From: George Eby (coldcure@realtime.com)
Subject: Navicular Disease- curable!
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Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Date: 1996/09/29
Is Navicular Disease in Horses Curable? Probably!
by George Eby, 2109 Paramount Avenue Austin, Texas 78704
e-mail coldcure@coldcure.com voice/fax 442-2933
Is navicular disease curable? From a historical perspective, it is
not. Steel egg bar shoes, more upright shoeing, and isoxoprine are the
best bets in the early stages, with nerving performed in the later
stages. Eventually, the horse becomes no longer usable, remains a
cripple for the rest of its life, or is euthanized. The navicular bone
of a horse acts as a fulcrum over which tendons from the back of the leg
attach to the coffin bone in the foot. This fulcrum is subject to both
compressive and surface shear forces. That navicular disease in horses
starts as result of a trauma, over exertion, malnutrition and
combinations is well accepted.
However, positively charged, trivalent aluminum ions (Al3+) is one
important previously unrecognized cause of bone resorption and
osteomalacia (bone softening, crushing, and breaking in mature
vertebrates not associated with Vitamin D deficiency), and in particular
the loss of surface bone. Aluminum ions in bone cause bone pain and
proximal myopathy (disorders of adjoining muscles).(ref 1)
The similarities in surface bone loss caused by aluminum ion compared
to surface bone loss in navicular disease sound strikingly similar.
Aluminum is the third most abundant element on the surface of the
Earth. It has been held captive in rock biologically unavailable for 3
billion years. Industrialization has resulted in acid rains that have
decreased the pH of lake waters to the point where Al3+ is leached out
of rocks and soil. Horses can also pick up biologically available
aluminum from plants and grasses. In the case of horses with aluminum
shoes, acidification from urine could leach out Al3+ from the shoe and
be directly absorbed into the feet. Aluminum ion has no role in
vertebrate life-forms, and is always considered a toxin.
Aluminum is a group IIIa element under boron in the periodic table of
the elements. In some complex boron-containing biomolecules, boron
prevents bone resorption in laboratory animals, exactly the reverse of
aluminum, however it has some neurotoxicity.
Below aluminum in the periodic table is gallium, a liquid metal at room
temperature. Gallium, in considerable excess of aluminum, effectively
competes with aluminum for absorption in bone and displaces aluminum,
similar to the way that immunoregulatory zinc replaces carcinogenic
cadmium found in tobacco smoke.
According to Raymond P. Warrell, Jr., M.D., of the Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center, in New York City, elemental gallium and its
various compounds are potent inhibitors of bone resorption that acts to
maintain or restore bone mass. By virtue of these biological effects,
gallium compounds (mainly gallium nitrate) are useful treatments for a
variety of human diseases that are characterized by accelerated bone
loss, including cancer-related hypercalcemia, bone metastases, Paget's
disease, and post menopausal osteoporosis.(REF 2)
Gallium nitrate in appropriate dosages is considered a safe and highly
effective agent in reducing accelerated bone loss in both cancer and
metabolic bone disease, and in restoration of bone mass. Gallium
nitrate converts blood hypercalcemia into hypocalcemia, resulting in a
marked reduction in urinary calcium. It causes a higher accretion rate
of radio-labeled calcium into bone, suggesting gallium nitrate enhanced
mineralization of newly forming bone rather than simply acting to
decrease physiologic resorption. Gallium concentrates in the
metabolically active metaphysis (end), and notably in the epiphyseal
region of bones along with calcium strengthening bone.(REF 2)
Dr. Warrell suggested to me by telephone in August, 1996, that a
navicular horse would reasonably benefit from a 250 mg oral dose of
gallium nitrate per day as an adjunct to standard treatments and reduced
work. He could not predict a time period for recovery. Consequently,
an X-ray exam should be performed at the start of treatment, days 30,
60, 120, 180 and 365 until the literature establishes the average
recovery time. Bone pain (lameness) will disappear much sooner than
complete bone repair, consequently, training and exertion should be
limited until X-ray examination shows recovery is complete.
Gallium nitrate by the Aldridge Corporation is available in reagent
grade (99.99% pure) from many chemical supply houses in bulk form.
It would seem that aluminum shoes could be a contributing factor to
navicular disease and their non-use should be considered. Switching to
steel egg bar shoes also could be beneficial by eliminating a possible
source of Al3+ ion.
_______________________
(1) Alfrey Allen C., M.D. (1995) "Toxicity of Detrimental Metal Ions -
Aluminum", (Guy Berthon, editor), Handbook of Metal-Ligand
Interactions in Biological Fluids - Bioinorganic Medicine, Volume 2,
Marcel
Dekker, Inc., New York.
(2) Warrell, Raymond P., M.D., "Gallium for Treatment of Bone Diseases",
ibid.
--
GEORGE EBY RESEARCH
2109 Paramount Avenue, Austin, TX 78704 US
voice/fax 512-442-2933
coldcure.com e-mail coldcure@coldcure.com |
