Monday, November 5, 2012

Hypocritical NBC News Attacks, Ridicules Colloidal Silver

While the big TV networks rake in billions of dollars a year from Big Pharma for advertising some of the most crippling, side-effect-laden drugs in the world, their news departments relentlessly attack safe, natural remedies like colloidal silver.

Here’s another example -- fresh from the archives of the otherwise prestigious NBC News – demonstrating the hypocrisy of the major news media, particularly when it comes to reporting on colloidal silver…

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

Obviously, NBC News is running out of sensationalistic topics for the “Body Odd” section of their online news site.

In fact, in a recent article by “science writer” Tia Ghose, the giant news network chose to regurgitate, in National Enquirer-style, some of the same tired old canards about colloidal silver we’ve all seen in the past. 

From the very first paragraph, onward, NBC News ominously warns its readers that those who drink too much colloidal silver “turn a disturbing shade of blue-gray, a condition known as argyria.”

Of course, as I’ve pointed out over and over and over and over again, colloidal silver CAN indeed cause argyria – i.e., a blue-gray skin staining.  This has been known for over 60 years.  So it’s nothing new.

What NBC News Left Out

But what NBC News selectively fails to point out in their article is that in order to create argyria, you have to use this otherwise safe, natural infection-fighting substance irresponsibly, in great excess, and for long periods of time

That’s because when colloidal silver is used regularly, for months or years on end, and in super-high doses or excessively high concentrations, the body’s normal elimination processes (i.e., kidneys, liver, and sweat glands) can get overwhelmed by the excess silver.

As a result, the body can begin to store some of the tiny silver particles in the tissues and organs.

And if excessive colloidal silver consumption is continued, the body then begins pushing some of the tiny silver particles out to the skin in an effort to get rid of it. 

Finally, when enough sunlight hits the embedded silver particles in the skin, they begin to oxidize (i.e., tarnish), turning the skin a bluish-gray or even slate gray color.

It’s very similar to the photographic process that uses silver to create photo negatives.  In essence, the skin becomes “tattooed” a grayish blue color wherever the silver particles are.

Never Harmed Anybody

But when colloidal silver is used responsibly, with moderation and common sense, it has one of the most benign safety profiles of all nutritional supplements. 

Indeed, the safety profile for colloidal silver is so good, the FDA has admitted under past Freedom of Information Act requests that it has no negative public safety data whatsoever on the supplement, as I’ll show you in just a moment.  

The point being, of course, that moderate, responsible and common-sense usage of colloidal silver has never harmed anybody

But NBC News selectively leaves that little bit of information out of their article.  Why do you think they’d leave out such an important fact?

Colloidal Silver Safety Record

Indeed, NBC News utterly failed to acknowledge in their article that colloidal silver is sold in virtually every well-stocked health food store in every city in North America, and that there’s an estimated 10 million users of the infection-fighting substance in North America alone.

The giant news network also failed to acknowledge that colloidal silver is one of the most popular water disinfectants used throughout Mexico, Central and South America, where the colloidal silver product called Microdyn is routinely recommended by the governments of those countries. 

And the network failed to acknowledge that in Europe, colloidal silver is used in the drinking water supplies of thousands of cruise ships and cargo ships, to safely sterilize and disinfect the drinking water.  

NBC News also failed to acknowledge that colloidal silver has even been used on the Space Shuttle as well as the Russian Space station to disinfect the water for astronauts and cosmonauts on long space journeys. 

But I don’t suppose you’ve heard of any blue-skinned astronauts or cosmonauts lately, have you?  How about blue-skinned cruise ship passengers?  Blue-skinned Mexicans, Central Americans, or South Americans? 

I thought not.

What’s more, NBC News failed to acknowledge that colloidal silver is used widely throughout Third World developing countries to help disinfect the water supply, and as a result is directly responsible for saving literally hundreds of thousands of lives from dysentery and other infectious diseases.

So you’d think with all of this colloidal silver usage worldwide, there would be a veritable global epidemic of blue people everywhere you look, wouldn’t you?

But what’s the reality?

In over 120 years of colloidal silver usage worldwide, in a wide variety of consumer applications, and with millions and millions of current users worldwide…

…only a relatively tiny handful of people have ever managed to turn themselves blue, and then, only when they took egregiously excessive amounts of colloidal silver for long periods of time.

That’s what NBC News fails to tell you.  And why do they selectively fail to give you this information? 

