Monday, April 30, 2012

The L.A. Times Bashes Colloidal Silver, But People Are Tearing Off the Blinders!

Here’s another great example of how the media propaganda machine works to deceive the public into believing colloidal silver is “unsafe and ineffective.” 

In this case, the LA Times has published a series of articles repeating the mantra that colloidal silver is “not FDA approved”…has “serious side effects”…and “doesn’t work,” to boot! 

But is this blatant media propaganda working?  Or are people finally waking up to the many ways Big Pharma and its lackeys use the mainstream media to pull the wool over their eyes?

Hi, Steve Barwick here, for www.TheSilverEdge.com...

People continue to send me copies of the L.A. Times series of articles blasting colloidal silver usage.

This article, for example, actually came out back in 2009.  But it’s still causing a stir, to this very day, especially among those who are a bit newer to colloidal silver usage, and who might come across the article inadvertently when doing research on the internet.

The article is obviously heavily biased against colloidal silver usage.  And the author, Tami Dennis, the Times Health & Science editor, openly admits she “takes the word ‘skeptic’ to previously uncharted territory.”

Well, she may be a super-skeptic about colloidal silver and other natural health products.  And that’s her right.  But as a practicing journalist, she should at least attempt to get the facts straight when she writes about a topic. 

Unfortunately, she’s not a very good researcher or writer either, for that matter.  And like most so-called “skeptics,” she’s more of a clumsy propagandist than a journalist.

Toeing the (Bureaucratic) Line

Indeed, she cites only the official bureaucratic bric-a-brac that backs up her contentions.  And she cites no research whatsoever from real colloidal silver experts.  What’s more, much of the material she cites is decidedly misleading. 

For example, she directs her readers to online material that says “colloidal silver is not approved as safe or effective by the FDA.”

Well, la-di-da.  What she doesn’t reveal, of course, is that the only reason colloidal silver is “not approved as safe or effective by the FDA” is that the FDA only approves pharmaceutical drugs.  And colloidal silver is not a drug, it’s a simple mineral nutritional supplement.

Indeed, there are absolutely zero “FDA-approved” nutritional supplements.  Not even one on the face of the earth.  Supplements are either allowed to be sold by the FDA.  Or disallowed.  But they are never “approved” by the FDA.

In fact, if you try to claim that a nutritional supplement is “FDA approved,” the FDA will come down on you like flies on stink. 

So this particular accusation against colloidal silver one of the most disingenuous charges ever – a feeble ploy to make people think colloidal silver is a singularly rogue element lacking the FDA’s benevolent imprimatur. 

In reality, the FDA has never “approved” a single nutritional supplement.  Not ever. 

And as we’ve seen from the over 200,000 deaths caused each and every year by Big Pharma’s FDA-approved drugs, FDA approval does not necessarily equate with safety or effectiveness. In many cases, it just means someone had enough money to pay the right people. 

Ignoring the Scientific Evidence
While Claiming It Doesn’t Exist…

Ms. Dennis goes on to direct her readers to another web site claiming there’s “no scientific evidence” for colloidal silver’s effectiveness.  

What she fails to reveal, of course, is that hundreds of thousands of oral doses of colloidal silver are administered every month – in both clinical and non-clinical settings – often with astonishing healing results.  And this is widely known by cutting edge doctors and clinical researchers here in the U.S. and around the world.

As Dr. Kent Holtorf, M.D., of the Holtorf Medical Group states in his White Paper, "Safety and Efficacy of Intravenous Oligodynamic Silver":

"Hundreds of thousands of doses of oral colloidal silver and thousands of doses of intravenous colloidal silver are given every month in the United States.

This is usually done to treat acute and chronic infections including those associated with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM).

The effectiveness of the use of oral and intravenous colloidal silver in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia was presented at the 38th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine…

…(Identifying the Causes and Exploring the Newest Treatment Options for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Environmental Sensitivities) in October 2003…

The extremely low level of colloidal silver used at 23 parts per million (ppm) has been shown to have little or no potential for toxicity while having the significant potential for clinical benefit.

The effectiveness of oligodynamic silver’s antimicrobial action at extremely low doses in combination with its potential immune stimulating actions, makes oligodynamic silver an ideal naturally occurring substance in the treatment of CFS and FM."

What’s more, numerous science, medical and clinical research experts strongly recommend colloidal silver usage and vouch for its effectiveness.

You can read quotes from many of these bona-fide medical experts in my recent article titled “What REAL Medical, Scientific and Clinical Research Experts Have to Say About Colloidal Silver Usage.”

