Silver - The Dark Side of a New Health Craze

[Guest guest]

Silver - The Dark Side of a New Health Craze

JoAnn Guest

Apr 09, 2006 12:11 PDT

 

 

Silver - The Dark Side of a New Health Craze

http://www.cqs.com/silver.htm

 

Ads for it litter the Internet and alternative health magazines.

" Phyto-silver " (such as in the product previously sold by Seasilver

USA

until the Federal Trade Commission cracked down on them in June,

2003),

colloidal silver, metallic silver, and silver salts are being

promoted

as the new germ-killing regimen.

 

These writers and silver manufacturers cite hundreds or even

thousands

of years of " safe use " of silver for fighting germs and enhancing

health. " Seasilver " was sold by a " multi-level marketing " (MLM)

organization, so that the claims of efficacy were magnified by

thousands

of people who really wanted to believe in what they are selling to

their

friends and neighbors.

 

Silver is toxic!

 

But for more than 40 years we have known that silver is a hard,

proven

carcinogen - a cancer-causing agent. Metallic silver is listed in

the

1979 Registry of Toxic Effects as causing cancer in animals. Claims

that

it is safe have come primarily from the companies that make silver

products - hardly a trustworthy source of unbiased information.

Silver

in any form is a bio-accumulative toxic heavy metal, like mercury,

lead,

and arsenic. Its action as an antibiotic comes from the fact that it

is

a non-selective toxic " biocide. "

 

It is known - and acknowledged - that long-term use of colloidal

silver

or silver salts deposits metallic silver under the skin, turning

people's skin an ashen-gray color, an affliction known as argyria

(see

reference below). Argyria is considered permanent. This is precisely

the

circumstance in which silver was a cancer-causing agent - implanted

into

the skin of animals it caused cancerous lesions. It also accumulates

in

internal organs, continually exposing the cells of those organs to

silver, wreaking unknown havoc, and it is likely that it actually

interferes with the body's normal immune processes.

 

The former manufacturer of one of these products - Seasilver -

actually

claimed at the time that silver is an " essential " nutrient. This was

an

outright falsehood. The human body has no need or use for silver.

The

health claims made by the company - that it was an effective

treatment

for 650 different health problems - were so outrageous that they

received a " cease and desist " order from the Federal Trade

Commission in

June, 2003, and now the company, allegedly " reconstituted, " sells an

innocuous product made from Aloe Vera, fruit juices, Pau D'Arco

Extract,

and some obscure sea herbs.

 

Silver as a historical antibiotic

 

Silver was used through the ages as a germ-killing agent because at

those times they had few other choices. There were no antibiotics,

and

no natural germ-fighters had been discovered. Because people in

general

did not know that it was important to take large amounts of vitamin

C

(most people still don't), their immune systems were severely

compromised for much of their lives. Thus silver was considered a

life-saving medicine. Silver nitrate drops were used to prevent eye

infections in newborns, for instance.

 

Silver was (appropriately) essentially dropped from use in the U.S.

with

the introduction of antibiotics and biochemical antiseptics, but

suddenly gained popularity again in the 1990s. The FDA proposed

banning

silver in over-the-counter products in 1997, and issued a final rule

in

1999, but never acted on it.

 

The silver manufacturers claim that they are not subject to any

federal

laws about safety because silver was used before the Food and Drug

Act -

that they are grandfathered. Of course this begs the question: so

were

lead and mercury preparations and many other extremely

toxic " medicines "

that have since been banned from commerce.

 

Silver has no purpose in the human body

 

Silver is not used in any known physiological process in the human

body.

It is treated by the body as a toxic heavy metal, chelated and

removed

extremely slowly by proteins called metallothioneins. This removal

process can easily be overwhelmed, leading to argyria. Silver has an

affinity to cell membranes, including those of nerve cells, where it

deposits permanently as silver sulfide. This is a typical pattern of

heavy metal toxicity.

 

Colloidal Silver proponents claim their product is safe

 

The people who promote colloidal silver claim their products are

safe

because their silver is " different. " The people who promote silver

proteins and metallic silver say the same thing about their

products.

Think about these claims in the context of the previous paragraph.

Whether the silver enters the body as a colloid in suspension or as

metallic silver or as integrated into a protein, the human body

treats

it the same way - as a foreign object made of a toxic heavy metal -

and

the removal process is the same.

 

Silver causes immune dysfunction

 

When the human immune and detoxification system encounters a heavy

metal

such as silver, it goes into overdrive in its attempt to detoxify

and

remove it, as described above. Glutathione, the primary detoxifying

antioxidant, is utilized in this process. If the person has a

chronic

illness such as hepatitis C, the glutathione that had been utilized

in

detoxifying viral free radical toxins and killing viruses is now

siphoned off into silver detoxification. The result could be a

sudden

progression of the disease, the exact opposite of what the silver

proponents claim. This actually happened to one of my clients: he

took

colloidal silver and his hepatitis viral load and ALT and AST counts

suddenly increased, indicating disease progression.

 

Silver is unnecessary

 

To put this debate more in perspective, even if it were safe, silver

is

also completely unnecessary. If people were to take sufficient

vitamin C

and other immune support nutrients, their immune systems would be

strong

enough to fight off most bacterial and viral attacks. People who

take

large quantities of vitamin C each day rarely get ill, and when they

do

the course of the illness is much shorter and milder. For extremely

virulent diseases, there are much more powerful, potent, and less

expensive natural antibiotics and anti-viral agents that are

completely

safe that are derived from food and medicinal herbs.

