Colloidal Silver: Risk Without Benefit

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Colloidal Silver: Risk Without Benefit

Stephen Barrett, M.D.

Colloidal silver is a suspension of submicroscopic metallic silver particles in a colloidal base. Long-term use of silver preparations can lead to argyria, a condition in which silver salts deposit in the skin, eyes, and internal organs, and the skin turns ashen-gray. Many cases of argyria occurred during the pre-antibiotic era when silver was a common ingredient in nosedrops. When the cause became apparent, doctors stopped recommending their use, and reputable manufacturers stopped producing them. The official drug guidebooks (United States Pharmacopeia and National Formulary) have not listed colloidal silver products since 1975.

Dubious Ads

In recent years, silver-containing products have been marketed with unsubstantiated claims that they are effective against AIDS, cancer, infectious diseases, parasites, chronic fatigue, acne, warts, hemorrhoids, enlarged prostate, and many other diseases and conditions. Some marketers claim that colloidal silver is effective against hundreds of diseases.

During 1998, a Florida-based multilevel company, stated:

Our colloidal silver contains 99.99% pure silver particles suspended indefinitely in demineralized water that kills bacteria and viruses. It can be applied topically and/or absorbed into the blood stream sub-lingually (under the tongue), thereby avoiding the negative effects of traditional antibiotics that kill good bacteria in the lower digestive tract.

An all natural antibiotic alternative in the purest form available. The presence of colloidal silver near a virus, fungi, bacterium or any other single celled pathogen disables its oxygen-metabolism enzyme, its chemical lung, so to say. The pathogens suffocates and dies, and is cleared out of the body by the immune, lymphatic and elimination systems.

Unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics which destroy beneficial enzymes, colloidal silver leaves these beneficial enzymes intact. Thus colloidal silver is absolutely safe for humans, reptiles, plants and all multi-celled living matter.

It is impossible for single-celled germs to mutate into silver-resistant forms, as happens with conventional antibiotics. Also, colloidal silver cannot interact or interfere with other medicines being taken. Colloidal silver is truly a safe, natural remedy for many of mankind's ills. Colloidal silver can be taken indefinitely because the body does not develop a tolerance to it [1]

Seasilver Intermational, a California-based multilevel company, claims that American are suffering from "silver deficiency." Although silver is not an essential nutrient, product information posted on the company's Web site states:

The depletion of minerals in our soil has left us deficient of silver, one of our most essential trace minerals, causing a drastic increase in immune system disorders in our society in the last decade. Research has taught us that all disease is allowed to manifest itself because of a weakened immune system. In over 20 years of worldwide research on Colloidal Silver, numerous interviews with government agencies, health care practitioners and their patients, no other nutrient, herb or drug (prescription or over-the-counter) is as safe and effective against all known forms of unfriendly virus, bacteria, and fungus. Additionally, while it is generally known that most antibiotics kill only perhaps 6 or 7 different disease organisms, reports have shown that Colloidal Silver has been used successfully in the treatment of over 650 diseases! Furthermore, strains of disease organisms fail to develop in the presence of Colloidal Silver. Colloidal Silver's greatest attribute is its unique ability to function as a superior second immune system in the body! [2]

The ad below is from the July 1996 issue of Alternative Medicine Digest.

Critical Studies

In 1995, an herbal distributor named Leslie Taylor tested nine commonly marketed colloidal silver products available at health-food stores and concluded:

Two of the products were contaminated with microorganisms. The amount of silver suspended in solution varied from product to product and would gradually decrease over time. Only five products actually showed antibacterial activity in a laboratory test. To perform the test, she prepared a culture plate with Staphylococcus aureas bacteria, which can cause infections in humans. She then placed a drop from each product on the plate and used disks of two common antibiotics as controls. After eight hours of incubation, she found that bacterial growth had been inhibited around the antibiotics and four of the products.

Of course, the fact that a product inhibits bacteria in a laboratory culture doesn't mean it is effective (or safe) in the human body. In fact, products that kill bacteria in the laboratory would be more likely to cause argyria because they contain more silver ions that are free to deposit in the user's skin. .

FDA laboratory studies have found that the amount of silver in some product samples has varied from 15.2% to 124% of the amount listed on the product labels. The amount of silver required to produce argyria is unknown. However, the FDA has concluded that the risk of using silver products exceeds any unsubstantiated benefit [3].

In October 1996, the FDA proposed to ban the use of colloidal silver or silver salts in over-the-counter products [4]. To access the full text of this announcement, search the Federal Register for "colloidal silver."

References

1. The company (Changes International) is no longer in the supplement business. 2. Seasilver International Product Information, downloaded October 12, 1998. 3. Fung MC, Bowen DL. Silver products for medical indications: risk-benefit assessment. Journal of Toxicology and Clinical Toxicology 34:119-26, 1996. 4. Federal Register 61:53685-53688, 1996.

For Further Information

Rosemary Jacobs, an argyria victim, has made a detailed study of the colloidal silver marketplace and is willing to answer questions. In March 1998, she filed suit charging that a California-based colloidal silver marketer and other unnamed defendants had falsely advertised their product(s). The suit was brought under a special California law that permits an individual to act as a "private attorney general."

Quackwatch

-- Cherri (sams@brigadoon.com), June 08, 1999

Answers

Cherri,

Dr. Barrett is accurate and the ads stink.

What IS worth saying is colloidal silver shouldn't be used in lieu of proven antibiotics unless we wind up with a "Milne 10" scenario. If at that point, the safety argument doesn't much matter.

Got busted by Roger Altman on this subject a couple of months ago. Subculture resistance to better bug killers worried me but after personal research found no one dying from reasonable (?) CS use.

A "Milne 10" alternative only and then cross your fingers.

Feels wierd to be almost agreeing with a "Cherri" post.

-- Carlos (riffraff1@cybertime.net), June 09, 1999.


In what scenario would colloidal silver be available, but the small amount of fuel necessary to sterilize water by boiling it not be?

-- Nigel Arnot (nra@maxwell.ph.kcl.ac.uk), June 09, 1999.

Even better, Nigel, solar pasteurization of water requires no fuel and effectively kills all bacteria. A little more difficult to set-up, but solar distillation is an even better means of producing safe drinking water since it removes all contaminants in addition to killing the bacteria.

-- David (David@BankPacman.com), June 09, 1999.

Yes we do need more data on colloidal silver.

But until there are sources of funding available (e.g. from MegaPharm Corp. Intl.) to do extensive studies, colloidal silver's value and uses are going to be difficult to quantify to the satisfaction of ordinary users and the scientific community.

Little funding will ever be available to study substances which are un-patentable, therefore unprofitable. This unfortunate system encourages hucksters and has those who would wish to advance knowledge over a barrel.

Old, sad story.

Quackwatch is 10% consumer advocacy and 90% guardian of the turf!

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), June 09, 1999.


I have yet to be convinced that this is anything more than the latest version of copper bracelets for arthritis, chant something while holding 3 stones and your wart will go away, etc. Don't use up prep money on this sort of thing; instead, prepare.

my website: www.y2ksafeminnesota.com

-- MinnesotaSmith (y2ksafeminnesota@hotmail.com), June 09, 1999.



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