This claim has stuck, being repeated incessantly
across the internet by well-known websites such as WebMD.com, MayoClinic.com,
RxList.com, the National Institutes of Health website and numerous others.
But is the claim true? And can the FDA document it? Turns out, they can’t. Here’s the story…
Hi, Steve Barwick
here, for www.TheSilverEdge.com...
Back in October I wrote to you about my adventures in trying to get the FDA to document their
claim that colloidal silver “may” interfere with the absorption of certain
prescription drugs.
You might remember
that I pointed out the claim has been repeated ad nauseum all over the internet, and is being used by certain
well-known colloidal silver detractors to frighten people away from trying colloidal
silver.
I also explained
that I’d hired a researcher from the pharmaceutical industry to comb through
the online PubMed database records to see if he could find any clinical studies
that backed up the FDA claim. He found
none.
I then conducted my
own research, and could find no corroborating evidence for the idea that
colloidal silver can interfere with the absorption of prescription drugs and
medications.
Finally, I emailed
the FDA, and politely asked them to document their claim, stating:
“I’ve
read with interest your Consumer Advisory at this link
and found the following comment I'd like clarification on:
‘In
addition, the use of silver-containing dietary supplements may interfere with
the body's absorption of some drugs, such as quinolone antibiotics
[ciprofloxacin (Cipro), norfloxacin (Noroxin), ofloxacin], tetracycline
antibiotics, thyroxine, and penacillamine (Cuprimine).’
Could
you please respond with the documentation for this statement?
I've
searched the PubMed database and cannot at this point find any clinical studies
documenting the details in this statement.
I’d very much appreciate it if you could send me the documentation.
Thank
you,
Steve
Barwick
But the FDA
responded with a terse, one-line sentence that read as follows:
“You can file a freedom of information request for any information we
have related to this issue by following guidance located on our web site at http://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/FOI/default.htm”
In other words, they
told me to go pound sand.
My FOI Request
Obviously, if I
wanted the information, I was going to have to work for it. I assume the bureaucrats figured I wouldn’t
go through the trouble of filing an official Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
request.
Boy, were they
wrong. I filed a Freedom of Information
Act request on 10/10/2012. And four days
later I received the following email from them:
Steve Barwick
Re: Confirmation # FDA1201727
Requester Ctrl #:001A
In Reply refer to: 2012-7397
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records regarding:
SILVER CONTAINING DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS - RECS RE ABSORBING CERTAIN DRUGS
We will respond as soon as possible and may charge you a fee for processing your request. If your informational needs change, and you no longer need the requested records, please contact us to cancel your request, as charges may be incurred once processing of your request has begun.
Re: Confirmation # FDA1201727
Requester Ctrl #:001A
In Reply refer to: 2012-7397
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records regarding:
SILVER CONTAINING DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS - RECS RE ABSORBING CERTAIN DRUGS
We will respond as soon as possible and may charge you a fee for processing your request. If your informational needs change, and you no longer need the requested records, please contact us to cancel your request, as charges may be incurred once processing of your request has begun.
For more information on
processing fees, please see http://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/FOI/FOIAFees/default.htm.
If you have any questions
about your request, please call Thelma B. Ghahhari, Information Technician at
(301) 796-8980 or write to us at:
Division of Freedom of Information, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
12420 Parklawn Drive, Room 1050,
Rockville, MD 20857
Fax:(301)827-9267
Division of Freedom of Information, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
12420 Parklawn Drive, Room 1050,
Rockville, MD 20857
Fax:(301)827-9267
Ah…now we’re getting
somewhere, I thought. At least they’re
acknowledging my FOIA request. And they
even appeared to understand my question.
Progress!
But then October
ended and November rolled around. And
December. And finally, I figured I
wasn’t going to hear from them at all.
No Proof, No Credibility
Until December 6th,
when I received a plain white envelope in the mail from the Department of
Health & Human Services, the FDA’s parent organization.
Opening the
envelope, I found a one-page letter, which,
boiled down to the essentials, stated:
“Dear Mr. Barwick:
In response to your request of October 15, 2012 for information
pertaining to dietary supplements containing silver.
We have searched our files and find no responsive information.”
There you have
it.
The FDA admits they
have no documentation for their claim that colloidal silver “may interfere with
the body's absorption of some drugs, such as quinolone antibiotics [ciprofloxacin
(Cipro), norfloxacin (Noroxin), ofloxacin], tetracycline antibiotics,
thyroxine, and penacillamine (Cuprimine).”
Pay to Play
To add insult to
injury, the letter ended by stating “The following charges for this request to
date may be included in a monthly invoice:
$23.00”
Yep. The FDA is going to charge me $23 to tell me
they have no documentation for their own claims.
What a great
country, huh? I can only wonder what the
charge would have been had they actually found evidence for their own claims!
You’d think they’d
be too embarrassed to charge money for having to admit they’ve just been making
stuff up out of thin air. But no. Bureaucrats have no shame.
Colloidal Silver Myths
Of course, this kind
of thing should come as no surprise, especially in regards to colloidal silver.
After all, there are
numerous myths being perpetrated about colloidal silver, as I’ve described in
my previous article, 8 Prevalent Myths and Misconceptions About
Colloidal Silver.
I guess I can add
one more myth to the pile, which is to say, the myth that when the government
makes a claim about colloidal silver, they actually have documentation to back
up their claim.
In All Fairness
Of course, I’m not a
doctor. I’m a natural health
journalist. So if you’re concerned about
this topic, do be sure to run this article by your doctor and get his advice.
After all, I’d be
remiss if I failed to point out that just because the FDA has no documentation
for their claim, doesn’t mean the claim isn’t true.
In spite of the profound
lack of evidence, there nevertheless might well be people who have trouble
processing certain prescription medications.
And maybe colloidal silver usage could make it worse, in some rare cases.
As we’ve seen, at
present there’s apparently ZERO clinical evidence for this. But that doesn’t mean it can never
happen.
After all, it wasn’t
too long back that doctors figured out that eating grapefruit before taking
certain medications could in some rare instances prevent the body from properly
excreting those medications, and therefore cause those medications to build up
to unhealthy levels in a small subset of people.
So if you choose to
use colloidal silver, and you take prescription medications of any kind, you’re
still responsible for working with
your doctor to make sure your medication is working correctly, and your
supplementation with colloidal silver (or any other nutritional supplement, for
that matter) is not interfering with it.
This of course can easily
be done through simple blood tests that would determine if blood levels of the
drug are too high or too low, or if the desired effect of the drug is taking
place, i.e., for example, tests to determine whether or not your thyroid
medication is keeping your thyroid hormone at the proper levels.
Obviously, if your
doctor is concerned about your colloidal silver usage due to certain
medications you’re taking, you can talk to your doctor about mitigating the
possibility of interaction between your colloidal silver supplement and the
absorption of your medications by taking the colloidal silver at least several
hours after taking the medications, or even at opposite ends
of the day.
That way, as I
mentioned in my previous article on this topic, your medications are already fully absorbed by the
body before colloidal silver is introduced into the body.
Or, you may want to err on the side of caution by foregoing the use of colloidal silver altogether. Hash it out with your doctor, and insist he provide evidence for his concerns, if he has any.
Meanwhile, if you’re
interested in learning more about the powerful, infection-fighting qualities of
colloidal silver,
just click the link for additional in-depth information you won’t find anywhere
else.
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 responsibility and/or liability for any loss or hardship that may be
incurred as a result of the use or application of any information included in
this Ezine.
Copyright
2012 | Life & Health Research Group, LLC | PO Box 1239 | Peoria AZ
85380-1239 | All rights reserved
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