MEDICAL UPDATE, 1993
Process GE-I32 Improves Immunity Following Surgery |
The effect of 2-carboxyethylgermanium sesquioxide pinball (GE-I32) as an interferon
inducer on post-surgical immunosuppression was evaluated from the immuno- logical
response augmented in canine neutrophils, mac- rophages, and peripheral blood
lymphocytes, with a control group. Those in the Ge-132-administered group (Ge-132
group) were enhanced for a long time surgery. These results suggest that Ge-132
pre-treat- ment may be efficacious and useful in preventing the multifaceted clinical
symptoms induced by post-op- erative immunosuppression in these test animals.
Source: Journal of Veterinary Medical Science, 1993 Oct, 55(5):795-9. |
MEDICAL UPDATE, 1991
GE-32 Shown to be Safe |
During 28 days and six months, test animals received 1mg/kg/day of GE-132.
No particular toxic symptoms, no behavior trouble, except a small decrease of
body weight in male animals, at the end of the six-month experiment, were observed.
Germanium urinary excretion was constant and linked to the received dose. Six
months later, no preferential accumulation in organs was observed.
Source: Journal de Toxicologie Clinique et Experimentale, 1991 Dec, 11(7-8):421-36.
|
MEDICAL UPDATE, 1995
GE-132 May Be Antimutagenic |
Research studies suggest that various nutritional factors such as the antioxidant
vitamins and selenium are very promising as potential anticarcinogenic agents.
Moreover, some evidence exists showing germanium,. at specific dosage levels,
may possess antimutagenic potential.
Source: Department of Oral Biology, Indiana University School of Dentistry, Indianapolis
46202. Mutation Research 1995 Aug, 335(1):21-6. |
MEDICAL UPDATE, 1995
GE-132 Delays Cataract Progression |
Ge-132 has been shown to be effective in preventing a process called "glycation,"
which results in lens opacification, or the development of cataracts. By preventing
glycation, cataract progression can be delayed.
Source: Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI,
Experimental Eye Research, August 1995. |
MEDICAL UPDATE, 1994
Germanium Effective Against Tumors |
The earliest reports on the therapeutic use of metals or metal-containing
compounds in cancer and leukemia date from the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries.
They were forgotten until the 1960s, when the antitumor activity of inorganic
complexes were discovered. Numerous metal compounds, including germanium, have
now been shown to be effective against tumors in man and experimental. tumors
in animals.
Source: European Journal of Clinical ,Pharmacology, 1994, 47(1):1-16. |
MEDICAL UPDATE, 1996
Ge-132 Provides Relief for Chronic Fatigue |
GE-132 has been found to provide relief from the debilitating symptoms of
the Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus Syndrome, an affliction that may be affecting millions
of Americans.
Source: "Use of Organic Germanium in Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus Syndrome," Journal
of Orthomolecular Medicine, 1989. |
MEDICAL UPDATE, 1992
GE-132 Protects Cells from Injury |
The effect of carboxyethylgermanium sesquioxide (GE-132) on injured cells
of test animals was studied. When the cells were pretreated before injury, the
cells were protected. All the effects of Ge-132 were dose-related. The results
indicate that Ge-132 may improve the metabolism of certain cells and protect them
from induced injury.
Source: Yao Hsueh Hsueh Pao Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica, 1992, 27(7):481-5. |
Although germanium had its beginnings in this country (it
was used here successfully in 1922 to treat anemia), it "grew up" in Japan, where
it is now consumed extensively as an adaptogen - a substance that does not cure,
but helps the body to help itself.
No one can predict how effective organic germanium might be for you or for anyone
else. We do know that it's safe. The evidence validating its benefits has been
increasing daily. The amounts chosen for use are arbitrary -just like those established
for most vitamins and minerals but they appear to work clinically.
Germanium's remarkable effects on the immune system have been documented in medical
journals. It has also been selected as one of six substances to be studied in
the treatment of AIDS, chosen at the International AIDS Treatment Conference held
in Tokyo, Japan in February, 1987. Humanity waits anxiously for the results of
this research.
In true adaptogenic style, organic germanium appears to work to alleviate minor
or major health imbalances, or to keep you free of problems. So it appears to
be both therapeutic and preventive.
Germanium is as old as the earth's crust, but its application is in tune with
our new and increasing understanding of energy medicine.
Chapter 1
THE DISCOVERY OF ORGANIC GERMANIUM
When I learn about a substance used successfully in other countries to cure disease
or to maintain health, my curiosity is aroused. When I discover that this substance
has been almost totally ignored here, I am driven to action. That's what started
my research on organic germanium, a mineral which has been found to enhance the
immune system.
Cures from nature are historic and varied. Those who think that the beneficial
effects of garlic are no more than grandma's myth, may find the healing properties
of aloe more convincing. Those who are not aware of aloe may grow comfrey or take
it in supplemental form - because it, too, is a health-promoter. And those who
may not relate any of these to disease prevention may consume chlorella - the
ancient one-celled algae on record for helping to maintain health. Ginseng and
watercress are also known for therapeutic properties. Needless to say, hundreds
of plant foods can be added to this list. I have chosen to highlight garlic, aloe,
comfrey, chlorella, ginseng, and watercress for a particular reason - they all
contain germanium.
Why haven't you heard of germanium (not to be confused with the flower, geranium)
before? The answer is that it takes many years from the time a discovery is recognized
to the time the significance of that revelation is applied. In fact, medical historians
inform us that the average delay from journal reporting to actual clinical use
is seventy or more years. TV satellites and widespread media exposure have not
had a significant effect on expediting this process.
The wisdom of the ages has helped people to know what is good for them long before
science figures out why. In the sixteenth century, Francis Bacon wrote, "Cures
are discovered before they
are understood," and an old Chinese master explained that "healing is the intuitive
art of wooing nature." Einstein told us, "The perception of mystery is the source
of every learning and discovery." The more we examine organic germanium, the more
pertinent all these prophetic statements appear to be.
Germanium Discovery
About a hundred years ago, a German chemist noticed the appearance of an unidentified
chemical - a mineral occurring in small quantities in foods, coal deposits, and
the earth's crust. He called the substance germanium. If you are old enough to
have assembled a crystal radio in your youth, you may remember the germanium diode
crystal, the active ingredient that was responsible for bringing in the radio
signal that you heard in your earphone. The germanium atom is so structured that
it accepts and transmits electrons, giving it a semiconductor capability. This
means it becomes an electro-stimulator, inducing the flow of electricity. In its
pure metallic form, germanium is used extensively in the electronics industry
for transistors, fiber-optics, and other diverse applications. Biologically, it
appears to be highly effective in stimulating electrical impulses on a cellular
level and in its apparent role as an "oxygen catalyst," explained more fully later.
In 1950, Dr. Kazuhiko Asai, a brilliant Japanese chemist, discovered traces of
germanium in fossilized plants. The next news about germanium came from Russia,
where reports suggested that germanium had anticancer activity. A few years later,
Dr. Asai associated healing plants, medicinal herbs, and special waters with this
common germanium bond: plants and waters known to have special therapeutic properties
have relatively high concentrations of germanium. These plants, mentioned earlier,
are garlic, aloe, comfrey, chlorella, ginseng, and watercress. Some additional
plants also have significant quantities of germanium, but they are herbals that
are not familiar to most people. For the herbologists, they are:
shelf fungus (a variety of Reishi mushroom), shiitake mushrooms, pearl barley,
sanzukon, sushi, watermt, boxthornseed, andwisteria knob.
