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Medical uses of silver

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Colloidal silver refers to microscopic particles of silver that are held in a liquid suspension. A colloid is technically defined as particles which remain suspended without forming an ionic, or dissolved solution. The broader commercial definition of colloidal silver includes products that contain various concentrations of ionic silver, silver colloids, ionic silver compounds or mild silver proteins in purified water. Colloidal silver with concentrations of 30 parts per million (ppm) or less are typically (but not always) manufactured using an electrolyte process, whereas colloidal silver with higher concentrations of 50 ppm or more are usually (but not always) either silver compounds such as silver chloride and silver iodide or are solutions that have been bound with a protein to disperse the particles.

History and Applications

Prior to 1938, colloidal silver was widely used by physicians as a mainstream antibiotic. It was produced by pharmaceutical companies under various names, including Protargol. But the electro-colloidal production process was costly and the pharmaceutical industry developed fast-acting, less-expensive sulfa drugs and penicillin. Silver nitrate solutions are still used in neonatal units to protect newborn infant's eyes from infection. Silver-based cremes have been used in burn centers for more than 100 years. Colloidal silver can be used to keep drinkable water potable over a long period. Concentrations of colloidal silver at 5 parts per million or higher have been found to kill numerous infectious bacteria. Colloidal silver has been approved by the EPA as a disinfectant for hospitals and medical centers. It's also been sprayed on most public surfaces of the London and Hong Kong subway and train stations.

Method of Action

Colloidal silver kills invading pathogens by way of an electrochemical reaction that immobilizes the oxygen-metabolizing enzyme of bacteria, viruses, protozoal parasites, fungi and yeasts. This lack of oxygen causes the organism to suffocate and die. In it's colloidal form, silver is a bioelectric mineral that carries a positive charge. Colloidal silver inhibits germ growth when the positive charge of the silver particles bind with the negative charge of the pathogen. This causes an interuption of the biological function of the pathogen, which prevents it from reproducing. Colloidal silver also has a unique advantage of being rapidly fatal to parasites, both bacterial and otherwise, without any toxic effects on the host. Medical researcher N.R. Thompson of the Runcorn Health Laboratory in Cheshire, England states, "To primitive life forms, silver is as toxic as the most powerful chemical disinfectants."

Controversies

Argyria

Long-term intake of high doses of certain silver products may result in an extremely rare condition known as argyria, which is a blue or gray discoloration of the skin. While generally considered permanent, some have claimed to have reversed it. Argyria is non-fatal and has no other known negative health implications. An FDA “Talk Paper” references silver ingredients and silver salts that include silver proteins, mild silver protein, strong silver protein, silver chloride, and silver iodide. They claim that the use of these “gelatinous” silver solutions have resulted in cases of argyria. Advocates don't dispute the fact that almost all known cases of argyria resulted from exposure to or use of 50 ppm or higher concentration silver compounds, such as silver oxide, silver nitrate or silver chloride and not the electrolyte-manufactured solutions, containing only ionic and colloidal silver and which typically include concentrations of 30 ppm or less. Even the well-known case of Stan Jones, a Montana Libertarian candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2002 and 2006, was found, after a scrutiny of his production methods, to have likely been caused by silver chloride and/or other silver compounds. This was due to (1) his use of mineral-rich well water, (2) his adding of salt as an accelerant, (3) his unusually long production times, and (4) his failure to filter the final product. Mr. Jones began producing and ingesting his silver product in 1999, due to fears of antibiotics being unavailable due to "Y2K" bug problems. Advocates assert that, under careful use of properly produced colloidal silver, argyria is virtually impossible, though these claims are anecdotal and have not been confirmed by scientific study. Advocates also claim that very few, if any, current cases are known to exist. They view the entire controversy as an orchestrated scare tactic by special interests who deliberately exaggerate and make misleading claims against colloidal silver products.

Government reactions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned over-the-counter sales in the U.S. of any product claiming to have therapeutic value, health benefits, or making any medical claims, unless it is a drug. Despite colloidal silver's earlier history as a drug, the product now has the status of a dietary supplement in the US (dietary supplements cannot claim to cure diseases, only that they "support healthy functioning"). Some consumer health advocates claim that colloidal silver works so well against bacterial strains -- including antibiotic-resistant strains like MRSA -- that it has been under constant attack in the United States by the FDA, which views colloidal silver as a threat to the profits of drug companies that manufacture prescription antibiotics. The FDA has issued warnings to Internet sites selling or promoting colloidal silver as an antibiotic or for other medical purposes. If no medical benefits are claimed, colloidal silver is sold as a supplement, and as long as the products comply with all other FDA regulations, its sale is considered legal. In 2002, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration made a similar ruling.

Differing preparations

The term, "colloidal silver", has been used inaccurately by some to advertise products which are mostly silver compounds or proteins bound with silver. This has contributed to over-all confusion about the term "colloidal silver" in the market. In order for a mixture to be a true silver colloid, the silver atoms must be tiny metallic particles suspended in solution.Confusion around colloidal silver is increased by the fact that there is more than one manufacturing process, and that these lead to a number of significantly different products that have differing properties, all of which go by the name "colloidal silver".

Preparations called 'colloidal silver' include:

  • Electrolytic silver (most common method used today)
  • Ground silver (standard form of colloidal silver pre-World War II)
  • Electrolysis of salt solution (produces a yellow product)

References

  1. Journal of American Science, 3(3), 2007, Ma Hongbao, Horng Dengnan, Cherng Shen, Colloidal Silver
  2. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=727485
  3. Complementary Medicine - Information about complementary & alternative medical therapies, Cedars-Sinai Health System
  4. Cite error: The named reference SilverBenefits was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. BYU Study
  6. http://www.newstarget.com/013028.html
  7. http://www.newstarget.com/013028.html
  8. Dhyana L. Coburn, 
  9. Health Consciousness, Vol 15, No. 4, "Report: Colloidal Silver" Ref. 1, p. 34
  10. Health Consciousness, Vol 15, No. 4, "Report: Colloidal Silver" Ref. 1, p. 34
  11. Cite error: The named reference epa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. Cite error: The named reference pillsbury was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. Cite error: The named reference staud was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. Argyria-Reversal Claim
  15. ATSDR-ToxFAQs: Silver
  16. "Joshua B Glenn, Anna N Walker: Argyria In An Elderly Man. The Internet Journal of Dermatology. 2002. Volume 1 Number 2 available online
  17. Can colloidal silver cause argyria?
  18. Stan Jones letter
  19. True-blue bids for Senate
  20. Silvermedicine.org: Argyria - Colloidal Silver Safety.
  21. http://educate-yourself.org/lte/colloidalsilver27jan05.shtml
  22. http://www.utopiasilver.com/faq/can-colloidal-silver-cause-argyria.htm
  23. COLLOIDAL SILVER NOT APPROVED FDA reports "Use of colloidal silver ingredients in food-producing animals constitutes a potentially serious public health concern", Wednesday, February 12, 1997
  24. http://www.newstarget.com/020851.html
  25. FDA warning healthymagnets
  26. FDA ISSUES FINAL RULE ON OTC DRUG PRODUCTS CONTAINING COLLOIDAL SILVER FDA, 1999-08-17
  27. TGA. Regulation of colloidal silver and related products Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods) Order No. 1 of 2005 revoked Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods) Order No. 1 of 2004. 9 November 2005 update

See also

External links

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