Colloidal Silver - Whats the hype?
Amazing claims are being made around the world that “colloidal silver” can cure over 650 illnesses with the only side effect (on the rare occasion) being Argyria – Argyria being the result of silver (the oxide and chloride salts are mostly responsible) depositing itself in the dermis and causing a bluish-grey discoloration of the skin….
By Richard Davies
1. Kill all disease causing bacteria, fungi and
virus within six minutes of contact.
2. Has no harmful side effects and may be used
safely as a natural anti-biotic/germicidal.
3. Has been used successfully against diseases
including HIV, cholera, diabetes, leprosy, leukaemia, lupus, skin cancer,
syphilis and whooping cough.
Perhaps before
discussing the subject any further we should firstly agree on what colloidal silver is. The term was coined in the early 19th century by
Thomas Graham to distinguish those materials in aqueous solution that would not
pass through a parchment membrane from those that would.
It’s described in the scientific literature as “A state of matter in which finely divided particles of one substance are suspended in another in such a manner that the electrical and surface properties acquire special importance." Put another way, a colloid is a nano-sized particle (silver metal for this example but they may be solid, liquid or gaseous), that is dispersed into a medium (sol) that holds the particles suspended without dissolving them. Milk, blood, smoke and clouds are all excellent examples of “true colloidal” states (smoke and cloud combining adsorption would then be smog.
There seems to be
some confusion between the terms colloidal and ionic. Many wrongly believe they
are the same thing due to the continual reinforcement of this fact by many, but
this is certainly not the case. Perhaps Berkeley's (University of California)
‘Glossary of Nuclear Science Terms’ is partly to blame with their definition of
an ion being "An atomic particle that is electrically charged, either negative
or positive". They are obviously correct with their definition (it is
Silver particles
consist of two or more silver atoms clustered together. Silver particles have
the physical properties of metallic silver. Silver ions do not have the physical
properties of metallic silver. A silver ion is a single atom of silver that is
missing one orbital electron. Since it is the outermost orbital electrons of
atoms that determine the physical properties of matter, the missing electron
causes dramatic changes in the physical properties. For example, metallic silver
is not water soluble (does not dissolve in water) but a silver ion is water
soluble and cannot exist without the water or some other solvent being present.
In other words, if all the water was evaporated from the container the resultant
deposit would be silver oxide (through per oxidation) and not
silver.
The difference is by
now self-evident, silver ions can combine with chloride ions to form silver
chloride but silver particles can not - silver particles are not reactive. A
silver particle cannot form an ionic bond with a chlorine ion. A silver ion
(cation) can form an ionic bond with a chlorine ion (anion) because it has the
opposite ionic charge. This simple fact should be kept in mind when reading
claims that silver ions are really just small silver particles, which they are
not.
To test whether a
solution is ionic silver or colloidal silver you need only add chloride ions
(common table salt will do) to a small amount of product. If silver ions are
present, the chloride ions will combine with the silver ions and create a white
cloudy deposit.
Most “colloidal silver” sold today in health shops and over the internet is made incorrectly by means of direct electric current (DC) being passed through silver electrodes in a saline solution - WRONG.
Two silver
electrodes are placed in deionised water a small distance apart. The electrodes
are then connected to a controlled voltage power source. The electrode
connected to the positive (+) terminal is referred to as the anode, the
electrode connected to the negative (-) terminal is referred to as the
cathode.
When electric
current is passes through the electrodes some of the silver atoms at the
interface with the water will loose one electron (47-46) to the applied current
changing the atom into an ion. The ions will then simply dissolving into the
water producing an ionic silver solution.
The electrolysis
process is then digitally manipulated (see diagram below) to some degree by allowing for a few of the
ions still within close proximity of the anode to take back an electron (46-47)
from the current passing through the electrodes and change back into an atom.
These atoms are attracted by other similar atoms by van der Waal's force of
attraction and thus form small metallic particles.