It’s because if they gave you those details you’d have the proper perspective from which to judge their propagandistic claims about colloidal silver. 

You’d see that their claims are sensationalistic at best, and bordering on corrupt at worst. 

But they won’t give you those details, because they don’t want you to have them

The bottom line is that when it comes to reporting on colloidal silver, they’ve stooped to National Enquirer-style journalism on behalf of their pharmaceutical company masters. 

Indeed, the biggest piece of information NBC News fails to acknowledge is that even the FDA has sheepishly had to admit, when faced with Freedom of Information Act requests for information on colloidal silver’s safety, that they don’t have any significant negative consumer data on the substance:

FDA Admits:  No Clinical Data Showing
Colloidal Silver to Be Unsafe for Human Use

For example, here’s one Freedom of Information Act request to the FDA, asking for all of their negative data on colloidal silver. 

Following the request, you’ll find the FDA’s short but revealing reply:

October 14th, 1999

Food and Drug Administration
U.S. Department Of Health and
Human Services
Public Health Service
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857

Dear Sirs/Madam,

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and in regard your August 17th, 1999 ruling regarding colloidal silver, could you please supply the following documentation on which you based your decision?

1. The number of deaths related to the consumption of colloidal silver.

2. The number of allergic reactions to the consumption of colloidal silver.

3. The number of harmful drug interactions from both OTC and prescription drugs when combined with colloidal silver.

4. The number of reported cases of Argyria from colloidal silver made with the AC or DC electrical process.

5. The number of cases of Argyria from colloidal silver that did not contain protein stabilizers.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this request.

Sincerely,
[name removed]

-------------------------------------------

Here’s the FDA short but very revealing response to this Freedom of Information Act request for negative consumer information on colloidal silver:

Public Health Service
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
Office of Training and Communication
Freedom of Information Staff HFD-205
5600 Fishers Lane 12 B 05
Rockville, Maryland 20857
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

November 3, 1999
In Response Refer to File: F99-22589
[ Name Removed ], WA 98408

Dear [ name removed ]:

This is in response to your request of 10/14/99, in which you requested adverse events associated with the use of Colloidal Silver.

Your request was received in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research on 10/25/99.

We have searched the records from FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) and have been unable to locate any cases that would be responsive to your request.

Charges of $3.50 (Search $3.50, Review $0, Reproduction $0, Computer time $0) will be included in a monthly invoice.

DO NOT SEND ANY PAYMENT UNTIL YOU RECEIVE AN INVOICE.

If there are any problems with this response, please notify us in writing of your specific problem(s). Please reference the above file number.
Sincerely,

Hal Stepper
Freedom of Information Technician
Office of Training and Communications
Freedom of Information Staff, HFD-205

As you can see, the FDA response for information on negative consumer data on colloidal silver was underwhelming to say the least.

Indeed, they had nothing negative to say about colloidal silver when given the chance to reveal its supposed dangers.

Big Pharma’s Influence on the News

So why is NBC News railing against the supposed dangers of colloidal silver when even the FDA has been forced to admit the consumer safety profile of this infection-fighting natural substance is remarkably clean? 

And why hasn’t NBC News acknowledged that some of the most popular and widely used drugs in the world have far more crippling (and even deadly) side effects, including many of the drugs that NBC routinely advertises on its own network, such as Tylenol, which is now the world’s #1 leading cause of acute liver failure resulting in 56,000 cases per year of liver poisoning, 26,000 hospital admissions and about 500 deaths annually due to liver failure?

Could it be because Big Pharma spends something like $4 billion annually on media advertising for their drugs?

Yes, that’s billion with a “b.” And yes, that’s every single year – with some $3.1 billion of this money going directly to television advertising according to the New York Times

Could it be that NBC and the other major television networks have a vested financial interest in promoting Big Pharma’s side-effect laden drugs, while discrediting natural health remedies such as colloidal silver?

Could this be why the big networks so snidely portray natural health remedies as dangerous modern-day versions of “snake oil” – even as they collectively rake in billions of dollars annually from the big drug makers in return for promoting some of the most deadly and side effect-laden drugs in the world?

I’ll leave those questions up to you to answer for yourself.  But I think in your heart of hearts you already know the answer.

Setting the Record Straight

With all of that out of the way, let’s take a quick look at some of the specific claims made against colloidal silver in the NBC News article.

In the very first paragraph of the article, NBC News claims that colloidal silver may be “the weirdest” of all “unproven health remedies.” 