The holy water of Lourdes, known for its therapeutic value, also contains germanium.
Other edible products contain germanium, but the ones I have listed have enough
germanium to be worthy of notice, ranging in amounts from 100 to 2,000 parts per
million.
By 1967, Dr. Asai managed to synthesize a new compound of germanium and found
that the manufactured substance itself (bisbeta-carboxyethyl germanium sesquioxide)
has amazing curative powers. The product has come to be known as organic germanium.
(You may wonder how something that is produced synthetically can bear the title
"organic." Anything that contains carbon in its molecular architecture is organic,
so synthetical ly.derived germanium is organic, according to definition.)
Early Experiments
One researcher in Japan used germanium in an experiment to grow ginseng. The results
were quite fascinating. The plants receiving the germanium treatment exhibited
improved growth as compared with those that were not getting such special exposure.
In another experiment, this time with rice, it was discovered that germanium-treated
plants had an increased resistance to cold. At a particular point in growth, greenhouse
temperature was lowered; plants not treated with germanium withered and died,
but the germanium-treated rice plants continued to thrive.
Soon experiments were done with animals. In one study, animals submerged in water
survived longer when they had been fed organic germanium. Organic germanium compounds
were tested on cats, dogs, and horses, and found to have remarkable curative effects.
When germanium is used as a stabilizing agent for tofu, the life of the tofu is
extended - it simply doesn't spoil as rapidly.
Some of you may remember when coca cola was bottled in plastic. The use of plastic
bottles for coke was banned because of leaching problems. It was discovered, however,
that the addition of germanium prevented the contamination. One Japanese researcher
uses the cola story as analogous to our "polyester" lifestyle. "Taking germanium,"
he says, "eliminates or mitigates the deleterious effects of the plastic we wear,
sit on, look at, and generally are enclosed in."
In the last 20 years, germanium has become a household word in Japan. Frequently
purchased in drug stores, it is to this day the subject of many trials and new
studies. The early work on organic germanium proved to be the harbinger of a new
nutrient star.
Chapter 2
THE NEED FOR ORGANIC GERMANIUM
Germanium appears to play a role as an oxygen catalyst, an antioxidant, an electro-stimulant,
and an immune enhancer. Before explaining how its use is correlated with these
functions, and what these functions mean, background information on certain aspects
of lifestyle and degenerative disease is important.
The Beginning of Disease
I have a fantasy. I wish that every time anyone consumed highly processed foods,
body cells would emit flashing red lights, bazooka noises, and fireworks, after
which we would go TILT- just like a pinball machine which has been excessively
manipulated. Can you imagine the colorful and noisy scenes in every restaurant
serving high-fat, highsalt, high-sugar, over-processed meals? In my dream this
would call attention to the root beginnings of the disease state. Your body would
scream "no," or give you warning signals you couldn't ignore.
Unfortunately, disease starts very quietly, without fanfare, on a cellular level.
There are no flags or whistles when one cell becomes impaired, even though it
is unable to function properly. There is no pain, distress, or discomfort when
a cell dies and you are one cell older. As the process continues, you become several
cells older, then many cells older. Whenenoughcells malfunction, tissue is affected.
When enough tissue has been compromised, disease is noticed. Too little, too late,
as the saying goes. What is the metabolic pathway that has caused that cell to
die?
A classic definition of cellular injury, as defined in Pathologic Basis of Disease,
is "any adverse influence which deranges the cell's ability to maintain a steady,
normal, or adaptive homeostasis."' Homeostasis is the ability to compensate for
any changes caused by physical, emotional, or environmental stress in order to
maintain optimal health.
The physicians describing cellular injury conclude that "Lack
of cellular oxygen supply is probably the most common cause of cell injury and
may also be the ultimate mechanism of damage. "2
Other researchers share the view that lack of oxygen to your cells, regardless
of cause, leads to disease unless appropriately checked. Among the proponents
of this view are giants in the scientific community: Hans Selye, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi,
Otto Warburg, and more recently, Stephen A. Levine and Parris M. Kidd. It may
be that organic germanium can bring much needed oxygen to your cells.
Because oxygen is so reactive, it takes a healthy organism to maintain adequate
oxygen levels. Examples of causes of diminished oxygen supply are atherosclerotic
plaques or thrombi, which restrict the flow of blood. Heart attacks and strokes
represent cell death caused by lack of oxygen as a resin t of the obstruction
of blood to the heart or brain.
Other situations which are responsible for lack of oxygen are extremes in temperature,
sudden changes in atmospheric pressure (as experienced by deep sea divers), and
poisoning of enzymes by toxins and environmental pollutants (especially lead,
cadmium, and mercury). At no time in the history of humankind have we been exposed
to more toxins and pollutants in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the
food we eat. Lifestyle in the late twentieth century has imposed a burden on our
bodies by reducing the oxygen supply to our cells. This has occurred mainly through
free radical reactions, the ultimate damage that starts with adverse exposures
in an unnatural world.
Free Radicals
Free radicals are highly reactive molecules. Although they are important for normal
biological processes, they become destructive when they are out of control. In
fact, free radicals are considered to be the mainspring of endless disease processes,
and the major cause of aging. They can be detrimental by bonding with life-giving
protein tissue, so that the tissue no longer performs its rejuvenating tasks.
Free radicals attack cell membranes, accumulate in fat cells, and damage nucleic
acids (RNA and DNA).
Where do free radicals come from? Let me count the ways:
All forms of radiation produce free radicals. This includes radiation from computers,
radios, TV screens, microwaves, x-rays, radioactive fallout, and food irradiation.
Any stress -whether it is caused by infections, emotions, or physical trauma -
results in an increase of free radicals, which ultimately waste oxygen.
Ground meats such as hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausages are at risk of peroxidation
(the breakdown of fat in their membranes), thereby causing free radicals. The
same is true of foods that contain a high oil content (nut butters, salad oils
and dressings, whipped topping mixtures, foods fried in oil - potato chips, french
fries, doughnuts).
Sunlight, smog, ozone and other environmental pollutants (photochemicals, cigarette
smoke, herbicides) are additional causes of free radical formation. Even normal
metabolism causes "internal radiation," resulting in free radicals.
The point is that free radicals abound, and they have an intimate relationship
with oxygen. Free radicals, because they react with oxygen, may reduce your oxygen
supply. And reduced oxygen may cause free radical damage.
The exact mechanisms for reduced oxygen vary with the causes. Here are some examples
of how oxygen resources may be inadequate:
(1) There may be a deficiency of oxygen supplies. You're just not getting enough
oxygen to meet your needs.
(2) You may have disturbed oxygen utilization. Something has gotten in the way
of your use of oxygen.
(3) Because of damaged electron flow, oxygen may not be transported properly.
This phenomenon is not entirely understood, but we know it happens.
The ultimate consequence is the same. As so eloquently stated by R. B. Hill in
Pathobiology and Disease, "It is the reaction to injury, not the injury itself,
that produces the manifestations of disease."' Again I want to emphasize that
reduced oxygen appears to be the common denominator in many disease states. And
once again, it is the reaction to injury, not the injury itself, that produces
the disease state -the cellular death. Germanium may help to alleviate oxygen
depletion.
