June 9, 2008
Gold isn’t just gorgeous. It also has several applications in the biomedical field. Many of these medical uses actually date back thousands of years. Gold-based medical preparations were used in India and Egypt for a variety of ailments. In ancient China, these medicines treated skin ulcers and measles. Gold foils were placed in tea and food in Japan to benefit the health in Japan. Currently, scientists are researching new applications and uses for gold in biomedical devices and medicines.
Last week, we discussed how gold can be used in the construction of space shuttles. Gold is used in various branches of the sciences, including the biomedical field.
If you have gold jewelry, then you know the quality and lasting value of gold. This is why you can sell gold jewelry, even if you have had it for years. Those same properties apply when gold is used in less decorative applications. Gold is highly resistant to bacteria, so it is often used for surgery on the ear and for implants that carry a risk of infection.
In the 1920s Jacques Forestier of France found that gold could be used to treat arthritis. Scientists in the post-World War II era found that they got positive results using gold to treat rheumatoid arthritis patients as well.
Right now, researchers are looking for new ways to use gold compounds in the treatment of HIV and cancer. Currently, platinum-based drugs are used to treat cancer but these drugs have some potentially harmful side effects. Researchers have found when gold is mixed with phosphine, the resulting compound can ward of tumors.
On the mechanical side of things, gold is known to be very effective in the operation of mechanical devices. And medical devices, much like other electronics, benefit from gold. Gold can be found in ventilators and pacemakers.
Gold has so many uses. Of course the use that may be of most interest to you is the use of gold as an income booster. If you sell gold to a gold buyer, you will have a little more green to line your pockets.