Colloidal Silver Information

Silver has been used as a natural antibiotic for millennia. One of the earliest recordings of silver being used to keep water fresh comes from the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. He wrote that the Persian King Cyrus would only drink water that came from a certain river that ran along the Persian capital. So, no matter where the king traveled, he took with him a caravan of wagon full of silver jars of the river’s water. Though he might travel for years at a time, the water still stayed fresh.

During the 14^th century, the black plague killed a quarter of Europe’s population. While little was done to effectively fight the plague, since no one knew the cause at the time, very few wealthy Europeans succumbed to the plague. Some suspect this is because only the wealthy could afford to eat with silverware and give their children silver pacifiers. This may have given them protection against the bacterium that caused the black plague.

American pioneers dropped silver dollars in milk to keep it fresh. While traveling, many also placed silver in their water containers to prevent them from being infected with algae or bacteria.

In the late 19^th century the German obstetrician Carl Sigmund Franz Credé made a radical breakthrough in preventing blindness through the use of silver. Where Credé worked, about twelve percent of infants born suffered from the eye disease ophthalmia neonatorum. Of those who were born from the disease, three percent were permanently blinded and about one in five suffered from some sort sight damage. Many cures had been attempted before, including applying thymol, potassium permanganate, carbolic acid, and simply washing the infant’s eyes. Credé discovered that applying a solution of silver nitrate to every infant’s eyes, the number of infants who acquired the disease dropped dramatically. The treatment soon became standard practice, and became known as the “Credé silver method.” Doctors soon began experimenting with ways to apply silver for medical purposes more effectively, and some of these experiments were published in medical journals, including the article “A Contribution to the Crede Silver Method of Wound Treatment” published in the “New England Medical Monthly” In 1899. The Credé silver method was used in the United States until the 1930’s, and continues to be used today in many other countries.

In the early part of the 20^th century, Dr. Malcolm Morris worked with silver for the treatment of several diseases and reported that it was effective in treating a variety of infections. He reported in the British Medical Journal in 1917 that silver “…has a distinctly soothing effect. It rapidly subdues inflammation and promotes healing of the lesions, it can be used with remarkable results in enlarged prostate with irritation of the bladder, in pruritis ani and perineal eczema, and in hemorrhoids.”

There were quite literally dozens of silver-based products on the market until the 1930’s. Silver began to fall out of favor in this time because of the development of synthetically manufactured drugs and antibiotics. Despite this, many pharmaceutical companies continued to produce silver based products until the 1970’s.

During World War II, many soldiers died from bacterial infection. The surgeon Dr. Charles Fox tried to find a way to effectively combat this problem, and developed silver sulfadiazine, which could be applied directly to a wound to prevent infection. The discovery proved to be very effective, and it continues to be used in hospitals today.

In the 1970’s the chairman of Washington University’s Departments of Surgery, Dr. Carl Moyer, acquired a grant to develop treatments for burn victims. One of their goals was to find an antiseptic that was powerful enough to clean large wounds, but safe enough to use in large quantities. While working with Dr. Margraf, the chief biochemist on the study, twenty-two antiseptic compounds were examined, but they were all either too toxic or not powerful enough. Dr. Margraf noticed repeated references to silver as a germ fighter in past medical literature, and decided to examine its effectiveness for himself. He used the same kind of silver used in the Credé Silver Method, a solution of diluted silver nitrate. He discovered that it killed the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium, which causes the largest number of complications and fatalities in burn cases, and allowed the wound to heal faster. Silver nitrate, however, wasn’t preferred because, according to Dr. Margraf “It severely disturbs the balance of body salts, and its use must be halted from time to time. It must be applied in thick, cumbersome dressings, and stains everything it touches.” So he proceeded to test over fifty other silver compounds, and his research contributed significantly to the treatment of burns and skin ulcers.

In 1978, the popular science magazine Science Digest did a report of silver entitled “Our Mightiest Germ Fighter.” The article stated, “An antibiotic kills perhaps a half-dozen different disease organisms, but silver kills some 650. Resistant strains fail to develop. Moreover, silver is virtually non-toxic.”