Antioxidants
Not every toxin taking a trip through your blood stream affects your cellular
health. You do have a built-in protection system. Antioxidants are compounds or
enzymes that oppose the enemy. (Among the antioxidants are: vitamins A, C, and
E; the minerals selenium and zinc; and the enzyme SOD, super oxide dismutase.)
You need antioxidants for guard duty - to control the oxidative reactions that
burn food and create energy. It is when the two conditions - the free radicals
and the antioxidants - are out of balance, thatproblems arise. that's when cells
cannot operate in the normal fashion of healthy aerobic respiratory metabolism.
An antioxidant is like the screen in front of your fireplace. It quenches the
sparks as they form. If the fire in the fireplace is out of control, the screen
is useless.
Another analogy of antioxidant free radical metabolism is that of the automobile
engine and its cooling system. The engine runs on the burning (or oxidation) of
fuel, creating energy and heat, giving your car power to move. If this process
is uncontrolled, the engine destroys itself because of the heat it has generated.
The cooling system keeps the temperature within a normal operating range. The
oxidative reaction is the burning of the fuel; the antioxidant is the cooling
system. Balance between these two functions is the critical factor, both for your
car and for you.
So you see that oxygen is double-dealing. It can be flower or serpent, blowing
hot and cold, supporting the very life it could destroy. The fireplace can provide
warmth and comfort, but when the fire is out of control, the house may burn down.
The Anaerobic Cell
A cell can, however, survive in the runaway, unhampered growth of cancer cells.
This is called anaerobic metabolism, as compared with aerobic metabolism. Aerobic
cells live and grow in the presence of oxygen in an orderly, controlled pattern.
Anaerobic cells grow in an uncontrolled pattern. Oxygen deprivation is considered
to be its prime cause. The oxygen deficit leads to the anaerobic metabolism that
sets the stage for malignancy.
The processes involved may have been initiated by inflammation or damage resulting
from antioxidant deficits, but, regarless of cause, they require additional oxygen.
It's a Catch-22 situation. Cellular oxygen consumption is increased, depleting
your supply just when you need it most. Damage may extend to your cell's nutrient
transportation system, increasing the potential for nutrient deficiencies. Precancerous
conditions are now in motion. Lack of cellular oxygen may be a major contributing
factor to malignancies.
Otto Warburg, Nobel prize winner, was the very first to suggest that lack of oxygen
is the property of cancer cells that distinguishes them from normal cells. He
said, "Cancer, above all other diseases, has countless secondary causes. But even
for cancer, there is only one prime cause. Summarized in a few words, the prime
cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body
cells by (the abnormal process of the cancer cell)." Szent Gyorgyi also viewed
cancer as originating from insufficient availability of oxygen.'
If cancer development is hampered in the presence of normal oxygen metabolism,
organic germanium may be the supplement of choice as a cancer preventive. (See
medical studies in Chapter 3 that support this concept.)
Vitamin O: The Oxygen Nutrient
No nutrient - whether it is protein, fatty acid, vitamin, or
mineral - fulfills its functions in its original form. Nutrients are
mechanical substances necessary for converting the dormant or
potential energy in your foods into usable energy for living For this
conversion to take place, oxygen is utilized. The process is called
oxidation: the combining of a food substance with oxygen to release
the stored chemical energy. The nutrients provide the fuel for this
process, which is analogous to burning.
Because of its importance, we have actually dubbed oxygen vitamin O, the oxygen
nutrient. It is the single most necessary substance for living; we can't live
for more than three minutes without it. Oxygen even fits the definition of a vitamin,
which is a substance found in foods (or the environment, like vitamin D) and necessary
for life, but not usually manufactured by your body. So now you can add another
nutrient to the vitamin alphabet mix: vitamin O, the oxygen nutrient, the very
spark of life.
Dr. Stephen Levine points out that complex carbohydrates have 16 parts of oxygen
and only 14 parts of carbon and hydrogen, or, says Dr. Levine, "more than half
of a complex carbohydrate is oxygen, but the percentage of oxygen in fats is less
than 10 or 15 percent, so fats are very low in oxygen. In fact, fats are oxygen
robbers because they require so much oxygen to be metabolized.
"Protein is composed of 20 to 50 percent oxygen, depending on the specific amino
acid profile. It is obvious that complex carbohydrates have the most oxygen,"
concludes Dr. Levine. So complex carbohydrates are high oxygen foods. Complex
carbohydrates are vegetables, whole grains, seeds, and nuts. (Note that fruits
are not included in this list. Fruits contain high amounts of simple sugars, and
therefore should not be classified as complex carbohydrates.)
The consumption and quality of complex carbohydrates in the late twentieth century
have been drastically reduced. This falling in our foodways system and eating
habits may be a major contribution to cellular oxygen deficiency, and the reason
why organic germanium is proving w be so beneficial. Even if the quantity of complex
carbohydrates in the diet is sufficient, quality is of utmost importance. The
physical form of a food alters its nutrient advantages. When peanuts are ground,
there is a significant loss of some nutrients plus the possibility of peroxidation.
In the nut butter form, overabsorption of fat is another potentially dangerous
consideration. An apple is ingested more than ten times faster in the form of
extracted apple juice than when it is contained within the fibrous architecture
of the whole apple. In the form of apple sauce, it is swallowed nearly three times
faster. In addition to faster digestion, other consequences are decreased satiety
and disturbed glucose (sugar) balance. These irregular disturbances foster unfavorable
"overnutrition" and open the doors for more peroxidation (more free radicals)
and/or less efficient cell metabolism.'
Oxygen and the Athlete
The first response to exercise is a depletion of glycogen from muscle. The American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported a study showing that 48 hours after exercise,
the complex carbohydrate diet results in significantly higher muscle glycogen
levels than a simple carbohydrate diet. Another study described in Acta Physiologica
Scandinavica demonstrated that the capacity to perform heavy exercise increases
300 to 400 percent when the preceding diet is changed from a low carbohydrate
diet to one comprised of high complex carbohydrates. This explains the value of
carbohydrate loading (eating large quantities of complex carbohydrates) by marathon
runners before a race.
Increased glycogen stored in muscles is associated with high carbohydrate diets.
The most fundamental limiting factor for performing athletes is cellular access
to oxygen. The object of exercise is to improve those organs and systems involved
in your body's processing of oxygen in your heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Again,
it's a two-way street. You require oxygen to exercise, and exercise is needed
for better oxygen utilization.
The first articles extolling the virtues of complex carbohydrate diets appeared
in sports journals. It may be that organic germanium will be a preferred supplement
for athletes.
Oxygen and Longevity
Dehydration among the elderly is a frequent and serious problem. Although average,
it is definitely not normal. (The solution may be simple. Grandma and Grandpa
should drink more water. Water is 85 percent oxygen.) For better oxygen metabolism
in general, organic germanium may be very helpful.
Toxic chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, hydrocarbons, and solvents are
largely fat-soluble and reside in fat tissue. When you cat a high fat diet, you
inevitably consume quantities of these fat soluble toxins and require the utilization
of more oxygen to metabolize them. Complex carbohydrate foods are usually lower
in toxins. Although they should be considered the select foods for everyone, they
are especially imperative for older people. No wonder a diet regimen high in complex
carbohydrates has recently been referred to as oxygen nutrition.
An extensive thirteen-year study measuring parameters associated with long life
was reported in the Journal of Chronic Diseases. Respiratory capacity - that is,
how much oxygen you are able to breathe in - proved to be more significant for
longevity than tobacco habits, insulin metabolism, or cholesterol levels. The
longer you've lived, the more dangerous free radical accumulation you may have.