The normal resultant product of this process would then be 85-95% ionic silver and 5-15% of silver metal particles with varying size (1-6% are nano-sized and can be classed as colloidal) - again this is dependent on the type of vac or dc digitally controlled charge applied to the electrodes (unfortunately using 9v batteries and manual switching will always be a bit of a hit & miss affair), the duration, and the purity of the materials used. It should then for all intent and purposes be called ‘ionic silver’ and not “colloidal silver”, if in fact, that’s what it is.
Relatively speaking
no, the product is normally going to contain some deposits of colloidal size
particles but usually not at the concentrations stated. Perhaps this is at least
one of the variables a consumer should take into consideration before using a
product capable of disrupting and/or disabling normal enzymic functioning within
the cells of a human body.
The following is taken from: The
Wonders of Colloidal Silver
by Dhyana L. Coburn &
Patrick D. Dignan
Test results at the UCLA Medical Labs at the
UCLA School of Medicine in 1988 by Larry C. Ford, M.D. of the Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology,¹ (Colloidal Silver, The Antibiotic Alternative, Lloyd
Michael Canty and Zane Baranowski) and other researchers show Colloidal Silver
killed every virus on which it was tested. They found that Colloidal Silver acts
as a catalyst and disables the enzymes used to metabolize oxygen, causing all
one-celled micro- organisms to die. Because organisms can not build an immunity
to Colloidal Silver, their mutations are just as vulnerable to Colloidal
Silver's rapid action. Because Colloidal Silver is neutralized by body acids in
the stomach, the compound doesn't usually kill "friendly bacteria" unless too
much is ingested…
This is of course
research done on silver colloids but there is an exhaustive amount of reliable
scientific and esoteric literature available to the consumer on the historic and
current uses of silver metals, salts, and gases in medicine. I think the proof
has always been in the pudding and I for one have seen firsthand the topical
disinfecting and deodorising affects that ionic silver (we are primarily
involved with these types of solutions as well as colloids) has had on fungal,
yeast and viral infections, all with positive results.
To be honest though I would never use it as a daily supplement. I still believe that silver is toxic in all of its forms and I personally will only take both the ionic and the colloidal silver internally when necessary (in place of an antibiotic or antiseptic). Like most things it will depend on the amount taken to cause any adverse affect on the body. Strangely it is usually this very toxicity that we are looking for when contemplating a rapid defence to many of the disease that are presenting themselves in the human body today.
If you can imagine,
upon ingestion of the ionic silver it will almost immediately come into contact
with proteins or enzymes from the saliva in the mouth or the chloride ion that
exists in the hydrochloric
Silver is known to
counteract single celled organisms simply by interfering with the cells enzyme
that is responsible for respiration. All
this basically means is that the cell is suffocated.
It can also enter
the blood stream directly via the lungs by using a pseudo-aerosol to convert the silver into micron
size droplets and then inhaling these droplets. The small size of the silver
particles and silver ions will pass through the lung tissue directly into the
blood stream. So whether applied topically or taken internally ionic silver is
always converted to the metal salt whereas colloidal silver will maintain its
integrity.
This approach has
been used for centuries with some of the examples being mercury vapour to cure
gonorrhea in china (4000BC) and also the use of different colloids today in the
field of chemotherapy and the treatment of cancer.
Metal compounds and
colloidal chemistry in general have already shown great potential with compounds
like:
· Oxaliplatin
(platinum) in the field of cancer treatment.
· Gold is used as a
“marker & binder” for certain types of proteins and enzymes in living
organisms and is used as an agent for extracorporeal clinical diagnosis.
· Zinc and Copper
have always been known to be an essential mineral for the proper functioning of
the body.
Research has long
been underway by military scientists into the specific targeting of cells using
minerals of specific physical atomic particle size; this means that the actual
“pore” diameter of a cell will determine whether the desired particle is
absorbed by osmosis (passing through the cell wall) into the body of the
specified cell during respiration or whether it is adsorbed (attaches to the
wall) to the cell with only a secondary function possible.
