about Colloidal Silver
What is colloidal silver?
How does colloidal silver work?
How should one use colloidal silver?
Dosage ?
Are there any dangers or side effects?
How much research has been done on colloidal silver?
What is the FDA's standpoint on colloidal silver?
Colloidal Silver is a solution of extremely fine sub microscopic particles
(.015 - .005 microns) of pure silver suspended in water by a positive
electric charge on each particle. The particles remain suspended
throughout the solution because these positive charged particles repel
each other with a greater force than gravity can exert upon. A powerful
germicidal, silver is an exceptional metal in that it is non-toxic to the
human body, but lethal to over 650 disease causing bacteria, viruses,
fungi, parasites, and molds; while conventional pharmaceutical
antibiotics are typically effective against only 6 or 7 types of bacteria .
Some new strains of bacteria classified as MDR (Multiple Drug Resistant)
have proven to be resistant to all pharmaceutical antibiotics, but not to
colloidal silver due to different germicidal mechanisms of deactivation.
How does colloidal silver work?
Colloidal silver works in several ways. Its very effective anti-microbial
properties have resulted in use by doctors for the treatment of AIDS,
Cancer, Epstein Barr, Gonorrhea, Lyme's Disease, Candida, fungus,
warts and parasites.
In order to understand how colloidal silver works, one must first
understand that the human body is and aerobic organism and that the
infectious organisms to the human body are almost exclusively
anaerobic. The body encounters pathogens and other foreign entities
many times a day. When the body is healthy, it maintains a proper pH
and oxygen-rich environment. The pH (parts Hydrogen) inside the cells
of the body are usually near an alkaline pH 7.2-7.4. Outside the cell, the
fluid surrounding the cells will usually realize an acidic pH near 4.0.
However, when an individual does not maintain a healthy environment in
the body, the pH begins to rise in the outer fluid and fall inside the cell.
This reduces the electrical potential of the cell. The oxygen levels in the
body respond by decreasing. Anaerobic Pathogens that grow in the
oxygen deficient tissues will usually attack these weakened cells and
"set up shop". Organisms that cause illness and attack these weak cells
cannot survive in healthy cells that have outer fluid pH below ~4.0 and
inner cellular fluid above pH ~6.9. Silver maintains a positive charge
which when introduced to areas of infection, disrupt the organisms
causing the illness.
Interestingly, colloidal silver kills the pathogens by inhibiting the
enzyme(s) that these pathogens utilize to survive in their anaerobic
environment. This enzyme(s) is the pathogen's "chemical lung". Without
the necessary enzyme(s) for metabolism, growth, regeneration and
survival, the pathogens "suffocate" and die. It is believed that viruses
are destroyed because the electric valence charge of silver particles
cause their protective protein coat, also referred to as the "head", to
collapse and are rendered unable to replicate. The cells infected by virus
will also be susceptible to enzymatic inhibition. They are then removed
from the body by the immune, lymphatic, and intestinal elimination
systems. This process is so effective that no pathogen has been
recorded to mutate against colloidal silver or live in its presence for more
than 6 minutes. While antibiotics are losing their effectiveness, as
several strains of germs are becoming resistant to conventional
antibiotics, they are not able to develop any resistant strains or immunity
to SILVER.
Richard Davies and Samuel Etris of The Silver Institute, in a 1996
monograph entitled The Development and Functions of Silver in Water
Purification and Disease Control, discuss three mechanisms of
deactivation that silver utilizes to incapacitate disease causing
organisms. They are Catalytic Oxidation, Reaction with Cell Membranes,
and Binding with the DNA of disease organisms to prevent unwinding.
Catalytic Oxidation:
Silver, in its atomic state, has the capacity to absorb oxygen and act as a
catalyst to bring about oxidation. Atomic (nascent) oxygen absorbed
onto the surface of silver ions in solution will readily react with the
sulfhydryl (-S-H) groups surrounding the surface of bacteria or viruses
to remove the hydrogen atoms (as water), causing the sulfur atoms to
form an R-S-S-R bond; blocking respiration and causing the bacteria to
expire. Employing a simple catalytic reduction/oxidation reaction,
colloidal silver will react with any negative charge presented by the
organism's transport or membrane proteins and deactivate them.
