colloidal silver

[mmgy]

This is exactly how much I know about colloidal silver:

1. A friend takes a swig every time she feels a cold coming on, and hasn't suffered a full-blown cold in 3 years.

2. I bought a bottle at a show recently (from the grooming section)---says it's good for cuts, scrapes, seborrhea, hot spots, dermatitis, dry skin, dandruff, etc., anything that relates to skin and coat.

3. There's a US Senate candidate with blue fingernails, because he's been drinking colloidal silver everyday since the Y2K scare.

4. And I know that moondog fed it to Luna at some point in her medical program, but I don't exactly know why!

Has anyone else here used it, either for humans or pets? I'm thinking it might be a good thing to add to the medicine chest.

M2

[sable375]

we have used it in the hospital to treat human wounds. Never heard of drinking it though. But then again we use a nasty thick paste. Works wonders on wounds. :)

[moondog]

I used it as an internal antibacterial during the first few months Luna was sick with her intestinal disease because she had such an overgrowth of toxin producing bacteria at the time and it was REALLY making her sick. I used a light oral dose (I think I started it out at 1/4 cc and worked up to 1 cc) once a day and alternated with a probiotic to help her reestablish a good bacterial population. Worked really well. :)

Why are the Senate candidate's fingernails blue?

[Rottlva]

I've used it for our cocker rescue with bad ears. Works great!

[mmgy]

RE the Senate candidate:
He started taking it in case Y2k caused an antibiotic shortage; there's a picture of his blue face here, http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/Da...e_021003.html, but he says the picture is doctored, and that only his fingernails are permanently blue. His was also a homemade brew, so maybe he overdid it that way as well.

At this dog show I was next to a show/grooming booth, and everytime I looked over there I saw this label:
"For topical use on: hot spots, cuts, scrapes, open sores, ear infections, fungus, itchy areas, acne, abscesses, bug bites, burns, parasitic infections (viral and fungal), blood parasites, ringworm, dermatitis, infections, virus warts, inflammations, virus (all forms), yeast infections, seborrhea, scaling or dandruff and skin irritations caused from allergic reactions."
It is "100% distilled structured water with .999 pure silver, colloidal silver 30ppm."

My initial thought is for Delilah, who is suffering from skin issues related to hypothyroidism, but it looks as though it might be a handy thing to have around. Plus, it wasn't too expensive.

M2

[sable375]

interesting. I couldn't get the link to work though. I wonder what about it made his fingernails blue?

[mmgy]

Do a google search for "senate candidate colloidal silver". It's too much silver, and apparently it's collected primarily under his nails. It's a known medical condition, they'll mention it in the news articles.

[moondog]

I think that's because it's a search link and those aren't saved once you leave the site. If you go to the link, it forwards you to the homepage. Click on Health on the left and then type "bluecandidate" in the search box, and it'll come up.

Well, I wonder if we should vote for this guy....he doesn't seem to be the brightest of bulbs. :D He must have been drinking a heck of a lot of it, for what reason exactly? Just because? I think the blue color is because the silver particles have lodged in the tissue.

One good example of why if a little is good, more is not necessarily better.

[joquendo]

I take colloidal silver, I also give colloidal silver to my dogs if they have a cold, kennel cough, ear or eye infections.... wonderful stuff.... and does not compromise the immune system as with trditional antibiotics.

[tugger5000]

I'm not big on the collodial minerals. It may work, but I'm not sure what the long term effects might be. It is possible to get silver poisoning: http://www.thedoctorsdoctor.com/diseases2/argyria.htm
http://together.net/~rjstan/


If you are looking for immune system "boosters", there are plenty of herbs available that are not harmful (barring any allergic reactions)... Echinecea, astragalus, goldenseal...

[joquendo]

I don't believe Colloidal silver is to be used as an immune system builder, colloidal silver is used to fight infection, where traditional antibiotics have proven ineffective. Many bacterial pathogens build up resistence to moder antibiotics, colloidal silver is much more effective in treating bacteria and viruses as no resistence is built up against them by these pathogens.

