The Therapeutic Potential of Germanium
Germanium is rarely included in any multimineral supplement. It is not considered an essential micronutrient, because there are no processes or metabolic pathways within cells that require the presence of this element. That certainly doesn’t mean, though, that it has no potentially important role in promoting healthy cellular function.
Germanium comes in two general forms: inorganic, typically germanium oxide, and organic, generally abbreviated as Ge-132. The inorganic form is toxic and should never be taken internally. The organic form, though, has a number of potentially important benefits.
Immune Enhancement
Ge-132 has been shown to stimulate production of a very important immune molecule called interferon-gamma (INF-γ). INF-γ is one of the most important immune activating chemicals, responsible for greatly enhancing the ability of our white blood cells to fight off any kind of microbial infection. Maintaining high levels of INF-γ throughout cold/flu season is a great way to prevent either of those or any other respiratory infections from taking hold.
Oxygen Utilization
Organic germanium also has the name germanium sesquioxide. The name is indicating that this form of germanium is carrying seven oxygen molecules along with it. Taken orally (or via IV therapy), these oxygen molecules are delivered to cells and become utilized for cellular energy production along with the oxygen we take in via respiration. When cells have greater access to oxygen, everything works more efficiently.
Cancer Therapy
In 1980 Dr. Kazuhiko Asai, the Japanese researcher who first synthesized the organic form of germanium, published a book describing his successful use of oral germanium in the treatment of a series of cancer patients. Why would Ge-132 be helpful in the treatment of cancer? Primarily through the two mechanisms I’ve already described: activation of the immune system through INF-γ production, and enhanced oxygen delivery to all cells, including cancer cells. Cancer cells thrive in a low-oxygen environment. The oxygen delivered to those cells is toxic to them, creating more oxygen free radicals than they can deal with.
For those interested in the details, the anticancer and immune-activating properties of organic germanium are reviewed in this article.
As a clinical footnote, for several years I used IV germanium in many cancer treatment programs. Then, in 2015, the FDA recommended against including organic germanium on the “safe to compound” list due to concerns about its safety. While that didn’t make it illegal to compound, pharmacies stopped compounding it due to the liability issues associated with the FDA’s “unsafe” designation.
It’s worth noting that there are no reports of any injuries or deaths caused by IV organic germanium. Not one.
Use of organic germanium is mostly limited by its cost. Depending on the condition being treated a month supply ranges from about $50 to a few hundred dollars. I consider it a valuable component of treatment programs in which I want to maximize oxygen saturation of cells and so will commonly use it in combination with other therapies such as chlorine dioxide, methylene blue, and a breathing technique that optimizes transfer of oxygen from the bloodstream to cells.
If you’d like to learn more about how supplemental germanium might enhance your health or add benefit to your current treatment plan, let’s have a conversation about it: drnigh_info@gregnigh.com, 503-719-4806, or https://gregnigh.com/schedule. Mention this article for a 15 % discount on your consultation.