Reaction with Bacterial Cell Membranes:
There is evidence that silver ions attach to membrane surface radicals of
bacteria, impairing cell respiration and blocking its energy transfer
system. One explanation is based on the nature of enzyme construction:
Specific enzymes are required for a given biochemical activity to take
place. Enzyme molecules usually require a specific metallic atom as part
of the molecular matrix in order to function. A metal of higher valance
can replace a metal of lower valance in the enzyme complex, preventing
the enzyme from functioning normally. Silver, with a valance of plus 2,
can replace many metals with a lower, or equal valance that exhibit
weaker atomic bonding properties.
Binding with DNA:
Studies by C.L. Fox and S.M. Modak with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a
tenacious bacteria that is difficult to treat, demonstrated that as much as
12% of silver is taken up by the organism's DNA. While it remains
unclear exactly how the silver binds to the DNA without destroying the
hydrogen bonds holding the lattice together, it nevertheless prevents
the DNA from unwinding, an essential step
for cellular replication to occur.
How should one use colloidal silver?
Colloidal Silver may be taken orally or topically; applied directly to the
skin. It can be used vaginally, anally, atomized or inhaled into the nose
or lungs, and dropped into eyes. Liquid silver as well as new gel
formulations, may be applied directly to the skin. A few drops on a Q-Tip
or Band-Aid may be used to disinfect any wound or sore. Properly
prepared, colloidal silver can also be injected into a muscle, a cancerous
tumor, or into the bloodstream.
Dosage?
An extremely conservative approach would be to start with 1 or 3
teaspoons once or twice a day, however colloidal silver is not a
poisonous substance like drugs are and therefore dosage is not
critical-even for children.
For colds and flu symptoms, one or two tablespoons 3-4 times daily
frequently will speed recovery.
For mouth infections, frequently rinse the affected area for at least 6
minutes before swallowing.
Overdosing should not be of concern, even if recommended doses are
exceeded. If, after a few days of use, one experiences a detoxification
effect in the form of feeling sluggish or mild aches, increase water
consumption to speed the elimination of toxins and taper back the silver
dosage to match the rate of toxin elimination.
It is safe for pregnant and nursing women and is known to aid the
developing fetus in growth. It will not generate free radicals or interfere
with enzyme activity. It has no reaction with other medications.
Are there any dangers or side effects?
The Environmental Protection Agency's Poison Control Center reports
no toxicity listing for Colloidal Silver. Regular ingestion of colloidal silver
can act as a second immune system by assisting the body in the war
against invading micro-organisms. Unlike pharmaceutical antibiotic
which destroy beneficial enzymes,
colloidal silver leaves these tissue cell enzymes intact.
Colloidal Silver, if used sensibly, is completely non-toxic and will not
harm the immune system in any way. Critics of colloidal silver will often
warn that regular consumption of colloidal silver might lead to Argyria, a
bluish/ gray discoloration of the skin. Dr. Bob Beck debunks this
statement as a scare tactic by pro pharmaceutical interests. Dr Beck has
indicated that Argyria is caused by silver compounds, such as silver
nitrate, silver sulfate, silver sulfadiazine, etc., and not micro particles of
pure elemental silver . Apparently, silver colloids are mostly absorbed in
the upper gastrointestinal tract, since colloidal silver does not seem to
adversely affect friendly bacteria in the lower intestines. Silver can be
toxic to nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, but is normally
prevented from entering those areas by the blood-brain barrier. Silver
has not demonstrated any evidence of carcinogenic activity.
The body eliminates excess silver via the metallothiones. These
ubiquitous proteins, first characterized in 1957, have the property of
binding with heavy metals, such as silver, into metal-thiolate-cluster
structures which aid in transportation, storage, and elimination of
nonessential trace metals which enter the body.
How much research has been done on colloidal silver?
Silver has been used as a germicide for thousands of years. Ancient
texts, including Pliny the Elder's great tome, Natural History, Book 23 (78
A.D.) discusses the extraordinary wound healing capacity of silver slag
as an ingredient in plasters. The German obstetrician, Franz Crede,
observed in 1884 that up to 79% of blind children in various orphanages
and institutions were born to mothers who, at the time of the child's
birth, had venereal disease. He found that a 1% solution of silver nitrate
dropped into the eyes of newborns, reduced the incidence of VD caused
blindness to less than 0.2%. In 1988, colloidal silver was tested at the
UCLA Medical Laboratory.