Indeed, were colloidal silver a regulated drug rather than a simple mineral supplement, the preponderance of clinical evidence regarding its effectiveness against infections and disease would be so overwhelming the bureaucrats at the FDA would have little choice but to approve it. 

As I’ve reported in the past, researchers in Europe are even working to turn silver into a pharmaceutical drug by engineering it to be combined with other substances, including dead bacteria, so it can be patented as a “novel treatment” for internal infections.  And they swear their freakish franken-silver drug kills everything from serious cases of food poisoning to cold and flu viruses. 

But of course, safe, natural colloidal silver itself is deemed to be “ineffective” by the medical bureaucrats simply because…drum roll, please…they say so. 

Serious Side Effects? 

Finally, Ms. Dennis directs her readers to information containing the biggest scare tactic of them all, i.e., that colloidal silver users have “severe risk for serious side effects.” 

What she fails to reveal, of course, is that an estimated ten million people across North America and Mexico, and millions more throughout Europe, have been using colloidal silver for decades without suffering from any of these “serious side effects.” 

What’s more, throughout Europe colloidal silver is routinely used on cruise ships and cargo ships as a water disinfectant. 

It’s also been used on the space shuttle.  And it’s been used in both NASA and Russian manned space flights.    

And colloidal silver has also been used around the world to purify municipal drinking water. 

And it’s been a daily mainstay for millions of people in Mexico, Costa Rica and other developing nations throughout South America who use it as a matter of course to disinfect their drinking water supplies.  

So where are all of the people suffering from these “serious side effects” from colloidal silver?  Where are all of the Mexicans, Costa Ricans and South Americans who use colloidal silver regularly to disinfect their water? All of the cargo ship workers?  European cruise ship vacationers? Space Station astronauts? 

Surely out of the estimated 10 million regular colloidal silver users throughout North America, we’d have tens of thousands of people reporting these “serious side effects” by now, right?

Ahem…actually, they’re nowhere to be seen. 

Indeed, as I’ve explained repeatedly in online articles (see here, and here) it’s only when people take excessively large quantities or excessively high concentrations of colloidal silver for months or years on end, against all constraints of reason and common sense, that side effects take place. 

And even then, according to the EPA the most common side effect – argria, or skin-staining -- is strictly cosmetic, rather than toxic. 

(Get a FREE copy of the Colloidal Silver Safe Dosage Report, and learn how to calculate your maximum daily dosage rate based on your weight and the ppm of the colloidal silver you’re using.)

Meanwhile, let me re-state that over 210,000 Americans flat-out DIE each year from use of Big Pharma’s prescription drugs, and the vast majority of them were using the drugs properly!

Where are all Ms. Dennis’ screaming, hyperventilating articles slamming Big Pharma and its decidedly deadly pharmaceutical drugs? 

Where’s the L.A. Times lamenting the dangers of prescription drugs and warning the public against them? 

Oooh.  Once again, nowhere to be seen. 

Apparently, a self-avowed “skeptic” like Ms. Dennis is only allowed to be skeptical of safe, natural products, not pharmaceutical drugs. 

Interestingly, according to the Poison Control Center, no one has ever died from colloidal silver usage, or for that matter, from usage of any other mineral supplement, vitamin, herb or amino acid in over 27 years.

So much the journalistic credibility of Ms. Dennis and the L.A. Times.

People Are Catching On,
And the Blinders Are Coming Off!

One thing I thoroughly enjoyed was reading the numerous comments from Ms. Dennis’ readers in the Comments section that follows her smug, anti-colloidal silver tirade. 

It seems that her readers are a heckuva lot smarter than she is. 

For the most part, these comments showed that people are thinking for themselves, and not just accepting the shrill squeals of the propagandists as “fact.”

For example, this comment on Ms. Dennis’ article hits the nail on the head:

“This story is stupid.....ANYTHING in large doses is harmful, period!

Watch daytime TV commercials...they’re full of FDA drug recalls and lawsuits...wake up people.”

Or this one…

“If the FDA is cracking down on it then you can be pretty certain that it’s an effective and safe alternative to the toxic drugs the pharmaceutical companies are pumping into us.

Pharmaceutical drugs are one of the biggest killers on the western world, and yet they say colloidal silver is dangerous because it turned one man blue?”

Or this one…

“The FDA has manipulated and hijacked the critical thinking skills of an entire country...I cannot tell you the number of problems colloidal silver has solved in my life.