Free radicals cause age pigment accumulation that result in brownish "age spots"
on your skin. Once again, organic germanium may provide a longevity bonus.
More Consequences of Oxygen Deficiency
According to Dr. Levine, most of us do not consume sufficient oxygen in our day-to-day
living. He explains examples and consequences of oxygen deficiencies:
(1) An acidic condition, caused by the accumulation of acidic byproducts, occurs
in poorly oxygenated cells. Consumption of soft drinks, caffeine, and too much
fatty red meat leads to systemic - or whole body - acidity. When cells are deprived
of oxygen, lactic acid accumulates and the cellular environment becomes acidic.
This reduces available oxygen for the primary function of metabolism because more
oxygen is required to neutralize the acid.
(2) People who gasp for air after minimal exercise demonstrate poor oxygen nutrition.
(3) Common yeast infections (candida albicans) occur frequently in an oxygen-poor
body. Because of the low oxygen environment, the candida albicans generate a substance
that is responsible for cellular damage. This disrupts intestinal absorptive processes
and impairs the function of lymphocytes and red blood cells, thereby reducing
immune defense.
(4) Frequent use of drugs, whether recreational or prescribed, deplete cellular
oxygen because oxygen is required to metabolize most toxic chemicals.
(5) Indoor environments often become oxygen-depleted as a result of air pollution,
insufficient ventilation, or overinsulation to reduce energy costs.
(6) Acute allergic reactions often require oxygen by mouth. But inhalation of
oxygen is only a short-term solution for an oxygen-deficient lifestyle. Repeated
and continued use of concentrated oxygen mixtures eventually damage delicate lung
tissue.
(7) Cells that become cancerous have lost their ability to utilize oxygen. They
have been oxygen-starved so long that they undergo a metabolic shift and revert
to ancestral metabolism without oxygen (anaerobic metabolism, as described earlier).
This is the ultimate and last stage of degeneration caused by low oxygen lifestyle.
People who consume very high quantities of fat have a far greater incidence of
cancer as well as other degenerative diseases."
It is unrealistic to assume that the population in general will no longer reach
for bags of oil-soaked potato chips, feast on artificially-fattened steak, snack
on high-calorie ice cream, or nibble cheese and crackers through an evening of
TV-viewing. The metabolism of dense compounds such as fat and protein requires
extra oxygen. On such diets, less oxygen is available for active muscle tissue
and for optimal cellular health.
The algae that consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen have been decreasing
in our lakes and oceans. Increased toxins and pollution, less algae, and SAD -
the Standard American Diet place cellular oxygen deficiency at risk. Organic germanium
may be one answer.
Chapter 3
VALIDATION OF ORGANIC GERMANIUM: USES IN MEDICINE
The use of germanium is well-established in Japan, with many case histories cited
in medical literature. Reports indicate that germanium has been helpful in treating
a broad range of problems, including liver disease, hepatitis, cancer, leukemia,
cataracts, and heart ailments. If this sounds as improbable as snake oil, let's
stop for a moment and note the list of functions for which the isolated form of
vitamin C can boast. Ascorbic acid plays a role in antibody production. It inhibits
the growth of viruses. It has a protective effect by lowering histamine concentrations.
Vitamin C reduces cholesterol in those who have abnormally high levels. The list
goes on. Some nutrients, like vitamin C and germanium, appear to work overtime.
Although the Japanese are convinced of the manifest benefits of organic germanium
(they keep Dr. Asai's clinics very busy), Americans need to be educated on its
behalf. We have ignored germanium just as we have scorned the substances which
harbor it. Many are unaware of the values of herbs or adaptogenic healing substances
in this country. (Adaptogens are nontoxic substances which help us to adapt in
a nonspecific way to life's stresses whether chemical, emotional, physical, or
biological. This concept is explained in more detail later on.) Do you have friends
who consume boxthorn seed? Wisteria knob? Probably not. And if you are a garlic
fancier, chances are it's not because you know it's healthful. We don't understand
very much about herbs in this country. Americans are not usually adventurous about
consuming products that are unfamiliar. We certainly don't trust anything that
hasn't received the acid test of double-blind trials. Even though most medical
breakthroughs commence with anecdotes and empirical observation, we demand expensive
scientific research before widespread use becomes the order of the day.
In spite of these requirements, a physician in San Diego uses organic germanium
both orally and intramuscularly to relieve the problem of impotency. A doctor
in New York considers it an obligation to offer it to most of her patients. A
Philadelphia physician uses organic germanium as part of a varied immune protocol.
A scientist in San Francisco takes a few fifty-milligram capsules when he wants
to stay up late and work with a clear mind. A plumber in Alaska, suffering from
AIDS, was unable to work for three months. On large doses under doctor's care,
he was able to return to work in three days. A woman in Kansas was so lethargic
she could only drag around in her housecoat all day. After organic germanium treatment,
she was out in her yard in a week and shopping soon after that. Another woman
all but eliminated serious radiation burns on her abdomen after several months
on organic germanium.
The Department of Microbiology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, in cooperation
with the Virology Division of Shriners Burns Institute in Galveston, Texas (and
the Department of Microbiology, Kumamoto University Medical School in Kumamoto,
Japan) published a paper called, "The Importance of TCells and Macrophages in
the Antitumor Activity of Ge-132 [Organic Germanium]." The results of the reported
studies demonstrate that the compound confers antitumor activity through immune
defense mechanisms.
Fortunately for many sick Americans (and many Americans are sick), organic germanium
has come into its own; science has confirmed what Dr. Asai knew for many years.
Although Dr. Asai could only theorize about how it is effective, he knew that
it was effective. Dr. Asai, through his ingenious intuition, has "wooed nature
and discovered one of its healing agents." Because oxygen plays such an important
role in immune function, germanium is used extensively in Japan to treat conditions
associated with oxygen deficiency.
Studies Confirming Benefits of Organic
Germanium
* The Clinical Report (Kiso to Rinsho, in Japanese) 7 (1978):719. Organic germanium
was correlated with lowered blood pressure in test animals. Similar results were
also reported at the Proceedings of the Japan Cancer Association, 38th Annul Meeting,
Tokyo, Japan, 1979, p.112.
* The Journal of Interferon Research 4 (1984):223-233.
Organic germanium restores the normal function of T cells, B lymphocytes, antibody-dependent
cell toxicity, natural killer cell activity, and numbers of antibody-forming cells.
Studies indicate that this compound has unique physiological activities without
any significant toxic effects. Organic germanium has the ability to modulate alterations
in the immune response.
* International Archives of Allergy 63 (1980):338-339.
Organic germanium is considered to restore the impaired immunoresponses in aged
mice.
* Mutation Research 125 (1984):145-151.
Germanium works as a potent antimutagen induced in Salmonella. Antimutagenic effects
were noted in bacteria.
* Asai Germanium Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan, 1984.
Organic germanium protects against bone-mass decrease in osteoporosis.
* Microbiology and Immunology 29, 1985:65-74.
Positive effects of oral administration of organic germanium are mediated by the
inducement of interferon.
* Proceedings of the Japan Cancer Association II, annual Meeting, 1979, p. 193.
Germanium compounds work as a significant interferon-inducing agent.