That highly biased statement sets the tone for the rest of the NBC News article, as the reporter attempts to portray colloidal silver usage as something out of a carnival sideshow.

The author goes on to state in the fourth paragraph that “Enthusiasts of colloidal silver believe the metal's antibacterial properties will keep them from getting sick,” but “There’s no proof it works…” 

So what’s wrong with the claim?  It’s completely biased and decidedly untruthful. 

·       First of all, the NBC News article fails to acknowledge all of the studies demonstrating colloidal silver’s profound effectiveness against serious life-threatening pathogens like MRSA.

·       The NBC News article also fails to acknowledge the studies demonstrating colloidal silver’s effectiveness against a number of viruses.

·       The NBC News article also fails to acknowledge the plethora of bona-fide medical experts who recommend colloidal silver usage for healing infections and related illnesses.  In fact, NBC News fails to provide any balance to their article whatsoever by interviewing or quoting these medical experts. 

·       And the NBC News article fails to acknowledge the dozens upon dozens of clinical studies and white papers that have demonstrated the profound infection-fighting benefits of colloidal silver

·       And finally, the NBC News article writes off thousands of anecdotal reports of colloidal silver’s profound healing qualities as being nothing more than figments of the overly-active imaginations of users of the substance.

In other words, there was no attempt whatsoever made by NBC News to provide a balanced and unbiased look at colloidal silver and its usage. 

The entire article was the journalistic equivalent of a drive-by shooting. 

Indeed, the author of the NBC news article ventures into the realm Red Herring journalism by sneaking in a link to another online article about the Fugate clan of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky.

The Fugates, of course, have bluish-looking skin due to a genetic blood abnormality called methemoglobinemia, which is apparently compounded by intermarriage between members of this isolated clan.

The article about the Fugate clan has absolutely nothing to do with colloidal silver usage, or with argyria. 

Indeed, it appears to be linked to by NBC News solely as a means of connecting colloidal silver usage with a freakish occurrence of nature. 

But far from being a freakish occurrence of nature, colloidal silver is among one of the most well-studied and commonly used forms of natural protection from infectious microorganisms, with dozens of clinical studies to its credit

New Study?

Finally, what really galls me about this propaganda piece disguised as a “news” article from NBC is that it purports to be an announcement of a new clinical study that has for the first time ever demonstrated the biological pathway through which colloidal silver causes argyria.

Here’s a direct quote from the NBC News article:

“The team found that stomach acid strips silver atoms of one electron (electrons have a negative charge), making a positively charged silver ion, or salt.

The silver ion then seeps into the bloodstream through channels normally only used by other salts. From the bloodstream, the salts wind up in the skin.

When light hits the skin, electrons from the surrounding area immediately bond to the silver ions, turning them back into silver atoms.

The chemical conversion results in darker particles, and the skin turns blue. The same chemical reaction is used to develop black-and-white prints.”

Ignoring the erroneous idea that a positively charged silver ion is a “salt” (it most definitely isn’t)…

…and ignoring the fact that no mention whatsoever is made of the decided worldwide dearth of cases of argyria…

…have we learned anything new from the NBC News article?

Nope.  Not a thing. 

While NBC News essentially touts this new study as being groundbreaking in nature, the reality is this: 

It’s been known for over six decades that the condition known as argyria is basically similar to the photographic process in which silver is converted by light to produce a pigment. 

For example, Wikipedia.com explains:

Chronic intake of silver products can result in an accumulation of silver or silver sulfide particles in the skin.

As in photography (where silver is used due to its reactivity with light), these particles in the skin darken with exposure to sunlight, resulting in a blue or gray discoloration of the skin.

          This condition is known as argyria.

And the 1987 clinical study, Argyria: the Intradermal “Photograph,” a Manifestation of Passive Photosensitivity” states:

X-ray microprobe and electron microscopic study was made of the remarkable blue-black pigmentation that sunlight elicits in patients with argyria…

…Similarities are demonstrated between the darkening of the skin and the darkening of a photographic film following light exposure…

…This passive photosensitivity reaction leads to silver tattooing of the light-exposed skin and to photographic imaging in the film.”

In other words, the whole idea touted by NBC News that this is new information borders on the ludicrous. 

The NBC News article simply uses the announcement of the new study as an empty pretence to ridicule the idea of colloidal silver usage, and most importantly, to scare away their readers from even thinking about using it. 