My college age son returned this summer with a deep, barking, bronchial cough he said he had for a month. 2 days of colloidal silver and it was almost gone. 4 days and it was history.

It has stopped gum infections.  It has also helped a traveler's stomach.”

Or this one…

Another attack on something that actually works. The FDA and its cronies, on behalf of the pharmaceutical companies (which make money selling toxic drugs) and the medical establishment, continue attacking our rights to use natural substances.
The real problem is that silver works TOO well, and it’s growing popularity threatens drug sales and the notion that anything other than so-called ‘miracles’ of modern medicine work…

This type of story is a total red flag that should not be ignored, but instead should lead to calls supporting consumers' rights to health freedom.”

Or this one…

“How sad to see such blatant and pathetic evidence that our major news carriers are so obviously under the thumb of our pharmaceutical propaganda machine. Sad but so true.”

Or this one…

“This is total big pharma owning the mainstream media.  Even that photo of the silver hydrosol above is meant to mislead. Silver is a clear liquid like water and doesn't look like that poison above.”

Or this one…

“Wow, what a pathetic article. Colloidal silver works GREAT as an antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral.

There is PLENTY of research in the past and it was used for centuries prior to the patentable pharmaceutical substances now used in contemporary society.

People, don't listen to the idiots that write articles like this. Do your own research and take it from people who make and use properly prepared colloidal silver - it really works!  Seriously!”

Or this one…

“I was shocked at the imbalance of this article and at the prejudice expressed through disintegrated grammar and poorly expressed ideas.

It's the LA Times, for goodness sakes. Where are your journalistic principles? Where is your impartiality? Whose pocket are you in, exactly?

This report is a disgrace on many levels.”

Online Carpet Bombing

But for me, perhaps the most telling comment under Ms. Dennis’ article was this one:  "Funny how 10 news websites are saying bad things about colloidal silver all on the same day!" 

That commentator hit the nail on the head. 

Indeed, that's how the so-called "skeptics," “quackbusters,” natural health “debunkers” often work.  They coordinate attacks on a colloidal silver (or other nutritional supplements) across multiple web sites all during the same time-period, in an attempt to give the public the impression that EVERYBODY is suddenly warning against the supposed “dangers” of the substance.  

It’s the online version of carpet bombing.  And of course, it’s very effective.  Indeed, we've seen this time and time again. 

For example, when articles on the sensationalistic and deceptive "dermal toxicity" study on nanosilver came out last year, portraying nanosilver in commercial products as being so toxic to the skin it might cause cancer, the information was suddenly being spread across multiple web sites around the world almost overnight.

This, in spite of the fact that the study itself had nothing to do with cancer.  What’s more, it was conducted on tiny albino guinea pigs and not humans.  

Finally, the concentration of nanosilver used on the poor little guinea pigs each day for weeks on end was 10,000 ppm, which of course is many thousands of times higher than anyone would ever come into contact with from a commercial product that contains nanosilver.

Yet the articles on this study miraculously reached the tops of the Google search engine results in just a few days, even though the study itself was from an obscure source in Iran. 

If you’re interested, you can read my expose of this study, "How Junk Science Propaganda Against Colloidal Silver Gets Started” which demonstrates exactly how the propaganda game against colloidal silver and all forms of antimicrobial silver works.  

Similarly, when Israeli researchers invented silver-impregnated butcher paper last year in an attempt to help stop the growing spread of bacterial contamination on meat products…

I immediately predicted the radical anti-silver crowd would throw everything they had at this highly beneficial invention in order to stop it dead in its tracks. 

And of course, they did exactly that, conducting an online drive-by shooting campaign against the invention, unlike any I've ever witnessed.

In fact, they quickly dubbed the silver-impregnated butcher paper as "killer paper," and began spreading negative articles about it all over the internet in a matter of days through their worldwide network of web sites. 

You can read how they used abject propaganda to destroy the great idea behind this potentially life-saving invention almost overnight, in my article In Defense of Colloidal Silver Nanoparticles.    

Finally, in my article Canada’s “Mr. Science” Labels Colloidal Silver Usage “Quackery” you can learn more about how the “skeptics,” “quackbusters” and so-called natural health “debunkers” conduct these coordinated media attacks…

…as well as how they use techniques such as “Google-bombing” to manipulate search engine results so that when someone searches, for example, for the term “colloidal silver,” only negative articles come up in the top rankings.

The Good News…

The good news is that people have been waking up for a l-o-o-o-n-g time now, and are beginning to pull off their blindfolds in droves. 

