Q. Is it true that gold shots work for arthritis?
A. Injected gold salts are an old-fashioned treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. This approach goes back more than 70 years and can be quite effective in reducing inflammation.
Oral gold (such as auranofin) is less effective. Both forms of gold may take several months to produce improvement. Side effects of injectable gold include a serious skin rash, mouth ulcers and kidney damage. Oral gold can cause nausea, hair thinning, blood disorders and reduced appetite.