Another line of
research that has led to this change of thinking is described in the best
seller, "The Body Electric", in which Robert O. Becker, leading research
scientist in the field of bone regeneration, states: "Of course, the
germ-killing action of silver has been known for some time...the Soviets use
silver ions to sterilise recycled water aboard their space stations...It kills
even antibiotic- resistant strains, and also works on fungus infections. It
stimulates bone-forming cells, cures the most common stubborn infections of all
kinds of bacteria, and stimulates healing in the skin and other soft
tissues."
Dr. Becker further
relates a fascinating story which would seem to substantiate his belief. “A
man's broken right tibia and fibula refused to bond and the skin refused to heal
over a large area of the leg for a year and a half. The leg was infected with
five kinds of bacteria, all of which refused to respond to
antibiotics”.
As a last resort
before amputation Dr. Becker treated the condition with silver charged from a
very minute electrical current. This produced silver ions in the bone area and
at the surface area. He relates further:
"I debrided the wound, removing the dead tissue and all grossly infected or dead
bone. There wasn't much left afterward. It was an enormous excavation running
almost from his knee to his ankle. In the operating room, we soaked a big piece
of silver nylon in saline solution and laid it over the wound. We packed the
fabric in place with saline-soaked gauze, wrapped the leg, and connected the
battery unit."
About two weeks
later, Dr. Becker recalls: "all of our bacterial cultures were sterile- all five
kinds had been killed. The soft healing tissue, called granulation tissue, was
spreading out and covering the bone. In two weeks, the whole base of the wound,
which had been over eight square inches of raw bone, was covered with this
friendly pink carpet. The skin was beginning to grow in, too, so we could forget
about the grafts we thought we'd need to do”.
After more extensive
experiments along these lines, Dr. Becker concluded: "They (cells exposed to
positive silver ions) profoundly stimulate healing in a way unlike any known
natural process. Whatever the precise mode of action may be, the electrically
generated silver ion can produce enough cells for blastemas; it has restored my
belief that full regeneration of limbs, and other body
parts can be
accomplished in humans." When Dr. Becker placed the silver-coated nylon in the
wound and connected an electrode at each end, he produced silver
ions.
Of course the silver
cannot be entirely credited with the rapid healing of the bone; as a matter of
fact his research later proved that the small electrical current was effective
in the bone growth all by itself. However, the silver electrodes would prove to
be much more effective than any other metal due to its primary benefits already
noted. This would then seem to lead to supposition that the silver ions are
effective in stimulating the healing of the bone and the re-growth of tissue
when in direct contact. His continued experiments seem to have left no doubt of
this.
Whilst most of the
discussion has revolved around inside the human body there are references to a
number of other applications apart from the usual that should not be
overlooked.
1. To combat topical skin infections like
acne, athletes foot, etc.
2. To combat underarm odour caused by the
overgrowth of bacteria.
3. Used to purify drinking and swimming
pool water.
4. For pets, put in food or a small amount
of water, making sure the animal consumes it all.
You may also use a dropper and put
the solution down the throat or into the eyes or ears.
5. Can be added to plant water to prevent
or kill mould and various other harmful organisms.
6. It can be sprayed on fruits and
vegetables to keep them from turning brown.
7. May be used in the household as a safe
alternative to synthetic disinfecting chemicals.
8. Add a small amount to clothes, towels
and bedding to manage odours and mould.
More than half the
world's airlines now use silver water filters to guard against such waterborne
diseases as dysentery and NASA selected a silver system for the space shuttle
after testing 23 different methods of purification.
Silver has also been
effectively used to replace chlorine in swimming pool and spa water. When used in this application it does not
sting the eyes, discolour blond hair or add to any of the other related
illnesses caused from exposure to chlorine.
Japanese firms have
developed at least five technologies which use silver to purify air. Many industries are now using silver in this
capacity to counteract airborne toxins and other deadly industrial
poisons.
Personally I see
both colloidal and ionic minerals affording themselves without question as an
effective and very affordable weapon for combating many of today’s ills. However
we all need to know, and at least to some extent understand, exactly what
it is in the products we are using so as to better utilise them and fully gain
from the benefits, and limit the risks.