In the 1990’s the Chinese government began researching silver to develop a powerful antiseptic. Their research helped develop a silver-based compound that could sterilize surfaces for extended periods of time without posing any toxic threat to humans.

Many companies use silver for it antibacterial properties. Samsung released a line of washing machines in the early 21^st century with what it calls “SilverCare technology,” which injects silver into the wash cycle to disinfect clothing. Many airlines use silver to purify water during a flight. Some use silver as alternative to chlorine to disinfect pools.

Today, the FDA approves a few uses of silver for medical use. Silver sulfadiazine, which is sold under the name Silvadene, is used in burn wards to protect burns from bacterial infections. Silver infused bandages can also be used to help accelerate the healing of wounds. Many hospitals have installed silver-based water purifying systems to combat Legionnaire’s disease.

Silver colloids can also be purchased online and in health food stores. Modern colloidal silver solutions can be manufactured with a much greater degree of exactitude than those produced in the early 20^th century, which may lead to greater effectiveness of silver’s believed benefits.

Upper respiratory tract infection, or URTI, strikes an estimated one billion times every year in the United States alone. That is more than three cases for every U. S. resident. It is an illness that is caused by any kind of infection of upper respiratory tract, that is, the nose, sinuses, and larynx.

Typically, doctors will treat upper respiratory tract infection with prescription antibiotics. According to the 2005 article “Antibiotics for acute laryngitis in adults” published in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, antibiotics are ineffective for the treatment of laryngitis, a kind of respiratory tract infection. The summary states that the few benefits that do exist for the prescription of antibiotics for laryngitis are “not relevant in clinical practice as the modest benefits from antibiotics may not outweigh their cost, adverse effects, or negative consequences on antibiotic resistance patterns.” The “adverse affects” referred to in the article are the many unpleasant side effects of antibiotics, which include diarrhea, fever, nausea, interactions with drugs, a weakened immune system, and fungal infection.

Many have found benefit in the use of colloidal silver for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infection. Colloidal silver is a solution of microscopic particles of silver suspended in water. Almost every major civilization with access to silver have used the metal for its germ fighting capabilities, and modern hospitals harness it too in the form of water filters, antibacterial bandages, and antibacterial creams.

Colloidal silver is believed to work by essentially “choking” harmful bacterial cells. When silver comes into the proximity of harmful bacteria, it disrupts an enzyme that it needs in order to process oxygen properly. Without oxygen, the bacteria quickly die. Colloidal silver is thought to be able to kill harmful bacteria while leaving healthy tissue and cells untouched because cells that are natural to the body have a much thicker cell wall than bacteria cells.

This supplement can be taken orally, but as a treatment for upper respiratory tract infection the use of a nebulizer will maximize the colloidal silver benefits. A nebulizer is a medical device that pumps air into a liquid and turns it into a fine mist for inhaling. Inhaling the colloidal silver directly into the lungs will apply the product directly the infected area, which is believed to reduce the amount of time needed for a successful treatment. Some who suffer from reoccurring sinus infections choose to regularly use the nebulizer even after the infection has subsided to support their immune system.

Anyone who wishes to take colloidal silver as a treatment for a upper respiratory tract infection should be aware that different silver products can have varying levels of effectiveness. In particular, patients should avoid ionic silver solutions. A silver ion is very unstable, and can easily bond with chemicals in the body, most typically chloride. This creates silver chloride, a useless compound. True colloidal silver is much more stable, and retains silver’s well-documented antibacterial properties after it has entered the body. Some producers of ionic silver solutions choose to disclose that they only sell ionic silver, but others do not. One can observe whether or not their silver product is ionic silver simply by looking at the color of the liquid. If it is perfectly clear, it is ionic silver.

CNN and Consumer Report both warn of danger from taking colloidal silver. The danger they are promoting is a condition where skin turns blue called argyria. What both of these organizations failed to do is perform due diligence in verifying the information contained in their stories. Each organization failed to research easily obtainable information about the possible cause of argyria. Contrary to the reports issued by these two organizations, true colloidal silver is not the cause of argyria. Products that have been known to lead to argyria are solutions of silver protein and solutions of silver ions; neither of these products are true colloidal silver.

