There are several potential therapies that I believe are highly promising but are, for various reasons, relatively unknown even within the world of alternative/complementary/naturopathic medicine. In the past I’ve written extensively about the use of deuterium depleted water (DDW), and you can read about that here or watch a video I made about it for patients here or a bit more technical talk I gave about DDW as a cancer therapy here.
Another relatively obscure therapy I think has great potential is the use of gallium. Gallium, abbreviated Ga on the periodic table of the elements, is classified as a semimetal. A few dozen studies have been published on gallium as a cancer therapy, an antimicrobial therapy, anti-inflammatory, anti-biofilm, and other uses. While some forms of it are quite toxic, especially to the kidneys, there are gallium salts such as gallium maltolate that are nontoxic when taken orally even at quite high doses.
It is believed that one reason gallium works as a cancer therapy is because cancer cells have a very big appetite for iron, which fuels their rapid cell division. The iron that cancer cells use has a charge of +3, also called ferric iron. Gallium also has a +3 charge. Evidence suggests that cancer cells take up gallium as though it were iron, but they can’t use the gallium to support DNA replication as they do with iron. Gallium, then, is like a Trojan horse: brought into the cancer cell intentionally, but then revealed to be an imposter.
Gallium taken orally has been studied as a treatment for a few different cancer types. The one with the most published research is glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer. Other studies have been published on non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, bladder cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Given the big appetite all cancer cells have for iron, my strong suspicion is that gallium would inhibit the growth of any cancer cell type tested. In fact pancreatic cancer cells, representing one of the most lethal forms of cancer, also happens to have the greatest need for iron to maintain its growth.
In addition to taking it orally, gallium can be nebulized to treat either infections or cancer in the lungs. It can also be prepared as a vaginal or rectal suppository to treat cervical, uterine, ovarian, colorectal, or prostate cancer. Topical gallium can be applied to virtually any skin condition, from painful neuralgias, spider bites, and sunburns, to eczema, psoriasis, and even skin cancers.
For topical (low-dose) applications gallium can be purchased at http://gallixa.com, the website maintained by Dr. Lawrence Bernstein. Dr. Bernstein is one of the world’s leading experts on the chemistry and biological effects of gallium. Other uses of gallium such as oral or nebulized require that I write a prescription and give instructions on how to implement those therapies.
Because gallium competes with iron in the body, I have found that some patients taking high-dose oral gallium experience fatigue due to an induced anemia, which can require dosage adjustments or cycling of the therapy.
The biggest limiting factor for the therapy is the cost. At the recommended therapeutic dose of oral gallium, the monthly cost is around $500. This is substantial for patients who are typically already spending several hundred dollars monthly on other therapies. Gallium used in a nebulizer or in suppositories entails much lower doses per use and thus can cost as low as $50/month, making it much more feasible in the situations where these applications of gallium are appropriate.
If gallium is so impressive, why haven’t I already recommended gallium as a treatment for you personally? Not every patient can or should implement every possible therapy. Researching and tailoring individual treatment plans to each patient takes up the large majority of my time. If you feel you would like to learn more about and potentially implement gallium in any way other than topically (which you can do on your own), schedule a conversation with me via https://gregnigh.com/schedule, call 503-719-4806, or email drnigh_info@gregnigh.com.
Addendum:
Since writing this article, Dr. Bernstein—the only US supplier for gallium maltolate I am aware of—let me know that he is currently unable to obtain bulk gallium from his supplier in China. China apparently supplies nearly 100% of the world’s gallium. He is hopeful that he will once again be able to obtain it in October. I am unable to start new gallium treatment programs with patients until Dr. Bernstein is able to re-establish his supply. I apologize for any disappointment but will stay in touch with him to be sure I know as soon as it is available again.