Below are some examples of silver compounds and their historical or present uses.
• Silver Sulfadiazine: Bactericidal and
anti fungal uses, particularly used in burn cases.
• Silver Nitrate: Disinfectant used in
podiatry, and placed in infants’ eyes at birth to prevent
blindness caused from the mothers
transmission of gonorrhea. Ulcer treatment.
• Silver Iodine:
Disinfectant.
• Silver chloride:
Disinfectant.
• Silver Lactate: Astringent &
antiseptic.
• Silver oxide: Previously used for
chorea & epilepsy.
• Silver picrate: Uses, moniliasis & trichomoniasis.
Colloidal Silver
Pioneer, Dr. Henry Crooks, found that silver in the colloidal state is highly
germicidal, quite harmless to humans and absolutely non-toxic (Authors note:
this is obviously not my view and as the actions of silver in the human
body is still not fully understood it
may be advisable to use the product accordingly).
It has also proven
particularly effective in cases of intestinal troubles, so it may well be that
in a healthy person whose small intestine is fully colonized by various strains
of acidophilus there would not be any noticeable adverse affect from the
ingestion of silver; however a person whose gut is already compromised due to
some other condition (yeast, diverticulitis, etc.) may find that they should
take an acidophilus supplement. Yeast is a natural occurrence in everyone's
intestinal tract. In a healthy person, yeast may constitute about 5-10% of the
total flora in the intestinal tract, and as long as the acidophilus is the
predominant constituent in the small intestine, yeast cannot get out of
control.
However, when
Doctors prescribe one antibiotic after another the antibiotics destroy all
colonies of acidophilus in the small intestine and the yeast can then grow
completely out of control very rapidly. Through the yeast's normal metabolic
processes, it creates a pH that is much more alkaline than is conducive to the
growth and proliferation of acidophilus, and the acidophilus cannot re-establish
itself once the yeast has taken over. Basically, anything that reduces the
amount of healthy flora in my intestinal tract will only serve to assist the
yeast.
It is estimated that
45% or more of the world population has a yeast overgrowth to one extent or
another; though most don't know it (they long have since forgotten what it was
like to have a healthy intestinal tract, and attribute their discomforts to
age). Subsequently, we cannot rely on those taking our product to have healthy
intestinal tracts prior to use, and there is the potential that silver could
further deteriorate the acidophilus and facilitate the overgrowth of yeast. If
it were known with certainty that the ionic/colloidal silver would wipe out
yeast, there would probably be no need for concern of yeast overgrowth, but I
think one should still supplement themselves with an acidophilus supplements
periodically as a safeguard.
Our ionic and
colloidal products that are manufactured for internal use only, only contain a
very low percentage (ppm) of their actual mineral content so there should be
very little chance of Argyria being caused by the silver (see Rosemary Jacobs
web page).
On the other hand
“silver protein” products are known to cause Argyria due to the high
concentration of large silver particles. These and other dangers associated with
use of silver
proteins are
described in more depth by Professor Ronald Gibbs in his book “silver colloids”.
The strangest has been "mild silver protein" products that had live bacteria
growing on the protein. This can happen when protein is mixed with colloidal
silver because the protein molecules are large and encapsulate the silver
particles, which prevent the silver from reaching the bacteria to kill it.
Normally, it would
be impossible for bacteria to live in colloidal silver, but it is common in
products containing protein.
• Only pour out of the bottle, never
pour back into the bottle.
• Never put anything in the bottle such
as an ear bud, tube, or straw.
• Do not drink from the bottle.
• Do not touch the inside of the bottle
cap.
• Do not soak cotton balls by placing
over the bottle opening.
A documented list of known silver-resistant bacteria:
• Citrobacter Freundiiig
• Enterobacter Cloacae
• Enterobacteriacea (some strains)
• Escherchia Coli (some strains)
• Klebsiclla Pneumonize,
• P. Stunzeri (some strains)
• Proteus MirabiliSie
• Vegetative B. Cereus Spores