Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to find a single clinical study on the use of colloidal silver as a remedy for diabetes.
Nevertheless,
there are some interesting anecdotal accounts as well as some equally
interesting clinical studies on the use of colloidal silver for certain health
problems that commonly afflict diabetics, such as diabetic ulcers, candida
yeast infections, blood clotting and more.
Here’s what I’ve discovered so far…
Hi,
Steve Barwick here, for www.TheSilverEdge.com...
Back
in the mid-90’s I knew of a gentleman who travelled frequently between the U.S.
and Russia. And at one point he purchased
10 colloidal silver generators to take to Russia.
When
I asked him why he was taking 10 colloidal silver generators to Russia, he told
me the Russian Orthodox Church runs the hospitals back there, and he was taking
the generators to be used in the hospitals.
He
went on to say that Type II diabetes was rampant in Russia, and the doctors
from the Russian Orthodox Church had discovered that in some cases colloidal
silver worked wonders, allowing the Type II diabetes victim to dramatically cut
back on their diabetes medication after they began using colloidal silver.
He
said some patients were supposedly even cured
of their Type II diabetes.
Unfortunately,
after his last trip to Russia I never heard back from this gentleman
again. So while I have no reason to
disbelieve him, I also have no evidence to back up his claims.
I
could only conjecture at the time that the Type II diabetes patients who found
benefit from colloidal silver must have had infected pancreases. There’s no other way I can think of that
colloidal silver could possibly have been of benefit except to help remediate
an infection of the pancreas.
But
I’m not a doctor. I’m a natural health journalist. And this is definitely the type of thing
clinical studies need to be conducted on to be absolutely sure.
No Clinical
Studies
Unfortunately,
I can’t find a single clinical study anywhere in the world to back up the
contention that colloidal silver would be a reliable remedy for Type II
diabetes.
What’s
more, since failure to take prescribed medication when you have diabetes could
potentially result in death, I could never recommend anyone substitute colloidal
silver for conventional medical treatment for this condition, without being
under the direct care and guidance of their diabetes specialist.
Anecdotal
Accounts
All
that said, I’ve seen some interesting anecdotal accounts of the use of
colloidal silver by diabetics. For
example, here’s an anecdotal account I found on the internet from someone who
says colloidal silver helped stabilize his blood sugar levels:
“I am also diabetic and
after taking the Colloidal Silver my blood sugar level is now much more
stable. It would shoot up to 16-17 but now it is 6.5 -7. The only
thing that I've taken is the colloidal silver, so I know it does the job for me."
That account was from the
Rapha Labs web site. Here’s another one from the Marpe Products web site:
“It was actually two diabetic friends
who were instrumental in me becoming involved with colloidal silver. One
diabetic friend had a leg amputated and was told the other was also close to
needing amputation, but she made a change to a raw foods diet and began to take
colloidal silver.
In only a few days her body began to
respond and she was able to save her leg, she believes that if she would have
known about the raw foods diet and colloidal silver she may well now have two
healthy legs!
Another friend who is a nurse was
diagnosed with diabetes and she immediately began taking the colloidal
silver. When she went back to see her doctor three weeks later, her
doctor said there had been a misdiagnosis and she had no sign of diabetes.
These are two friends who shared
experiences with me and caused me to look very seriously into the benefits of
colloidal silver and raw foods diet.
I can very confidently say that it would
be a miracle if the colloidal silver and raw food diet DID NOT WORK! They
work extremely well together and I am amazed that more people don't know about
this!”
On the other hand,
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center advises against the use of
colloidal silver for diabetes and other serious conditions, warning that,
“Although no human clinical data support the use of oral colloidal silver, it
is being promoted as a cure for AIDS, cancer, and diabetes.”
On
his web site, Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D., notes a study in which it was documented
that one patient who had been using colloidal silver for diabetes for two years
developed a minor case of argyria (skin discoloration from embedded silver
particles) under the fingernails.
In
my layman’s opinion, this indicates that the patient had been using excessive
amounts of colloidal silver on a regular basis as a means of helping control
his diabetic symptoms.
Indeed,
in the study it was reported that the gentleman had been taking a commercial
colloidal silver product at 140 ppm, which is a very strong concentration of colloidal silver for anyone to be
taking regularly.
This
study was apparently published in the International
Journal of Dermatology, back in 2003.
Here’s an excerpt from it:
“A
65-year-old male presented for skin examination and was incidentally noted to
have discoloration of the fingernails. These findings were completely
asymptomatic.
The patient
had been taking colloidal silver supplementation (140 ppm silver) for 2 years
as therapy for diabetes.
He first
noticed the onset of nail discoloration 1 year ago. His past medical history
included type II diabetes and hypertension. His current medications were
metformin, glyburide, and benazepril.