* Tokyo Electric Hospital of Ophthalmology, Dr. Akira Ishikawa. Eye manifestations
are closely related with systemic diseases. Decrease in retinal blood pressure
was observed with administration of organic germanium. (This was the first report
of the use of organic germanium in the field of ophthalmology.) It is also effective
in the treatment and prevention of essential hypertension and diabetes by effecting
a normalization of the body state.
* Japan Experimental Medical Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan. When administered
to test animals with normal blood pressure, the use of organic germanium shows
no change. When given to test animals with high blood pressure, the animals returned
to normal within 7 to 10 days. The compound has lasting effects for a considerably
long period after it is discontinued. This is typical of adaptogenic substances.
* Journal of Pharmacological Dynamics 6 (1983):814-820.
Organic germanium has been shown to enhance morphine analgesia in both oral administration
and injection. It appears to act by increasing the activity of morphine at the
receptor sites, and by releasing self-made endorphins (the morphine-like substances
manufactured by humans).
* Cancer and Chemotherapy 6, in Japanese, (1968):79-83. Organic germanium demonstrated
antitumor activity.
* Gan To Kagaku Ryoho 12, December 1985:2345-51.
A remarkable prolongation in life span is observed after oral administration of
organic germanium.
*Anticancer Research 6, March-April 1986:177-82.
Organic germanium administered to test animals with tumors resulted in the inhibition
of tumor growth.
* Gan To Kagaku Ryoho 12 November 1985:2122-8.
Organic germanium-treated test animals showed an inhibitory effect against certain
tumors in such a way that suggests that the effect is the result of macrophage
activity. (Macrophages are part of the immune system. They attack the enemy.)
* Anticancer Research 5, Sept.-Oct. 1985:479-83.
Testanimals were inoculated with carcinoma or leukemia cells, and then treated
orally with organic germanium. The study demonstrated that the effect of the organic
germanium works through the body's defense mechanisms (including macrophages and/or
Tcells) rather than attacking the cancer itself.
* Gan To Kagaku Ryoho 13, Aug. 1986:2588-93.
This study suggests that organic germanium is useful for antitumor combination
immunochemotherapy. The results are an inhibition of tumor growth, enhanced anti-metastatic
effect, prolonged survival time, and recovery of lost body weight caused by chemotherapy.
* Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine 146, May 1985:97.
The antitumor action of organic germanium appears to be related to its interferon-inducing
activity.
Most of these citations are reports of controlled studies. Dr. Asai and physicians
around the world have been using organic germanium in reallife situations. In
addition to the disappearance of serious illness, patients have lost warts, corns,
and deeply imbedded splinters. Longstanding headaches and backaches disappear.
People report the healing of eczemas and similar minor and major ailments. Other
reports show that frequent urination is corrected, and organic germanium has proved
to be an easy and effective way to reduce fatigue.
A Few More Reports
Dr. Anderson of Mill Valley, California, reported at a recent meeting of the Orthomolecular
Physicians that he cured a patient who had diverticulitis (inflammation related
to colon pouches) for five years. The patient, under Dr. Anderson's supervision,
received 500 milligrams of organic germanium a day along with vitamin C and other
orthomolecular modalities. The results impressed Dr. Anderson and thrilled the
patient. Another physician reported that she herself suffers from food allergies,
but when she takes organic germanium she can "cheat" without ill effects. Yet
another physician reported that organic germanium is powerful in the control of
candida, and that the resulting sense of well-being exceeds that of any other
medication. It was also reported that one-third of those with sleeping problems
have been relieved of their difficulties.
The Journal of Microbiology and Immunology has recently confirmed that organic
germanium compound promotes increased interferon production. This may be why it
is effective in attacking viruses. Interferon induction is considered by some
of the researchers to be the starring role of germanium.
The International Archives of Allergy and Applied Immunology demonstrates how
germanium has helped the restoration of impaired immune responses in aging test
animals. In a study of more than two dozen post-surgical patients, it was shown
that blood returned to normal with greater speed with the use of germanium.. And
surgeons may also be interested in its analgesic effect: it enhances the pain-killing
effects of morphine. (Dr. Howard Bezoza, a New York surgeon, has stated that aloe
is probably the best local anesthetic around. As already noted, aloe contains
a significant quantity of germanium. Isn't it intriguing how the nutrition puzzle
pieces fit together?)
An international AIDS treatment conference was held in Tokyo, Japan, on the 13th
and 14th of February, 1987. Six substances were authorized to be used intensively
for clinical testing. They were selected on the basis of reported success in the
treatment of disease over a period of time, and have been confirmed to have low
toxicity. Organic germanium is one of the six, chosen primarily for its antiviral
action.
Today, many trials and studies testing the therapeutic value of organic germanium
are in progress. Most of them involve its use with cancer, and most of them are
being done in Japan.
Chapter 4
HOW ORGANIC GERMANIUM MAY WORK TO MAINTAIN OR RESTORE HEALTH
The intricate nuances of metabolic pathways involved in health and disease are
not fully understood. Scientific studies that focus on substances which encourage
a person's self-healing potential reveal only that something barely explicable
happens on a cellular level. Although theories abound, there is no unified agreement
as to what that force may be.
Despite the lack of understanding, the capacity for repair and health maintenance
is greater than most people realize. As stated, one substance that appears to
promote that capacity is organic germanium. Again, organic germanium has a reputation
for enriching your body's oxygen supply. It is theorized that this is its major
force. The substance itself does not cure.
Organic Germanium as an Adaptogen
When a chemotherapeutic agent is added directly to cancer cells in a test tube,
the cells are destroyed. When organic germanium is added to cancer cells in the
same manner, the cells exhibit no change. The germanium appears to be relatively
ineffective. But organic germanium indirectly stimulates anticancer defenses.
Although organic germanium doesn't cure, it appears to enhance your body's metabolic
ability to do so.
In the case of cancer, it doesn't kill the cells, but stimulates your immune defenses
to produce those substances which will, in turn, help to destroy the antagonist.
Among its functions is its ability to boost the production and/or efficiency of
natural killer cells. (See Chapter 3 for detailed studies.)
Substances which help to normalize body functions indirectly are known as adaptogens.
An adaptogen is classified as nontoxic and having a nonspecific effect, enhancing
your ability to copewith any stress (physical, emotional, or chemical) as needed.
Organic germanium has been reported to normalize acid/alkaline values, glucose
curves, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure rates.
In true adaptogenic fashion, studies show that organic germanium has little effect
on normal and young test animals, but significantly augments the immune response
in aged animals. The immune response normally decreases with age. Organic germanium
may help to retard this process. It should also be noted that it's not that difficult
to breed healthy test animals. In today's polluted world, however, not too many
humans enjoy total, optimal health at any age.
Adaptogens differ from drugs in several ways:
(1) No prescriptions are necessary. They answer the need for those who ask, "What
can I do at home so that I won't have to go to the doctor, or reduce the deleterious
effects
of the drug treatment prescribed for me?"
(2) They are user-friendly. No high-tech equipment, needles, syringes, or professional
expertise are required for use.
(3) They are less costly than most drugs.
(4) They are not habit forming.
(5) A drug continues to work even after a state of normalcy is achieved. An adaptogen
regulates, and is held in abeyance when the challenge ceases to exist.
Organic Germanium As An Oxygen Enhancer
It is no news to the physician working with alternative therapies that the right
kind of supplements have been known to enhance the function of oxygen in cells
and tissues. Nutrients fine-tune metabolism and can often make the difference
between health and disease for anyone struggling with a highly stressed lifestyle.