It’s simply not as easy as it used to be for the propagandists who shill for Big Pharma to pull the wool over the eyes of the awakening populace. People are catching on to the lengths Big Pharma will go to protect its multi-billion dollar annual drug profits.

Sharing articles like this one will help wake up even more people.  So please feel free to forward this article to your fellow natural health lovers, or email them the link to this article, so they too can read it.    

Big Pharma continues to work overtime to deceive the population into believing natural substances like colloidal silver are “unsafe and ineffective.”

But more and more people are waking up to the truth, thanks to the power of the internet.  Let’s help them do so by sharing the truth with others who may be interested.

Until next time, I remain…

Yours for the safe, sane and responsible use of colloidal silver,


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 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

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Silver: Nature’s Efficient Carrier of Nascent Oxygen

There are three known ways antimicrobial silver products such as colloidal silver kills infectious microorganisms.

Foremost among them is silver’s unique ability to carry pure nascent oxygen, and release it in the presence of pathogens thereby causing a chemical reaction called oxidation, which destroys them.

In the short article below you’ll learn more about silver’s amazing capacity to carry oxygen and release it in an “oxygen burst” in the presence of pathogens, and why this makes silver one of nature’s most efficient and effective infection-fighting agents.

Hi, Steve Barwick here, for www.TheSilverEdge.com...

One of the main ways colloidal silver kills pathogens is through catalytic oxidation. This means silver releases pure oxygen in the presence of pathogens, killing them much like the bubbling burst of hydrogen peroxide.

As Albert T. McManus, MD, Chief of Microbiology, Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston Army Burn Center, Houston, Texas, observes:

"Silver kills bacteria by simple catalytic reduction/oxidation by reacting with any available negative charge...Any organism that is available to the powerful catalytic activity of silver for oxidation is inactivated”.

But where does silver obtain the oxygen for oxidizing pathogens in the first place? It adsorbs (i.e., accumulates on its surface) molecular oxygen from the local environment, and then converts it to nascent oxygen, or oxygen that is highly reactive to negatively charged pathogens.

Indeed, like the mineral iron, silver is one of nature’s most efficient carriers of nascent oxygen.
As stated in the report, "The Development and Functions of Silver in Water Purification and Disease Control," by Richard L. Davies and Samuel F. Etris of The Silver Institute in Washington, DC:

"Atomic (nascent) oxygen adsorbed onto a bed of silver atoms or ions in solution readily reacts with the sulfhydryl (H) groups surrounding the surface of bacteria or viruses to remove the hydrogen atoms (removed as water) causing the sulfur atoms to form an R-S-S-R bond; respiration is blocked and the bacteria expire."

The researchers also state in the same report:

"It has long been known that oxygen is adsorbed on the surface of silver in its atomic state. Also that oxygen diffuses more freely within silver than within any other metal.

Ronald Outlaw, working at NASA/Langley, undertook a fundamental study of oxygen diffusion with the objective of producing atomic oxygen for the evaluation of the degradation of organic materials in space. He discovered the most prolific source of nascent oxygen to be metallic silver.

Atomic oxygen fits very well in the octahedral holes of gold, silver, and copper. In gold, the electron cloud of oxygen tends to be repelled by the lattice electrons of the gold atoms stopping movement through the holes. With copper, the oxide is formed resulting in a barrier.

Silver, with an almost a perfect fit, offers so little repulsion that a little thermal energy will readily move it from hole to hole.

...Molecular oxygen is present and silver readily adsorbs it converting it to nascent oxygen which is available to oxidize bacterial enzymes and other organics. Their reaction with the atomic oxygen is instantaneous."

In short, silver and oxygen go together like peanut butter and jelly!

A 2011 study titled Control of Microorganisms in Drinking Water Using Ag-Cu/C Catalysts, which was conducted by the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in conjunction with researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, draws a similar conclusion:

“Silver in its atomic state, has the capacity to absorb oxygen and act as a catalyst to bring about oxidation.

Because oxygen is more electronegative than sulfur, atomic (nascent) oxygen absorbed onto the surface of silver particles in solution will readily react with hydrogen attached to sulfur in the sulfhydryl (- S- H) groups surrounding the surface of bacteria or viruses.

The removal of hydrogen atoms (as water) causes the sulfur atoms to condense to form R- S –S- R bond. This blocks the respiration and causing the bacteria to expire.”

Put simply, this means oxygen is attracted to silver and will bond with it, and even inhabit and move within the tiny lattice-like holes or geometric indentations on its surface.