Physical
examination revealed slate-gray discoloration involving the lunulae of the
fingernails (Fig. 1). The skin, mucous membranes, and sclerae were unaffected.”
So
it only took one year worth of colloidal silver usage to notice the onset of
argyric symptoms. This is another good reason
why, when you have a potentially serious health issue such as diabetes, your
medical specialist should be directly involved in all of your health care
decisions.
Your
specialist, for example, can help you compare “before and after” blood tests to
see whether or not any nutritional intervention you’re using, such as colloidal
silver usage, is having a positive (or negative) effect on your blood sugar,
organ function or other aspects of your overall health. And then your specialist can advise you from
there.
Healing
Candida Yeast Infections
Many
diabetics suffer from chronic Candida yeast infections, because of their blood
sugar abnormalities. But according to
anecdotal reports, when they use colloidal silver the Candida symptoms are
greatly alleviated if not completely cured.
Here
are a couple anecdotal reports in that regard:
"I am a
diabetic, and suffer every now and then with yeast infections. I use my fine
mist spray bottle at bedtime and after my shower. The itching and burning
dissipates almost immediately."
--
DH, Charleston, WV
That’s
a particularly interesting account, since some studies, such as this one, have found
colloidal silver to be even more powerful than prescription antifungal drugs
for controlling fungal infections.
Shirley
Hull, who runs a health retreat in FL, recommends women with persistent or
severe Candida yeast infections drink 2-4 ounces of colloidal silver in divided
doses throughout the day until the Candida infection is cured. (Should only take a few days to a week at
most.)
She
also recommends making a simple douche out of water and four capsules of a
good, probiotic supplement such as lactobacillus acidophilus, and douching each
morning or evening (whatever is convenient) to help re-establish colonies of
beneficial microbes in the vaginal tract.
She says this combination knocks out vaginal Candida infections very
quickly.
Finally,
she recommends taking a good probiotic supplement daily during this time, and
for at least a week afterwards, to help re-establish colonies of the beneficial
microbes in the digestive tract so they can keep the Candida yeast from
reaching infectious levels again.
Wound Healing
People
with diabetes often have a hard time getting wounds to heal. But when they
apply colloidal silver topically, the wounds seem to heal quickly.
Here’s
a testimonial from a diabetic regarding colloidal silver and wound-healing:
"I’m
also diabetic, which means cuts and scratches in the leg or feet are sometimes
difficult to heal. If I get a scratch or a cut on my legs, I rub colloidal
silver up and down where the wound is. The silver heals the wound twice as
fast. I also use the colloidal silver for athlete's foot -- clears it up
immediately."
--
Mike T., Challis, ID
And
here’s another interesting testimonial on the increased wound-healing
experienced by a diabetic:
"One my
friends who is diabetic smashed his thumb real bad, 7 or 8 days before he got
to hunting camp. It just wouldn’t heal. So we used a cotton pad soaked with
colloidal silver, wrapped it up, and the very next day it had started to heal.
Three days later it was healed. He takes a gallon home every year now!"
--
J.H.K., Maricopa, AZ
And
here’s a testimonial from a female diabetic who says she’s no longer prone to
infections since she’s started taking colloidal silver:
“Colloidal
silver has made a difference in my life. I have diabetes and was prone to
various infections...not so after taking the colloidal silver daily. I am so
much better.”
--
Mary R.
Silver and Wound Healing in Diabetics
The use of antimicrobial
silver for certain symptoms of diabetes such as wound healing seems to be
backed up by sufficient clinical data.
For example, there’s this notation in the Journal of Industrial
Microbiology & Biotechnology:
"Silver products have been used for
thousands of years for their beneficial effects, often for hygiene and in more
recent years as antimicrobials on wounds from burns, trauma, and diabetic
ulcers.
Silver sulfadiazine creams (Silvazine
and Flamazine) are topical ointments that are marketed globally. In recent
years, a range of wound dressings with slow-release Ag compounds have been
introduced, including Acticoat, Actisorb Silver, Silverlon, and others."
-- Journal of Industrial Microbiology
& Biotechnology, Volume 33, Number 7, 627-634, May 25, 2006
Diabetics are frequently
afflicted with painful and chronic leg ulcers.
But according to one study a simple colloidal silver spray can help heal
leg ulcers quite effectively:
“Sixteen patients with leg ulcers were
treated with a colloidal silver spray. The solution was applied once daily for
the first few days, then twice weekly. The infection subsided in all cases.
After instruction, patients performed
the therapy at home without supervision. No discomfort or side effects were
observed. There was no persistent discoloration of the skin that could be
attributed to silver. In all cases the infection subsided.”