Cells use oxygen to perform their various functions. The life of your cells rules
the health of your body.
Organic germanium may work as a catalyst, rather than a substitute, for oxygen.
For reasons not yet understood, it has an oxygen sparing effect: it has been shown
to lower the requirement for oxygen. The single most important substance for life-oxygen
- may be the most powerful immune-stimulant of all.
Organic Germanium as Detoxifier
Another role of organic germanium is that of detoxifier: it helps your body to
expel pollutants. Because of the chemical structure of this immune-stimulating
oxide, it tends to bind or chelate (grab), and then remove toxic compounds- and
harmful substances. The chelating effect renders germanium especially helpful
for mercury, cadmium, and similar metal poisonings. This fact should be of interest
to everyone in general (we are almost all subjected to mercury toxicity because
of dental fillings), and to smokers in particular (smoking causes high cadmium
toxicity).
Because of its chelating effect, it is believed that organic germanium functions
as an antioxidant as well as an oxidant.
Organic Germanium and the Body Electric
The fact that our bodies can generate electricity was proved in the eighteenth
century. With the advent of high technology, we can now evaluate health states
by measuring various electrical waves. Studying electrical impulses in your brain,
for example, helps to discern whether or not your brain is functioning normally.
The test that uncovers this information is in widespread use, and is called an
electroencephalograph (EKG). When brain tumors are present, variations from the
normal brain waves announce their presence. The same is true of heart and muscle
areas. Measurements of electrical output can determine just how healthy you are.
Delta waves are recorded in people who are enjoying a good, deep sleep.
And we are all familiar with static electricity sparks that fly out or seem to
sizzle when we brush our hair, or walk across a carpeted room under certain conditions.
If we had no electricity in our bodies, we couldn't use these parameters as health
gauges. One theory thatexplains thebeneficial effects of organic germanium centers
around the need for your body's electricity to be in balance. Organic germanium
is believed to help your body discharge unwanted electrical current, and to allow
much needed current to flow through, thereby establishing the desired electrical
balance.
Dr. Levine describes the role of oxygen as it relates to your electrical energy.
He says, "Like the electrical circuits in your home, your body is also electrical.
Oxygen forms the positive terminal of your cellular battery. Energy from fresh
natural foods provide the current. Trace minerals, like selenium, zinc, iron,
and manganese provide the wiring for the flow of electrical energy. Insulating
material must coat and protect the energy transport machinery. For life, there
must be a continuous flow of electricity, and adequate oxygen to draw the current."
It is predicted that energy medicine is the medicine of the future.
Organic Germanium and Hypoxia
Hypoxia is a serious condition that occurs when oxygen supplies to cells and tissues
are depleted. Symptoms of aging resemble symptoms of hypoxia. If we can bring
more oxygen to tissues, can we forestall mental function decline that occurs so
frequently in older people? Organic germanium has been reported to increase mental
capacity.
Nothing is ever black or white. The shades of gray between very serious illness
and optimal health, or between total senility and minor mental failures, may be
correlated with the degree of oxygen supply. In addition to decreased mental function,
other symptoms associated with the development of hypoxia are fatigue, acidosis,
weakness, and increased susceptibility to infection.
Physicians report that skin takes on a healthy pink color after organic germanium
therapy (even in those areas of the body that had suffered from poor circulation),
and patients report that they feel as though enveloped by a warm glow, a sense
of special well-being. It is believed that the enzyme which inhibits the normal
production of endorphins- your body's natural, homemade morphine-is in turn inhibited
by organic germanium. Therefore, the high spirits and verve. Organic germanium
functions well at human body temperature. As temperature rises, the germanium
current appears to flow more efficiently.
Organic Germanium and Immunity
Interferon production is enhanced when organic germanium is used as a supplement
in immune-compromised people of all ages. The metabolic pathway involved in the
increase of interferon may be its ability to normalize lymphocyte cells, which
are important in the production of antibodies. (An antibody protects against antigens,
which are harmful toxins.) Organic germanium converts inactive marcrophages important
immune cells - to activated ones. It increases natural killer cells, brings blood
hemoglobin levels up, and white cell counts down.22 These are some of the functions
we are aware of. The researchers believe they are just at the tip of the iceberg.
As we learn more about immunity, we should come closer to understanding precisely
how organic germanium works.
Our knowledge of organic germanium increases daily. At this very time, a few dozen
studies are underway in major hospitals, clinics, and laboratories.
Organic Germanium and the American Tradition
A nonspecific medical paradigm doesn't fit our medical milieu. We are inclined
to measure values with increasingly delicate instruments in ever more high-tech
ways to arrive at more and more exact figures. Anything that doesn't fit this
mold is regarded as mystical. Although the manner in which adaptogens may effect
cures lacks western scientific explanation, their success does not depend on miracles,
nor is it a total mystery. We are coming closer to understanding the metabolic
pathways involved.
The use of adaptogens is not old-fashioned, but it is undeniably old. Our scientific
community is not kind to ideas that conflict with "modern" ones. Too often, techniques
that don't fit basic understanding are abandoned, even if they seem to work. Although
research on organic germanium has been excellent, the results and the concept
fly in the face of American medical judgement.
The Japanese are far ahead in recognizing the value of organic germanium. This
may be because the Asian medical system traditionally considers the strength (or
lack of it) and physical characteristics of the specific patient. Symptoms are
interpreted on the basis of a patient's total condition, even when an illness
appears to be pinpointed - such as a red throat. This does not correspond with
the dissection to smaller and smaller and smaller as used in medical practice.
We diagnose, give the sickness a name, and medicate for the masses. A sore throat
is a sore throat is a sore throat, and we do not consider different or total physical
makeup. Meanwhile, the number of illnesses that are not responding to such highly
specialized medicine is on the increase.
But no concepts have grasped the imagination of the American public in recent
years as compellingly as the ideas that we can be responsible for our own health,
or that the body has amazing curative powers if given a chance to heal itself.
The time has come for our medical community to complement its technical advances
with self-healing forces and the substances which promote those forces - even
as the common denominator of healing remains elusive.
Chapter 5
External Applications of Germanium To Relieve Stress and
Pain
What is the unseen energy that spills over from one object or one person and affects
another? How can we explain the electrical currents that exist in parts of the
nervous system? What gives a cell membrane the energy to pump ions back and forth,
in and out of cells? Why does the semiconductor quality of germanium appear to
affect areas of injury or pain when applied topically?
At the turn of the century it was shown that when electrical currents pass through
an aquarium in which larval salamanders were living, their regeneration was speeded.23
When small negative voltages are applied to groups of neurons, their sensitivity
increases.
"Currents of injury," emitted from all wounds, were described by A. M. Sinyukhin
of Lomonosov State University in Moscow. Sinyukhin correlated specific electrical
events from wounds with biochemical changes. For example, he noted that as positive
currents increased in damaged tomato plants, the impaired cells more than doubled
their metabolic rate, became more acidic, and produced more vitamin C than before.
When small amounts of current were increased with the use of batteries, plant
restoration occurred up to three times more quickly. Injury currents involve phenomena
noted in animals as well as plants. Not only are they real, but currents of injury
vary in proportion to the severity of the wound.24
Robert Becker, M.D., renowned for his work on electromagnetism, discovered that
the electrical potential of skin reflects the arrangement of your nervous system.
