Hyderabad: After a lull, gold is back in medical use. Gold injections with sodium aumothiomaltate are gaining prominence in the medical circles. Earlier, the yellow metal was administered orally. Currently, its injection has become a part of the treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
Gold has the capacity to attract heat into the body. So, it is used in curbing many inflammatory diseases. As it can also influence the body’s immune response system, it is used for curing the attack on tissues.
Dr Unni Krishnan, a city based physician, said, “Gold is used for treatment of many autoimmune diseases. The injection is normally administered near the muscle region. It is not a fast mode of treatment and often takes at least three months to get visible results. In fact, it is good for pain relief and inflammatory diseases.”
Doctors noted that the use of the yellow metal for treatment came down after reports of its side effects surfaced.
Dr Rajib Paul, a general physician, said, “The usage of gold injections ebbed due to side effects, mainly on the kidney. Gold cannot be excreted from the body once it enters and that leads to kidney related problems. This can also cause problems to the skin.”
Medical uses of metals
Silver: Anti-bacterial, cooling properties
Gold: Slows down attack of tissues, improves memory
Copper: Used to clean liver and spleen
Iron: Used for strengthening bones