 

Green tea extract, turmeric extract, oregano oil, and olive leaf

extract

are good examples of natural antibiotics that also have other,

health-promoting features. Both green tea extract and turmeric

extract

are also potent selective chemotherapeutic agents for cancer - they

cause cancer cells to self-destruct - and they are also powerful

anti-inflammatory aids. Oregano oil and olive leaf extract have been

shown to effectively kill pathogenic bacteria, viruses, funguses,

and

protozoa such as malaria, and there is anecdotal evidence that they

kill

AIDS viruses.

 

This is one of the few times when I believe the government should

act to

ban a health " supplement. " Silver is fine for coins and jewelry

(although for earrings it should have a stainless steel hook for

pierced

ears). But silver compounds should not be sold in products that

people

consume. I believe silver is a clear and present danger to anyone

who

consumes it. Furthermore, having this " supplement " available

provides

ammunition for the drug companies and other anti-natural supplement

forces for full FDA regulation of supplements, which would kill the

entire natural supplement industry.

 

References:

 

Cutis 2000 Nov;66(5):373-4 Abstract quote

 

The onset of argyria following the use of dietary supplements

containing

colloidal silver protein is presented. The patient was using a

silver-containing product for cold and allergy prophylaxis.

 

We review the past and present medicinal roles of silver and include

a

differential diagnosis for argyria. The hyperpigmentation of argyria

is

usually permanent, and it follows a sun-exposed distribution.

 

Dietl HW, Anzil AP, Mehraein P., Brain involvement in generalized

argyria, Clinical Neuropathology 1984 Jan-Feb;3(1):32-6

 

Cutaneous argyria was diagnosed in a 59-year-old woman. Manic

depressive

psychosis developed at about the same or a short time thereafter.

The

patient died 6 years later from a ruptured aortic aneurysm. At

autopsy

silver deposits were seen in skin, mucous membranes, heart, kidney,

and

liver. In the central nervous system the leptomeninges and choroid

plexuses contained silver granules.

 

FDA Final Ruling, 1999

 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

21 CFR Part 310

[Docket No. 96N-0144]

Over-the-Counter Drug Products Containing Colloidal Silver

Ingredients

or Silver Salts

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Final rule.

---

--

SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing a final

rule

establishing that all over-the-counter (OTC) drug products

containing

colloidal silver ingredients or silver salts for internal or

external

use are not generally recognized as safe and effective and are

misbranded. FDA is issuing this final rule because many OTC drug

products containing colloidal silver ingredients or silver salts are

being marketed for numerous serious disease conditions and FDA is

not

aware of any substantial scientific evidence that supports the use

of

OTC colloidal silver ingredients or silver salts for these disease

conditions.

DATES: This regulation is effective September 16, 1999.

 

FTC Crackdown on SeaSilver USA:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/06/seasilver.htm

 

Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances, 1979 Edition,

National

Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH.

(Includes

citations of carcinogenicity.)

 

Westhofen M, Schafer H., Generalized argyrosis in man:

neurotological,

ultrastructural and X-ray microanalytical findings. " , Arch

Otorhinolaryngol 1986;243(4):260-4

 

Our findings indicate that the affinity of silver for membrane and

neuronal structures and the deposition of silver as an insoluble

compound (Ag2S) induce the progression of clinical disease.

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets

[Guest guest]

Silver is used in homeopathy as " Argenticum Nitricum " and is extremely

efficacious in the treatment of certain types of tubercular patients.

 

Jagannath.

 

 

, " JoAnn Guest "

<angelprincessjo wrote:

>

> Silver - The Dark Side of a New Health Craze

> JoAnn Guest

> Apr 09, 2006 12:11 PDT

[Guest guest]

, " jagchat01 "

<jagchat01 wrote:

>

>

> Silver is used in homeopathy as " Argenticum Nitricum " and is

extremely

> efficacious in the treatment of certain types of tubercular patients.

>

> Jagannath.

 

Yes. There is quite a difference between 'silver' as it is used in

various Homeopathic remedies and the silver " alternative supplements "

currently being offered for self medication as OTC supplements.

 

Homeopathic physicians frequently make good use of poisonous herbs. I

believe I would trust my homeopathic physician to prescribe this

substance, however when offered for " self-medication " it may prove to

be fatal. As the preceding article mentioned, the unauthorized use of

this substance is not advisable. Best left to the discretion of the

Homeopaths and the other natural health practitioners who have the

expertise to deal with natural substances.

 

Blessings,

JoAnn

[Guest guest]

The amounts used in homeopathic remedies are so minute they will be

non toxic.

 

This bears no resemblance to colloidal silver, and as such, has no

relevance to the discussion.

 

 

 

, " jagchat01 "

<jagchat01 wrote:

>

>

> Silver is used in homeopathy as " Argenticum Nitricum " and is

extremely

> efficacious in the treatment of certain types of tubercular

patients.

>

> Jagannath.

>

>

> , " JoAnn Guest "

> <angelprincessjo@> wrote:

> >

> > Silver - The Dark Side of a New Health Craze

> > JoAnn Guest

> > Apr 09, 2006 12:11 PDT

>