According to researchers there are other ways silver kills pathogens, such as by attaching to bacterial cell membranes and impairing cell respiration by blocking its energy transfer system, and by binding with bacterial and viral DNA, thus preventing replication of the pathogens.

But silver’s remarkable ability to adsorb atomic oxygen and carry it in the form of pure nascent oxgen that can later be released in the presence of pathogens -- much as hydrogen peroxide throws off raw oxygen when it comes into contact with pathogens -- is the secret of silver’s profound antimicrobial qualities that has interested researchers the most for decades.

This is why Dr. Stephen West, DL, PMD (son of Dr. C. Samuel West, DN, ND, renowned chemist and internationally recognized lymphologist), concludes, “Silver ions stimulate the lymphatic system by cleaning out the dead cells and bringing oxygen to the healthy cells.

While this is a complex biological process involving the body’s Reticuloendothelial System (also known as RES) – a subset of the lymphatic system – it can be explained in layman’s terms. As I wrote in my book, The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual, which is now the world’s bestselling book on colloidal silver:

“Lymph fluid is very sensitive to pH changes, and if it becomes too acidic, fungi and bacteria spontaneously develop and grow. To prevent this from happening, excessive acidic waste is removed from the body via the Reticuloendothelial System (RES), which can be thought of as a subset of the lymphatic system.

The RES is an essential part of the lymphatic system, comprised of the thymus, bone marrow and lymphoid tissues. It’s basically a storage, exchange and elimination system that helps the body remove acidic waste and toxins.

Sometimes the RES can be overwhelmed with toxins and acidic waste. This is another way in which silver ions are believed to support the immune system. Not only do silver ions have proven antimicrobial properties to fight the fungi and bacteria growth in the lymph fluid, silver ions also carry nascent oxygen on their surface. When the silver attacks a microorganism, this oxygen is released.

This can aid the RES in two ways; 1) extra oxygen helps restore the natural pH of the lymph fluid and 2) oxygen helps oxidize toxic waste. Any leftover oxygen would eventually be picked up by the hemoglobin in red blood cells and thus becomes available for other oxygen dependent needs in the body such as cellular respiration.

RES is also responsible for stimulating the immune response, thus protecting the body from foreign substances and pathogenic organisms.

It should be noted that while white blood cells can destroy cancer cells, viruses, bacteria and other pathogens, if there is excess fluid built up in the tissue (failure of RES) and/or a lack of oxygen, white blood cells cannot function properly!

This is another very important way in which silver ions are believed to support the lymphatic system, simply by providing additional oxygen to live cells and helping to oxidize dead cells.”

Highly Oxygen-Charged, Submicroscopic Silver Particles

While virtually all colloidal silver products are effective to one degree or another, it should be obvious that the most effective ones would be those in which the tiny, sub-microscopic silver particles are highly charged with oxygen.

But very few colloidal silver manufacturers bother to take steps to increase the amount of oxygen being carried by the silver particles in their products.

Indeed, in many cases, the production methods used to manufacture colloidal silver actually dramatically limit the amount of oxygen available to be adsorbed by the silver. That’s because most colloidal silver manufacturers use a closed-system manufacturing process designed to keep air out while the colloidal silver is being generated. Some even brag about using such a closed system…why I’ll probably never understand!

On the other hand, the new Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator from TheSilverEdge.com is specifically designed to dramatically boost the oxygen content of the colloidal silver as it’s being made.

Unlike conventional colloidal silver generators, the Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator includes a built-in bubbler mechanism that constantly bubbles air into the solution during the entire colloidal silver-making process.

This robust bubbling action dramatically reduces the buildup of electrolysis during the colloidal silver-making process, thus preventing the silver particles from bonding into larger particle agglomerates.

This means you get the tiniest, sub-microscopic silver particles possible in every batch.
But perhaps more importantly, the bubbling action also infuses the tiny, sub-microscopic silver particles with the highest charge of oxygen possible.

The result? Well, you can read the oft-time astonishing results for yourself on the Testimonials page at TheSilverEdge.com web site.

The Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator from TheSilveredge.com allows you to make all of the colloidal silver you could ever need, quickly and easily, in the comfort and privacy of your own home, for less than 36 cents a quart!

No wonder it’s been the #1 bestselling colloidal silver generator in the world for ten years running!

Yours for the safe, sane and responsible use of colloidal silver,

*The above quotes were excerpted from the report, "The Development and Functions of Silver in Water Purification and Disease Control," by Richard L. Davies and Samuel F. Etris. The Silver Institute, Washington DC.