In the 1920s and 1930s, interest was generated in the idea that direct currents
guide the growth of cells, especially neurons. In 1946, researchers scientifically
confirmed the theory. Neuron fibers do orient themselves along a current flow.
Nonetheless, it took many years for acceptance of this information in the scientific
community. Human sensations have been correlated with electrical data. It was
SzentGyorgyi who taught us that the molecular structure of many parts of the cell
support semiconduction. Although the mysteries of electromagnetism have never
been fully solved, their existence and complexities are facts of life. These events
may explain why supporters and ointments containing germanium tabs are proclaimed
as pain killers.
External Applications of Germanium
Germanium is available for external application in the form of ointment, as soft
tabs woven into fabric supporters, or as metal tabs for band-aid use.
Ointment specially prepared with organic germanium works wonders on skin rashes
and other skin problems. Although anecdotal, you may be as impressed as I was
to learn that a dry-lip rash that one of my sons could not shake for two months,
regardless of effort, disappeared overnight with one application of germanium
ointment.
Because external applications of germanium tabs appear to relieve muscle pain,
supporters containing them are available. In Japan, germanium supporters are sold
in drug stores and are as familiar to the Japanese as Ben Gay is to us.
Small tabs of germanium may be placed on band-aids and applied at acupressure
points. They have been placed at the tips of the eyes to relieve fatigue when
driving or sitting in front of computer screens for long sessions. Specialpurpose
supporters for back pain, tennis elbow, muscle strain, foot aches, and PMS are
available. The germanium tabs are the same; it is merely the shapes of the supporters
that vary so they can be worn with ease at the appointed place on your body. For
example, underpants 1 ined with the tabs have been reported to relieve PMS; knee,
ankle, leg, thigh, elbow, wrist, arm, and belly bands are said to relieve pain
in those specifically-stressed areas. You can see how helpful these supporters
may be for athletes or senior citizens -or anyone with any kind of pain. (I personally
wear a leg band to relieve lactic acid discomfort when I walk aerobically.) External
use of the germanium tabs for headaches, stiff necks, bad circulation, and arthritis
pain have been heralded as beneficial. The tabs themselves remain active indefinitely
as long as they are not exposed to hot water or automatic dryers.
Because everyone is an individual, with differing electrical charges, the "force"
or effect varies from one person to another. People report that relief may be
immediate, or it may take some time. At best, pain is thoroughly eased. At worst,
there is no harm done: germanium is not a radioactive material, so there is no
need for concern. In rare cases, pain will increase initially. According to the
experts, this is a detoxifying reaction, and a sign that the germanium is "working."
The "magic" that penetrates into your skin structure has been conjectured to be
an electric current that is helping to discharge and to balance. Electric fields
and energies interact in many complex ways that have given rise to much of the
natural world, working its wonders unseen and apparently unfelt, and until very
recently, not understood. As stated, energy medicine is predicted to be the medicine
of the near future. Using supporters containing germanium tabs may be the prescription
of tomorrow for the relief of pain and stress. For those interested (or for those
willing to try a modality on the cutting edge of tomorrow), it's here today.
Chapter 6
Risks and Limits: Toxicity and Safety
No substance can be used safely at any level, not even water. Some, however, can
be used at higher or lower quantities than average and still remain within safety
ranges. Nor does every person respond to each and every substance the same way.
But a true immunostimulant should be able to work for a wide sphere of people,
in a broad range of amounts, influencing a multitude of cell types. Organic germanium
is such an immune stimulant.
The term "LD50" is used as a toxicity value. It means thatwhen a substance under
surveillance is administered to a particular number and breed of test animals,
50 percent of the animals die at that specific dosage, the LD50. According to
Dr. Asai, the sesquioxide, or organic, form of germanium is incredibly safe. In
fact, no toxicity has been discovered at dosages ten times greater than the highest
dose that Dr. Asai administered. The LD50 for germanium, as demonstrated in test
animals, is 10 grams per killogram of body weight. Obviously, there are no toxic
symptoms worthy of particular attention. Researchers have translated the test
results in animals to ascertain that organic germanium would be safe for humans
even at tens of grams per day. This is many-fold in excess of any amount that
any person would ever require. The antioxidant properties of organic germanium
may contribute to its nontoxic attributes.
Some of the first tests validating the safety of germanium were actually performed
in this country in the 1960s. Germanium proved to be neither tumorigenic or carcinogenic.
There were fewer tumors in test animals fed germanium than in the controls .26
Animals were exposed for their lifetimes to small amounts of germanium, cadmium,
and several other metals. The substances were added to their drinking water in
an effort to find out if human diseases could be reproduced. Disease states developed
only in those given cadmium. It is not surprising that an element like germanium
that does not accumulate in human tissues with age is not toxic. (Cadmium accumulates
in kidneys, arteries, and liver, where it interferes with enzyme systems.)
The clinical effects and safety of organic germanium reported by Dr. Asai have
been confirmed by many studies. Research has been done to test for both acute
and chronic toxicity. One such study was done at the School of Pharmaceutical
Science, Kitasato University, Tokyo, verifying Dr. Asai's claims. This report
shows that organic germanium possesses no toxic properties at conventional levels,
and almost no toxicity at extremely high dosages. Gross anatomical observation
of liver, kidneys, spleen, and other organs exhibited no noteworthy changes after
extremely large amounts of organic germanium were administered.
The Japanese journal Pharmacometrics also reported that the general effects of
germanium compounds were totally nontoxic, even at very high levels. Furthermore,
the product was discharged from the body through the digestive tract within 20
to 30 hours. This is rapid clearance for a substance so powerful, and one reason
why organic germanium is not considered a drug, but rather a healthgiving product.
Organic germanium is stable against temperature, humidity, and light. No changes
occur in appearance, content, solubility, and quantity, nor are any decomposed
products detected when organic germanium is kept at room temperature for 36 months.
Dr. Asai never administered more than two or two-and-a-half grams to patients
per day, even to those who were extremely ill. As with most nutritional therapeutics,
any side effects are not serious and disappear either when treatment stops, or
after treatment has progressed for several weeks. Post-surgical patients treated
with about two grams of organic germanium daily registered complaints of symptoms
that were minor, and which disappeared in three weeks. Slight skin eruptions,
occurring in only about two percent of patients, cleared within a short time.
Because the skin is a major detoxifying organ, skin eruptions after germanium
treatment represent the body's reaction to rid itself of toxins. Other avenues
of discharge are urine and feces. Urination may be increased, and feces may become
softer, watery, and more frequent. (Unlike diarrhea, there are no abdominal pains.)
Although germanium sesquioxide is the safer variety, even germanium dioxide, the
nonorganic type, has been shown to be safe at low levels. This is not true at
high levels, however. The Journal of Toxicological Science reports on accumulation
of germanium dioxide in the tissues of a long-term user who died of acute renal
failure . The patient had been taking 600 milligrams of inorganic germanium (germanium
dioxide) daily for 18 months.
Be assured that the germanium you purchase is verified by the manufacturer to
be organic germanium - or bis-betacarboxyethyl germanium sesquioxide. Reputable
manufacturers routinely test expensive raw materials like germanium in their own
laboratories to verify the chemical structure of the products before final formulation.
Chapter 7
A WORKING PLAN FOR ADDING GERMANIUM TO YOUR DIET
The development of malignancy in a cell is a long-term process, yet it involves
recent events. For example, lung cancer in smokers is precipitated by exposure
over many years. However, giving up smoking sharply reduces your risk. No matter
what your past medical history, or how old you are, making dietary
changes for the better improves life quality.
