Gold Treatment.
Last updated Thursday, December 30, 2004
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About gold treatment
What is it?
Gold treatment includes different forms of gold salts used to treat arthritis.
Gold is an effective medicine for controlling some types of
arthritis and related diseases. In some people, it helps relieve joint
pain and stiffness, reduce swelling and bone damage, and reduce the
chance of joint deformity and disability.
If your arthritis improves with gold treatment, you may be able to
resume many or all of your normal daily activities. But taking gold
also involves some risks and precautions.
Does gold cure arthritis?
Gold does not cure arthritis. However, it helps keep the disease
under control. Gold treatment relieves the pain caused by active joint
swelling. It may also help prevent future joint damage caused by this
swelling.
Gold treatment will not repair or correct existing joint damage or
deformities. So, it will not reduce the pain or disability caused by
these problems. Other types of treatment may be available for these
problems.
Does gold help everyone?
Gold treatment does not help everyone. But arthritis usually
improves in about one-half of all people treated early in the course of
the disease. Many "late starters" may also benefit from gold.
Two or three of every 10 people do not benefit from gold. Another
two to three stop taking it for other reasons. It is impossible to tell
in advance who will benefit and who will not. The odds, however, are in
your favor.
When is gold treatment used?
Gold is used most often to treat rheumatoid arthritis. It is sometimes also used to treat juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
Gold appears to work best in the early stages of arthritis, but it
may be effective in anyone with active joint pain and swelling. Because
the treatment involves certain side effects and inconveniences, it may
be used only if your arthritis does not improve with simpler or safer
treatments. These include medicines such as aspirin, other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or cortisone-like drugs (prednisone); in combination with exercise, physical therapy, and rest.
Deciding to use gold treatment
Before recommending gold treatment, your doctor will consider these questions:
- How severe is your disease?
- How many joints are affected?
- Which joints are affected?
- Will joint damage or disability occur if gold is not used?
- How has your arthritis responded to other treatments?
- Is there time to try other treatments before beginning gold treatment?
- Is there so much joint damage from the arthritis that there will be no significant benefits from gold treatment?
- Do
you have any other condition that would make the use of gold more
hazardous (for example, severe anemia, kidney disease, or certain types
of skin conditions)?
You and your doctor will work together to decide if gold treatment is right for you.
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