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 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

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

New Research: Silver Nanoparticles Not Toxic


Are you getting tired of seeing all of those sensationalistic articles on the internet from the radical, anti-silver environmentalists who continue to claim antimicrobial silver is “toxic” to all living things and therefore should be restricted from use in consumer products?

Hi, Steve Barwick here, for www.TheSilverEdge.com...

If it gets your goat as much as it gets mine to see the radical anti-silver environmentalists continue to lie about the supposed “toxicity” of silver nanoparticles, I have some good news for you!

Here’s an abstract of a brand new 2012 clinical study published in the respected journal Nanotoxicology, in which researchers tested silver nanoparticles for genotoxicity, acute oral and dermal toxicity, eye and dermal irritation and corrosion, and skin sensitization.

And what did the researchers find? Zilch!

No Genotoxicity!

In bacterial tests performed, the researchers found that silver nanoparticles did NOT induce genotoxicity. This means there was no toxicity or harm to the integrity of the cell’s genetic material.

As you’re probably aware by now, the alleged genotoxicity of antimicrobial silver is one of the biggest rallying points for the radical anti-silver environmentalists. They scare the bejabbers out of people by telling them they’re going to suffer severe genetic damage – maybe even induce cancer -- if they use a nanosilver-impregnated computer keyboard, or brush their teeth with a nanosilver-impregnated toothbrush, or use a nanosilver-impregnated food storage container to keep their potato salad fresh. But this study leaves the anti-silver enviro-nuts without a leg to stand on.

Of course, the naysayers will point to the bacterial tests from this study, which demonstrated that some cytotoxicity (cell toxicity) was observed. But this of course is to be expected since silver is a known bacteriocide, and is commonly used as an anti-bacterial agent. In fact, that’s the whole point of using antimicrobial silver: It kills bacteria, as this study demonstrated.

But no harm to genetic material was found, even in such a primitive life-form as a bacteria!

No Abnormalities from Oral or Dermal Use!

What’s more, in animal tests, using acute (i.e., short term, but severe) oral and dermal doses consisting of a whopping 2,000 mg/kg (ppm) silver nanoparticles, NONE of the lab animals tested showed any abnormal signs or mortality.

According to the study authors, “In acute oral and dermal toxicity tests using rats, none of the rats showed any abnormal signs or mortality at a dose level of ~ 2000 mg/kg.”

Wow, that’s a LOT of silver to give a tiny lab rat. Most humans ingest only 10 or 20 ppm colloidal silver, and are significantly bigger than a lab rat weighing only a few mere ounces. Yet there was no harm or abnormal signs in the lab rats given 2,000 ppm oral doses.

What’s more, there was NO acute eye or dermal irritation or corrosion when the silver nanoparticles were tested in the eyes and on the skin of the animals.
However, there was some extremely low skin sensitization. Of the 20 lab animals tested for skin sensitivity to silver nanoparticles, only one showed low level signs of erythema (i.e., superficial reddening of the skin), prompting researchers to classify the silver nanoparticles used as "a weak skin sensitizer."

While the study abstract admits guinea pigs were used for the skin tests, what isn’t said is that they were probably using albino guinea pigs, which are commonly used in skin sensitivy tests in clinical studies because of the susceptibility of their skin to irritants. (For more information on this kind of testing, see my article on colloidal silver and skin sensitivity here: http://www.thesilveredge.com/Propaganda_Against_CS.shtml).

So, unless you're an albino guinea pig, I wouldn't worry too much about the skin sensitivity test results. After all, only one animal out of 20 showed even the slightest sign of skin sensitivity. In the past I’ve routinely used 10,000 ppm nanosilver cream on my skin for short periods of time with only beneficial effects.

Important Study…

All-in-all, this is probably one of the most important nanosilver studies ever published. What’s even better is that it was published in a highly respected medical journal.

And it completely refutes the contentions of the radical anti-silver environmentalists who continuously claim silver is "toxic" to all living things including little fishies, kitty cats, puppy dogs, and yes…even humans.

The bottom line is that after this, it’s going to be very difficult for the radical anti-silver environmentalists to make their sensationalistic claims with a straight face. Of course, they’ll continue to try. After all, they’ve never had any trouble lying to the public in the past.

But every time you see one of their sky-is-falling articles in which nanosilver is portrayed as being more “toxic” than plutonium, just email the authors a copy of this article, and smile. It will do you heart good!

Yours for the safe, sane and responsible use of colloidal silver,
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 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