You may have seen Paul Karason, the guy who the media reports turned blue from taking silver by rubbing it on his skin. In the most recent report issued by CNN the subject was actually making a solution of ionic silver in his home and ingesting it as well as applying it to his skin. He was not taking colloidal silver as the irresponsible report stated. Unfortunately, Paul bought a generator a result of watching an infomercial that “electrolyzes” water.

Manufacturers of true colloidal silver have warned of the risk associated with making using solutions of silver protein and solutions of silver ions from kits for years. To learn about the nature of many of the more common silver products go to: http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/reports.html Pay particular attention to the classification as either 1) colloidal silver, 2) ionic silver, or 3) mild silver protein.

Candidiasis, or yeast infection or thrush as it is more commonly known, is a fungal infection of the candida species. While yeast infection is typically thought of as a vaginal disease, it is entirely possibly to acquire male yeast infection. One can have candidiasis in their mouth, skin folds, or armpits. Symptoms of yeast infection include an itching, burning, or irritation of the infected area and, in cases of vaginitis, a whitish grey discharge. Patients typically treat yeast infections with over the counter antifungal medicines. This can be a mistake, as some studies suggest that the majority of people who use antifungal medicine don’t actually have a fungal infection.

Many sufferers of candida yeast infection have found a great deal of success in using colloidal silver. Colloidal silver is a solution of microscopic silver particles that are held in suspension in distilled water. Silver has been used as an antibiotic for millennia, and modern hospitals contain supplies infused with silver to help wounds and burns heal faster. As a colloid, patients can take it orally to harness silver’s well documented germ fighting capabilities.

Colloidal silver is believed to fight yeast infections symptoms in a few major ways. Colloidal silver is designed to help boost the immune system, which is vital for effectively fighting any fungal infection. In fact, if a patient has a particularly weak immune system, the infection may become very aggressive and spread very quickly, leading to serious illness or possibly even death. Colloidal silver is believed to help the immune system during a yeast infection by destroying harmful bacteria, allowing the immune system to concentrate its energies on fighting the fungal infection. While it kills these harmful bacteria, it leaves the helpful bacteria intact which may make it an ideal yeast infection treatment. This is essential to fighting a fungal infection because some bacteria play a major beneficial role. This falls in stark contrast to prescription antibiotics, which are sometimes mistakenly prescribed to candidiasis suffers when a doctor mistakenly believes the patient has a bacterial infection. Antibiotics kill helpful bacteria along with harmful pathogens. In fact, many people acquire fungal infections while taking antibiotics because it kills these necessary bacteria.

If you are interested in taking colloidal silver as a yeast infection cure, it is important to know that not all silver colloids are the same. They differ in content and concentration. Make sure the colloidal silver you are purchasing is true colloidal silver, and not an ionic silver solution. Ionic silver is extremely volatile, and may bond with chloride in your body, turning into a useless compound. You can tell if a silver solution is ionic silver if it is crystal clear. One should also make certain that it is not protein bound silver. One can tell this simply by researching whether or not a silver product requires refrigeration. This is a sign that other unnecessary products have been added to silver the solution. Lastly, one should also examine the silver concentration in parts per million.