The Real Purpose of the Article

Finally, the NBC News article states, regarding colloidal silver and argyria, “To avoid looking like a Smurf, it's probably best to avoid the health tonic altogether.

And there you have, in a nutshell, the entire purpose of the NBC News hit piece.

But do you see any news articles from NBC News saying "To avoid becoming one of the 56,000 people per year who end up with Tylenol poisoning or the 500 people per year who end up dying from acute liver failure due to Tylenol poisoning, it's probably best to avoid pain-relieving drugs like Tylenol altogether?"

Of course not.  After all, such a statement – however true it might be -- would cost NBC tens of millions of dollars or more in annual advertising revenues.  

The bottom line is that the entire NBC News article on colloidal silver was cleverly designed to sow into the minds of their news readers the erroneous notion that they’ll ‘turn blue’ if they even consider using the substance.

Wrong Again…

Finally, the NBC News article concludes by saying “…there’s no known way to reverse” argyria.

Yet even that statement is a complete falsehood. 

Nearly 10 years ago Dr. Allison Vidimos of the famous Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH developed a method for using a laser light to reverse mild cases of argyric skin staining.

And she’s taught this technique around the world ever since.  Indeed, there are now doctors from the east coast to the west coast and around the world successfully practicing the technique, which is basically very much like tattoo removal using laser light. 

Years ago I wrote about this successful technique for reversing argyria in my book, The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual

And I wrote about it again in my more recent article, Colloidal Silver:  Harmful to the Human Body?

Pure Propaganda

So basically, the only significant fact the NBC News article got right is that excessive use of colloidal silver can cause argyria – a fact that’s been widely known for some 60-plus years (though it is only true for a small subset of users). 

The rest of the article was pure propaganda.  And NBC News has pretty much destroyed any credibility it might have had in regards to unbiased reporting on natural health topics. 

The bottom line is that if you stripped away all of the reporter’s bias and skillfully employed propaganda from the NBC News article, and added just a tiny bit of factual data, the entire news article could have easily been summed up thusly:

In a press release, scientists from Brown University claim to have simulated the biological pathway through which excessive long-term use of colloidal silver can cause argyria.

Argyria is a cosmetic skin condition that has afflicted only a tiny number of the estimated 10 million colloidal silver users across North America, and which according to the FDA causes no apparent health concerns.

In this simulation, the researchers demonstrated what has already been known about argyria for some 60 years: 

When a large enough number of silver particles are carried through the body to the skin over long periods of time, the skin can become stained blue or bluish gray in a photographic-like process.

But instead of reporting truthfully, the reporter chose to abandon all journalistic principle and weave her own bias into the article, using cleverly chosen words and website links to strike fearful emotional chords in the minds of NBC News readers. 

You’re Fired!

As a journalist and author with over 30 years of writing and editorial experience, I can assure you I’d have fired any reporter who brought me such a deceptive and poorly researched piece of propaganda disguised as journalism.   

But NBC News chose instead to print the piece. 

Worse yet, NBC News chose to end the article with an embedded video of poor old Paul Karason, the so-called “colloidal silver blue man,” who openly admits he used high concentrations of colloidal silver excessively for over ten years and ended up staining his facial skin a bright blue. 

Of course, there would be nothing wrong with including that video, had NBC News bothered to mention the fact that Karason is an unusual case and is not at all representative of the millions of responsible colloidal silver users around the world. 

But instead the news network chose not to do reveal that critical detail, demonstrating their own complicity in the biased reporting. 

What NBC News Won’t Tell You

To learn more about the use of safe, natural colloidal silver for fighting infection and disease, just click the link in this sentence and scroll through some of the web pages linked in the navigation bar on the left-hand side of the page. 

I suggest checking out the “Clinical Studies and Reports” page, for example, which lists dozens of clinical studies on colloidal silver that you can read right on the website. 

You might also want to check out the “What the Experts Say About Colloidal Silver” page, which lists literally hundreds of positive quotes on colloidal silver from medical and scientific research experts. 

Then, while you’re at it, check out the “More Great Articles About Colloidal Silver” page for over 100 in-depth articles on colloidal silver. 

And finally, if you’re a real brave soul, check out the “Testimonials” page as well.  There you’ll learn exactly how hundreds of experienced colloidal silver users have used the substance safely and effectively to heal numerous forms of infectious illness and disease.

Meanwhile, I’ll be back next week with another great article on colloidal silver…

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 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. 

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