I 100% agree with the use of astragalus, enchinacea, goldenseal as immune builders. Wonderful stuff...

[tugger5000]

Originally posted by joquendo
colloidal silver is much more effective in treating bacteria and viruses as no resistence is built up against them by these pathogens.

Only in a test tube/petri dish. There are no definitive studies about it's effectiveness in the human body.

[joquendo]

Hmmmmm I don't think that is true. It is used extensively in hospital maternity wards on new born babies to wipe their eyes preventing infection, also colloidal silver is used throughout hospitals on wounds etc... also it has been used widely by NASA ....

[tugger5000]

It may be effective when used as topical treatment (I still wouldn't use it though), but I was referring more to the actual ingestion of the products.

The FDA has quite a few documents on it...
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~ear/mi-97-3.html
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/index/updates/silver.html
http://www.fda.gov/cder/warn/cyber/2001/Cyber088.pdf
http://www.fda.gov/cder/warn/cyber/oct2000/cyber043.pdf

and it is also specifically named in the Code of Federal Regulations ( http://www.fda.gov/cber/ind/21cfr312.pdf ):
§ 310.548 Drug products containing
colloidal silver ingredients or silver
salts offered over-the-counter (OTC)
for the treatment and/or prevention
of disease.
(a) Colloidal silver ingredients and
silver salts have been marketed in
over-the-counter (OTC) drug products
for the treatment and prevention of numerous
disease conditions. There are
serious and complicating aspects to
many of the diseases these silver ingredients
purport to treat or prevent. Further,
there is a lack of adequate data
to establish general recognition of the
safety and effectiveness of colloidal silver
ingredients or silver salts for OTC
use in the treatment or prevention of
any disease. These ingredients and
salts include, but are not limited to,
silver proteins, mild silver protein,
strong silver protein, silver, silver ion,
silver chloride, silver cyanide, silver
iodide, silver oxide, and silver phosphate.
(b) Any OTC drug product containing
colloidal silver ingredients or silver
salts that is labeled, represented, or
promoted for the treatment and/or prevention
of any disease is regarded as a
new drug within the meaning of section
201(p) of the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (the act) for which an approved
application or abbreviated application
under section 505 of the act
and part 314 of this chapter is required
for marketing. In the absence of an approved
new drug application or abbreviated
new drug application, such product
is also misbranded under section
502 of the act.
(c) Clinical investigations designed
to obtain evidence that any drug product
containing colloidal silver or silver
salts labeled, represented, or promoted
for any OTC drug use is safe and effective
for the purpose intended must
comply with the requirements and procedures
governing the use of investigational
new drugs as set forth in part 312
of this chapter.
(d) After September 16, 1999, any such
OTC drug product containing colloidal
silver or silver salts initially introduced
or initially delivered for introduction
into interstate commerce that
is not in compliance with this section
is subject to regulatory action.
[64 FR 44658, Aug. 17, 1999]

I realize I probably won't be able to convince people who use it to stop, but please don't feed this crap to your pets.

[moondog]

While I couldn't agree more that any alternative treatments need to be thoroughly researched before use, colloidal silver (that CRAP as you refer to it), was instrumental in saving my dogs life. She was extremely ill, losing weight at a rate of 5 to 6 POUNDS a week, and could not eat. The reason she was so sick was because a genetically predisposed condition was triggered which caused her immune system to give itself a huge boost and go completely haywire, creating a toxic condition in her intestinal tract. I can guarantee you if I had followed your advice and given her an "immune boost" with Echinecea, astragalus, goldenseal, I would have killed her for sure. So don't try to tell ME that these herbs are harmless. I know better.

Anything that has the power to heal also has the power to harm, and anyone contemplating their use needs to do their research, with an OPEN and CRITICAL mind, and not get stuck in the thicket along the way.

I don't suppose I'll be able to convince you, either, to stop recommending an immune boost for a condition caused by an overstimulated immune system to begin with, but maybe others will realize it.