Germanium is a trace mineral with no Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) established. It is abundant on the surface of the earth and is in most plants. Certain disease conditions respond favorably to germanium supplementation including: arthritis, asthma, neuralgia, diabetes, leukemia, food allergies, yeast infection, HIV/AIDS, chronic viral infections like Epstein Barr syndrome, angina, stroke, Raynaud?s disease, burns and pain associated with cancer. Germanium may reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol and favorable influence the immune system.

Germanium is believed to function by increasing oxygen function within the system. Because of this, it is considered to be an antioxidant. Germanium has been known to increase Natural Killer (NK) cells and T-suppressor cells in the body thus enhancing the immune system and assisting in anti-cancer activity.

The ?holy waters? at Lourdes, known for their healing properties contains large amounts of germanium.

Best natural food sources of Germanium include: Garlic, Shiitake mushrooms, onions, bran, whole wheat flour, vegetables, seeds, meats, dairy products, aloe vera, comfrey, ginseng and suma.

I had never heard of suma and you may not have either, so I looked it up. Suma is a large, rambling, shrubby ground vine with an intricate, deep, and extensive root system. It is indigenous to South America and is also known as para toda (meaning "for all things") and is also known as Brazilian ginseng, since it is widely used as an adaptogen with numerous applications. An adaptogen is a plant that increases the body's resistance to adverse influences by a wide range of physical, chemical, and biochemical factors and has a normalizing or restorative effect on the body as a whole.

If you are craving some or most of these foods, this is an indication that you may be needing more germanium. You may want to look into an ionic mineral source such as New Vision Ionic Minerals as it has many trace minerals in it that other supplements do not have.

Dr. Denice Moffat is a practicing naturopath, medical intuitive, and veterinarian working on the family unit (which includes humans and animals) through her phone consultation practice established in 1995. She has a content-rich website at http://www.NaturalHealthTechniques.com and free internationally distributed monthly newsletter.