seifert, Oliver; Matussek, Andreas; Sjögren, Florence; Geffers, Robert; Anderson, Chris D.: Gene expression profiling of macrophages: Implications for an immunosuppressive effect of dissolucytotic gold ions. Journal of Inflammation (2012) No. 9:43. back

[7] Pedersen, Mie Østergaard; Larsen, Agnete; Pedersen, Dan Sonne; Stoltenberg, Meredin; Penkova, Milena: Metallic gold treatment reduces proliferation of inflammatory cells, increases expression of VEGF and FGF, and stimulates cell proliferation in the subventricular zone following experimental traumatic brain injury. Histology and Histopathology (2009) Vol. 24, No. 5, pp. 573–586. back

[8] Dr. Kjerkegaard, Aarhus, Denmark, personal communication. back

[9] Thoresen, A.: A New Method of Placing Goldimplants to Treat Hipdysplasia in Dogs. In: Proceedings of the Twenty-Second Annual International Congress on Veterinary Acupuncture. 5–8 September 1996, Spiez/Switzerland; publisher: IVAS. 1996. back

[10] Winkler, Claudia: Vergleichende Untersuchungen von röntgenologischen sowie arthroskopischen Befunden am Hüftgelenk des Hundes (Comparative investigation of X-ray as well as arthroscopic findings regarding the hip joint of dogs). PhD thesis at the Clinic of Small Animals of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 2008. back

[11] Kothbauer, Oswald: Über die Implantation von Goldpartikeln zur therapeutischen Beeinflussung von schmerzhaften Prozessen im Hüftgelenksbereich von Hunden - dargestellt an drei Fallbeispielen (About the implantation of gold particles for therapeutic influence on painful processes in the hip joint area of dogs – presented in three case examples). Tierärztliche Monatsschrift 1997; 84: pp. 47–52. abck

[12] Zainali, Kasra; Danscher, Gorm; Jakobsen, Thomas; Jakobsen, Stig S.; Baas, Jørgen; Møller, Per; Bechtold, Joan E.; Soballe, Kjeld: Effects of gold coating on experimental implant fixation. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research A (2009), Vol. 88, pp. 274–280. back

[13] Deisenroth, Andrea: Anwendung von Goldimplantaten zur Schmerztherapie bei der kaninen Hüftgelenksdysplasie: Eine Übersicht zu Methode, Wirkmechanismus und Wirksamkeit der Golddrahtimplantation (Application of gold implants for pain therapy in canine hip joint dysplasia: An overview of method, way of effect and effectiveness of gold wire implantation). PhD thesis, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 2014. back

[14] Larsen, Agnete; Kolind, Kristian; Pedersen, Dan Sonne; Doering, Peter; Pedersen, Mie Østergaard; Danscher, Gorm; Penkowa, Milena; Stoltenberg, Meredin: Gold ions bio-released from metallic gold particles reduce inflammation and apoptosis and increase the regenerative responses in focal brain injury. Histochemistry and Cell Biology (2008) No. 130, pp. 681–692. back

[15] Pedersen, Mie Østergaard; Larsen, Agnete; Pedersen, S. P.; Stoltenberg, Meredin; Penkowa, Milena: Metallic gold reduces TNF? expression, oxidative DNA damage and pro-apoptotic signals after experimental brain injury. Brain Research (2009) Vol. 1271, pp. 103–113. back

[16] Charter of the society “Goldimplantation zur Gelenkbehandlung und Schmerztherapie e. V.” (gold implantation for joint treatment and pain therapy) – approved as charitable. back

[17] Cecilia K. Zetterström, Weiwen Jiang, Heidi Wähämaa, Therese Östberg, Ann-Charlotte Aveberger, Hanna Schierbeck, Michael T. Lotze, Ulf Andersson, David S. Pisetsky and Helena Erlandsson Harris: Pivotal Advance: Inhibition of HMGB1 nuclear translocation as a mechanism for the anti-rheumatic effects of gold sodium thiomalate. Journal of Leukocyte Biology (2008) Vol. 83, Iss. 1, pp. 31-38. zurück

 

  


Gold implantation on humans - Alternative treatment for joint diseases - Osteoarthritis - Arthritis

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