The UCLA report stated that:
" The silver solutions were antibacterial for concentrations of 1 million
organisms per ml of Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus
[which in now resistant to Vancomycin, the strongest pharmaceutical
antibiotic available] , Neisseria gonorrhea, Gardnerella Vaginalis,
Salmonella Typhi [responsible for salmonella food poisoning and
Typhus], and other enteric pathogens; and fungicidal for Candida
albicans [the common yeast infection, in vaginitis and Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome], Candida globata, and M. Furfur."
Dr Robert Becker, M.D ., author of The Body Electric and Crosscurrents
found that silver caused cells to dedifferentiate and re-differentiate in the
process of regenerative healing.
" What we had actually done was rediscovered the fact that silver killed
bacteria, which had been known for centuries...when antibiotics were
discovered, clinical uses for silver as an antibiotic were discarded."
Becker said in a 1995 interview with Bio/Tech News.
Dr Becker conducted extensive research into the healing properties of
silver for many years at the Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse University,
Syracuse, New York. The experiments concluded that silver works on a
wide range of bacteria, without any known side effects or damage to the
cells of the body. Becker discovered that the silver was doing something
more than just killing disease causing organisms: He said it was also
causing major growth stimulation of injured tissues . Dr. Becker
concluded that the presence of the silver ions may help to regenerate
tissue, eliminate old or cancerous cells, and other diseased or abnormal
tissue conditions.
Dr. Henry Crooks (author, Use of Colloids in Health Disease) found that
silver in the colloidal state is highly germicidal, quite harmless to
humans and absolutely non-toxic. From his bacteriological experiments
with silver he concluded:
"I know of no microbe that is not killed in laboratory experiments in six
minutes."
Dr. Bjorn Nordenstrom, of the Larolinska Institute, Sweden, has
successfully used silver as a component in his cancer treatments for
many years. Dr. Leonard Keene Hirschberg, A. M., M. D. (John Hopkins)
states:
"Speaking generally, the colloidal metals are especially remarkable for
their beneficial action in infective states."
Dr. Richard L. Davies, executive director of the Silver Institute, which
monitors silver technology in 37 countries, reports:
"In four years we've described 87 important new medical uses for silver.
We're just beginning to see to what extent silver can relieve suffering."
Finally, Peter Lindemann reports in his 1997 article, Colloidal Silver, A
Closer Look that a study conducted in part by the Institute of
Microbiology in Rome, Italy and published in Applied and Environmental
Microbiology (Dec. 1992), stated that:
"Pure electro-colloidal silver out- performed silver nitrate, silver chloride,
and silver sulfadiazine as a broad spectrum germicide. For all classes of
bacteria, fungus, and mold samples tested, pure electro-colloidal silver
worked better, and at much lower concentrations. They concluded that
any additives reduced the effectiveness of the pure silver ion; the silver
salts being as much as 100 times less effective ."
What is the FDA's standpoint on colloidal silver?
Since colloidal silver was in common use as an antibiotic prior to 1938
when the FDA was created, its use was grandfathered-in and not subject
to FDA approval. Many promoters of colloidal silver had ballyhooed a
1991 letter authored by the FDA which they said (at the time) that they
would not attempt to control colloidal silver as long as its uses were
confined to pre 1938 published protocols. However, the growing
popularity of colloidal since 1991, has created pressure from threatened
pharmaceutical interests to get the FDA to regulate the availability of
colloidal silver .[Update: Feb 2001 the FDA now claims jurisdiction over
the sale of colloidal silver and will not allow any "medical claims" be
made in association with the sale of colloidal silver.]
As a result, today the FDA is attempting to subvert the grandfather
clause and is seeking to gain approval status over the use and
production of colloidal silver on the outrageous premise that since
colloidal silver has proven to be such an effective broad spectrum germ
fighter in its ability to cure new strains of bacteria (not in existence in
1938), that its use should be subject to their jurisdiction! It's clear to
anyone who examines the subject, that the FDA is a champion for the
pharmaceutical industry and on their behalf attempts to suppress the
use of cheap, non-patentable, natural, alternative therapies at every
opportunity. Silver, after all, is merely a metal.
It's a harmless element of Nature. What business does the FDA have
in attempting to regulate its use?
The above educational statements make no medical claims
and have not been evaluated by the FDA.
