While studying regeneration of limbs and spinal cords in the late 1970s, Robert Becker, M.D., author of ‘The Body Electric’ discovered that silver ions promote bone growth and kill surrounding bacteria. The March 1978 issue of Science Digest in an article, “Our Mightiest Germ Fighter,” reported: “Thanks to eye-opening research, silver is emerging as a wonder of modern medicine. 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.” The article ended with a quote by Dr. Harry Margraf, a biochemist and pioneering silver researcher who worked with the late Carl Moyer, M.D., chairman of Washington University’s Department of Surgery in the 197Os: “Silver is the best all-around germ fighter we have.”
About Colloidal Silver
Early Research
At the turn of the century, scientists discovered that the body’s most important fluids are colloidal in nature; i.e., suspended ultra-fine particles. Blood, for example, carries nutrition and oxygen to the body’s cells in this form. Prior to 1938, colloidal silver was used by physicians as a mainstream antibiotic treatment and was considered to be “high-tech.” Production methods, however, were costly. As a result, during the emergence of the pharmaceutical industry, colloidal silver research was set aside in favour of faster-acting but potentially toxic and dangerous drugs.
The Food and Drug Administration today classifies colloidal silver as a pre-1938 drug. As such, these products may continue to be marketed as long as they are advertised and labeled for the same use as in 1938, and as long as they are manufactured as before. The best-known pre-1938 method currently utilised is the electro-colloidal process. Through the electro-colloidal process, electrolysis reduces the silver to its smallest possible particle, achieved by the silver losing an electron. This smaller particle allows for safer and more frequent consumption of colloidal silver, thereby trumping the silver-rich predecessor that could lead to cases of argyria if consumed too frequently.
Contemporary Studies
What is Colloidal Silver?
Colloidal Silver is a suspension of pure silver particles in a liquid, typically distilled water. True Colloidal Silver will contain above 80 percent particles, our solution contains 95 percent particles. The amber colour is due to the larger particles blocking light from passing through. Due to the high cost of production, True Colloidal Silver products are the least prevalent on the market. The most common kind of solution on the market is Ionic Silver. The difference between Colloidal Silver and Ionic Silver is that Colloidal Silver is a suspension of silver particles, while Ionic Silver is a solution of silver ions. Both have antimicrobial properties, Colloidal Silver will target infection whereas Ionic Silver is more commonly used for overall health.
10ppm (parts per million) means that for every million parts of the liquid, 10 parts are silver. 20ppm means that for every million parts of the liquid, 20 parts are silver.
Historical Uses of Colloidal Silver
Dr R Becker found that low silver levels lead to frequent illness. He concluded that silver is a critical factor in the strengthening of the immune system and destruction of bacteria and virus’. He notes – “What we have done was rediscover the fact that silver kills bacteria, a fact which had actually been known for centuries. All of the organisms we tested were sensitive to the electrically generated silver ion including some that were resistant to all known antibiotics. In no case were any undesirable side effects of the silver treatment apparent.”
It was found that it is impossible for single-celled germs to mutate into silver-resistant forms, as happens with conventional antibiotics. Therefore no tolerance to colloidal silver ever develops. Moreover, colloidal silver does not interfere with other medicines that may be being taken. Inside the body, silver forms no toxic compounds nor reacts with anything other than a pathogens oxygen-metabolising enzyme.
History of Silver and Colloidal Silver
Silver has been used medicinally as far back as 4000 B.C. Eastern Persian records specifically mention the practice of placing water in silver vessels; the ancient Babylonian and Greek civilizations were also recorded silver’s anti-biotic properties. Furthermore, before the rapid inflation in the use of antibiotics, silver compounds were used to prevent infection in World War I.
In the 1880’s the process of using silver in medicine was refined when Colloidal Silver was first created. It was found that its smaller silver particles provided a far safer and more effective alternative to the primitive silver medicines previously used.
Traditionally, silver has been used topically to treat wounds and skin infections. It was also used internally to treat a variety of ailments, including respiratory infections, eye infections and sexually transmitted diseases.
In modern medicine, silver is still used topically to treat wounds and skin infections. It is also used in a variety of medical devices, such as catheters and wound dressings to help prevent infections.