The immune system is a complex network of organs, tissues, enzymes and cells that all work in concert to eliminate disease and keep people healthy. If an immune system is not strong enough to quickly fight a disease with a bacterial pathogen, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics. But with the current crop of news reports detailing the damages to the immune system that may come from the over prescription of antibiotics, many are choosing to turn to natural antibiotics like colloidal silver. Personal reports have detailed how taking true colloidal silver kills harmful germs while supporting the immune system.
One common theory to the effectiveness of colloidal silver states that when harmful bacteria and viruses are near this supplement, it disables the harmful pathogen’s oxygen metabolism enzyme. This particular enzyme is necessary for the bacteria and viruses to function. After it is disabled and killed, the immune system works to clear these from your body. This process is so safe that many hospitals use silver infused bandages to kill the bacteria that may inhibit the healing of a wound.
Silver may have a few advantages over antibiotics. Antibiotics inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, such as those which may cause disease, along with helpful and necessary bacteria, such as those that regulate the digestive system. This causes a number of unpleasant antibiotic side effects, such as vitamin deficiency and diarrhea. Testimonials suggest, however, that colloidal silver only kills harmful pathogens, while leaving the cells and bacteria that are natural to the human body untouched. This may be because the cells that are natural to the body have stronger walls than harmful bacteria cells, so the colloidal silver is able to enter and damage harmful cells, but not necessary ones.
Many have also claimed that colloidal silver has helped with diseases that have a viral pathogen, something that antibiotics simply cannot do.
Colloidal silver does not contribute to the growing epidemic of “super bugs,” that is, highly evolved bacteria that are resistant to both the natural immune system and antibiotics. Antibiotics are designed mostly to hinder the growth of bacteria, which allows them to survive and adapt the next time they encounter antibiotics. Colloidal silver is said to completely kill and eliminate pathogens, thus decreasing the speed at which they are able to adapt. When it comes to the immune system, colloidal silver plays a support role, rather than simply replacing the immune systems functions.
When taking colloidal silver as a natural antibiotic and to support the immune system, it is best and safest to get true colloidal silver. You can tell if a product is true colloidal silver if it has a very high silver particle concentration, has extremely small particles, has no taste, and requires no refrigeration. If refrigeration is required, it indicates that other products have been added to the colloidal silver which may spoil.

Cellulitis is a bacterial infection that inflames the connective tissue under the skin. Cellulitis usually occurs on or near breaks in the skin such as lacerations, burns, bug bites, and blisters. It is vital to recognize and treat cellulitis early. It usually leaves the skin feeling tender, hot, or itchy. Cellulitis sufferers may also have fever, fatigue, or chills. Left untreated, this simple bacterial infection might turn deadly.

Occasionally, the superficial redness may be a sign of a bacterial infection on the deeper layers of skin. Once the bacteria penetrate your skin, it may enter your bloodstream and lymph modes, and proceed to spread rapidly throughout your body. Occasionally, the bacteria can even penetrate down into the “fascial lining” of your skin. This is when the infection can turn very serious.

Those most susceptible to cellulitis are those with a weakened immune system, such as the elderly and people suffering from diabetes and HIV. Typically, doctors will prescribe antibiotic ointment, an oral antibiotic, or a combination of the two to treat cellulitis symptoms. If the doctor suspects that that the bacteria have entered the bloodstream, they may even require hospitalization to administer an intravenous antibiotic.

Since antibiotics kill “good” bacteria along with the “bad,” and weaken the immune system, they are associated with numerous unpleasant side effects. When the antibiotics kill the natural intestinal flora, patients usually suffer diarrhea. Patients commonly also experience fungal infections in the mouth, digestive tract, or vagina. Less common, but more serious side effects include abnormal blood clotting, the formation of kidney stones, sensitivity to the sun, and deafness. Elderly patients who take antibiotics may suffer from an inflamed bowel, which may lead to severe diarrhea. Because of these side affects, doctors sometimes avoid the use of antibiotics in people with reduced kidney or liver function.

Many users have testified that true colloidal silver is an effective cellulitis treatment. If the claims are true, then it has major advantages over antibiotics because it does not weaken the immune system, does not interact with other medications, and has no known side effects when taken at the correct dosage. Based on testimonials and tests conducted by independent laboratories, colloidal silver appears to work as a natural antibiotic by cutting off the bacteria’s oxygen supply. Colloidal silver users believe that reason it is able to kill the bacteria that causes cellulitis while leaving the bacteria that help regulate the body’s natural function is because “good” bacteria have a thicker cell wall. When using colloidal silver to treat cellulitis, patients usually apply the product directly to the infected area to kill any superficial bacteria and take the silver orally to kill any internal infection and prevent the cellulitis from reoccurring.

Patients should be aware, however, that not all colloidal silver products are the same. In fact, some products that are marketed as colloidal silver are actually ionic silver solutions, which are much less effective. True colloidal silver has a high silver particle density and small particle size, helping ensure maximum effectiveness. Sufferers of cellulitis should be cautious, however, as some companies give misleading information about density and particle size. To test whether or not a product in ionic silver or not, simply note the color of the liquid. If it is perfectly clear like water, it is certainly not true colloidal silver.