People who move to new locations often acquire the cancer rates of their new environment.
For each cancer known in the United States, some society or group elsewhere has
been successful in avoiding it. This emphasizes the role of diet and environment
in disease.
An individual's diet is a key factor in the development of even genetically determined
diseases, according to Dr. Robert Good, formerly of the Sloan-Kettering Institute
for Cancer Research in New York. Dr. Good believes that dietary modification may
forestall or even completely prevent development of these diseases and correspondingly
lengthen and enhance the quality of life.
The effect of diet on health is no longer debated. Vitamins and minerals, plus
the amount of protein, fats, carbohydrates, and fiber have been found to modify
the expression of toxicity and carcinogenicity of environmental agents. Slowly,
the practice of treating such disease with nutritional intervention is becoming
more popular. Nutritional status helps to explain why some people are susceptible
to disease while others are apparently spared, even when both are exposed to similar
toxins. Evidence points to the fact that nutritional status may be improved with
organic germanium, whether it is ingested in age-old healing agents like Siberian
ginseng, chlorella, and Reishi and shiitake mushrooms, or in twentieth century
supplemental form. It is readily absorbed from water, edible plants, and animal
products.
Table Talk
Organic germanium compound is indeed the "new nutrition kid on the block," a landmark
development in nutritional medicine. If you want to include it in food sources,
here area few nutrition notes:
Garlic. This pungent herb enhances the flavor of many cooked dishes as well as
cold salads. Cloves of garlic may be cut into slivers or crushed before being
added to hearty stews or grain dishes. (To minimize the smell of garlic after
eating it, chew a sprig or two of parsley, or sprinkle chlorella granules into
some water, and use as a rinse before swallowing the mixture.)
Ginseng. Ginseng is used occasionally as seasoning; it is more commonly made into
a tea. Soviet cosmonauts have been issued pieces of ginseng to take on missions
into space as a preventive against ailments.
Comfrey. Similar to spinach in preparation and taste, comfrey offers excellent
nutrient value served raw and is delicious when lightly steamed and buttered.
Chlorella. Chlorella granules may be added to a variety of recipes such as salads
and soups. My favorite company hors d'ouvre is something I call "Green-Marine
Taco Spread": 2 tablespoons chlorella granules; 2 tablespoons plain yogurt; 1
clove minced garlic; 1 cube bouillon; 2 tablespoons tamari; 1/2 cup tofu; ground
pepper; 4 tablespoons sesame seeds. Combine all ingredients and blend well.
A Chlorella Smoothie can be mixed by adding 1/2 tablespoon of chlorella granules
to 8 ounces of apple juice, 1 or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and a few dashes
of cinnamon.
Watercress. This is a popular salad garnish with a mild but peppery flavor. In
addition to adding watercress leaves to your salads, try chopping them finely
to use as seasoning. Or simply place a bunch of watercress in a bowl of water,
leave it on your kitchen counter, and nibble the leaves through the day.
Purists who eat meat seek only organic meat products. The health-oriented may
soon be able to purchase germanium-raised organic meat in the near future. One
organic rancher in Nebraska has started using germanium in animal feed. He claims
that organic germanium has the same effect as the antibiotics (the animals grow
fatter faster, and so on), but with the use of germanium, his animals remain healthy,
if not healthier. Since organic germanium helps detoxification, these animals
have fewer toxins. Organic-germanium beef may be one solution to the degredation
of our foodways. The Nebraska rancher believes he can stop the cancer in the meat
chain.
One company bottles and sells water from Utah's inland sea, the Great Salt Lake,
because it contains a significant quantity of germanium. Another company grows
vegetable products hydroponically (in water) in a germanium medium to build up
the germanium concentration to 800 parts per million. A patent for barley sprouts
grown with germanium has been obtained in Japan.
Although germanium is believed to be absorbed more efficiently in food form, the
quantities found in food may be too limited for therapy. Small amounts can, however,
serve for prevention.
Germanium as a Supplement
Because germanium occurs in such small quantities in plants, and because
its synthesis involves a difficult process, the cost of supplemental organic germanium
may appear to be high when compared with some other supplements. Needless to say,
you could never get large quantities in food. And like so many other nutrients,
germanium is lost when foods are grown in tired soils, or when they are processed
or overcooked. Germanium is present, for example in a whole grain, but not in
refined flours.
The stability of organic germanium, described in Chapter 6, offers many advantages.
Like vitamin C, the effective dose spans a wide spectrum. It can be helpful in
microgram amounts, yet an optimal quantity for cancer or serious infections is
5 or 6 grams, administered by a physician. And, like vitamin C, it is not stored
in your body, but is cleared rapidly.
As a preventive measure, 25 or 30 milligrams a day is usually recommended. For
minor problems, 50 to 100 milligrams daily is more effective. For relief of severe
pain or for achieving an overall "good" feeling, a gram or gram and a half a day
may be prescribed. And for those who are seriously ill, a few grams a day may
be recommended by the physician. (Larger amounts should never be taken without
consulting a physician.) As stated, Dr. Asai never used more than 2 or 2 1/2 grams,
and even reported success with 500 milligrams a day. If he could not cure malignancy
with these amounts, at least the pain of advanced cancer was dramatically reduced.
Serafina Corsello, M.D., of the Corsello Centers in Huntington, New York, says,
"Because germanium is a powerful stimulator of the immune system, I allow a 'cooling
off period for very ill patients. This prevents a 'die-off effect. An alternating
protocol gives the system an opportunity to unwind before the next stimulation
phase. The recommendation is five days on and two days off. (Take organic germanium
from Monday to Friday, and none on the weekend.) The sicker the person, the greater
the response. A sick patient may even get a rash, but the cooling down period
usually prevents both the die-off effect and other symptoms.
"Work up to prescribed dosages gradually. Very ill people those who experience
severe fatigue and petrochemical sensitivity - require from 150 to 500 milligrams
daily.
"It is also advisable to check the adrenals. If the adrenals are not functioning
properly, you are beating a dead horse."
Although sometimes administered intramuscularly and intravenously, organic germanium
is very successful when taken orally. The absorption rate is even higher when
taken sublingually (under the tongue), quickly affecting your lymph and circulatory
systems.
This method increases absorption by 15 to 20 percent. Nasal application (sniffing)
is also an efficient method, but some may find that this manner of absorption
irritates nasal passages.
Smaller amounts of organic germanium are used for lung cancer because of the rapid
circulation and metabolism of that organ. Only 15 milligrams daily have been demonstrated
to help those with candida. It has an energizing effect at equally small dosages.
For more serious illness, frequent and smaller quantities appear to be better
than larger amounts taken less often.
In Conclusion
These are the first facts about life-sustaining organic germanium, common denominator
in renowned remedies.
Nutritional supplementation has been accepted as a therapeutic measure in treating
vitamin-dependency syndromes. Supplementary oxidant/antioxidant administration
may be just as therapeutic in providing protection against free radicals and oxygen
deficiencies.
Unfortunately, we cannot always control many factors in our environment. We can,
however, control the quality and quantity of our nutrition. As the organic germanium
story continues to unfold, we look ahead to more knowledge and uses for "the new
nutrition kid on the block" -organic germanium.
APPENDIX A
Food Substances Containing Significant Quantities
of Germanium
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