-- Haeger, Knut. 1963. Preoperative
treatment of leg ulcers with silver spray and aluminum foil. Acta Chirurgica
Scandinavica, 125, 32-41.
A 2002 study on the
effects of antimicrobial silver on extremely severe diabetic wounds was
published in the journal NeuroRehabilitation by Dr. Robert O.
Becker, M.D., of the
Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, New
York.
Dr. Becker found that
silver nylon wound dressings that shed silver ions when used on severely
infected wounds triggered dramatic healing in six insulin-dependent diabetic
patients who were on the verge of having amputations due to the severity of
their chronic infected wounds.
According to the
study:
“Nine cases of chronic infected wounds
non-responsive to standard therapy were treated with the application of silver
nylon alone. Six of the cases were in
insulin dependent diabetics with severe peripheral neuropathy and varying
degrees of impaired peripheral circulation.
Four of the diabetic cases were serious
enough to have had amputations advised as a last resort, or to have had prior
amputations done for identical lesions on another extremity. One case was a in a patients with severe
peripheral neuropathy of unknown etiology.
Two cases were traumatic wounds in otherwise normal patients. Both had also been advised amputation by the
previous treating physician.
In all cases infection control was
achieved in 3 to 7 days and all treated wounds healed with restoration of all
local tissues to their normal state.
Times to full healing varied from three weeks to three months depending
upon the extent of the initial condition.
All diabetic cases with peripheral
neuropathy demonstrated return of normal sensation, however only in the treated
area and along the nerve tracts proximally and distally thereto.
Sensory loss in adjacent areas not
exposed to silver ions was not relieved.
The return of sensation to the treated areas was generally complete but
transitory, gradually diminishing until the area became asensate in about one
year following treatment.
Despite this subsequent sensory loss in
the diabetic patients, all other regenerated tissues in the treated area
remained normal for all follow up times.”
Silver
Relieves Blood Platelet Clumping
Interestingly,
clumping of blood platelets is often a serious problem for people with
diabetes, sometimes leading to heart problems and poor circulation in the
extremities.
But
in a study titled
"Characterization of Antiplatelet Properties of Silver
Nanoparticles," researchers found that:
"Silver
nanoparticles also suppressed the aggregation of platelets obtained from
patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Thus,
significant inhibition of platelet functions with a relatively low dose of
nanosilver, combined with the lack of cell lysis, raise the hope for its use as
an antiplatelet therapeutic agent."
Not a Cure for Diabetes
So
all of that taken together is pretty darned interesting, I think you’ll agree. But I still haven't seen any reliable
clinical data to sustain the idea that colloidal silver can help cure Type II
diabetes.
My personal thoughts on
the subject – strictly from a layman’s perspective -- are that in addition to
colloidal silver there are a number of traditional natural substances said to
benefit Type II diabetics, such as cinnamon, chromium, vanadium, ginseng,
magnesium, zinc, aloe vera gel, Gymnema, and even herbal remedies such as Nopal
cactus and Fenugreek.
Therefore, a good naturopathic
physician with experience in helping remediate the symptoms of Type II diabetes
should be consulted in determining which of these natural substances might be
beneficial for a person’s particular situation, since no two diabetics are
exactly alike.
And never forget
to keep your medical specialist in the loop at all times so that it can be
determined whether or not any natural substances being taken might conflict with
your prescription medications, or cause dosages to have to be adjusted should
there be a beneficial effect.
In the meantime, you can
learn more about the often astonishing infection-fighting qualities of colloidal
silver by clicking the link in
this sentence.
Yours for the
safe, sane and responsible use of
colloidal silver,
Steve
Barwick, author
The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual
The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual
Helpful Links:
Important Note and
Disclaimer: The contents of this Ezine have not been
evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Information conveyed herein is from sources deemed to be accurate and
reliable, but no guarantee can be made in regards to the accuracy and
reliability thereof. The author, Steve
Barwick, is a natural health journalist with over 30 years of experience
writing professionally about natural health topics. He is not
a doctor. Therefore, nothing stated in
this Ezine should be construed as prescriptive in nature, nor is any part of
this Ezine meant to be considered a substitute for professional medical
advice. Nothing reported herein is
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The author is simply reporting in
journalistic fashion what he has learned during the past 17 years of
journalistic research into colloidal silver and its usage. Therefore, the information and data presented
should be considered for informational purposes only, and approached with
caution. Readers should verify for
themselves, and to their own satisfaction, from other knowledgeable sources
such as their doctor, the accuracy and reliability of all reports, ideas,
conclusions, comments and opinions stated herein. All important health care decisions should be
made under the guidance and direction of a legitimate, knowledgeable and
experienced health care professional.
Readers are solely responsible for their choices. The author and publisher disclaim
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