Since 2008 when he
first appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Paul Karason, the so-called
“colloidal silver blue man” became the poster boy for argyria, the rare
condition in which the skin becomes stained gray or blue due to excessive
consumption of silver.
Internet sites dubbed
him “Papa Smurf”…late night comedians poked fun at him… television news
programs created a circus sideshow freak atmosphere around him…and colloidal
silver naysayers used him as an example of what will (supposedly) happen to you
should you even so much as glance sideways at a bottle of colloidal
silver.
But through it all,
Karason remained the ultimate gentleman, always optimistically cheerful and quick-witted,
with a self-deprecating sense of humor that won the hearts of many. His death from heart disease, apparently due
to his heavy tobacco smoking, was unrelated to his colloidal silver usage. His passing saddens us all.
Hi, Steve Barwick here, for www.TheSilverEdge.com...
You’ve probably heard by now that Paul Karason, the
so-called ‘colloidal silver blue man,” passed away on Monday, September 23,
2013, at 62 years old, after suffering a heart attack followed by a
stroke.
This, according to an article
on NBCNews.com’s Today Health
website.
You’ll likely also remember that Karason’s rise to
television and internet media fame back in 2008 largely took place after his
original appearance on the Oprah Winfrey
Show, in which he admitted that it was his excessive, long-term usage of colloidal
silver that turned his facial skin blue.
What Causes Argyria?
The blue skin-staining from excessive ingestion of silver substances
over long periods of time is a condition known as argyria.
The condition typically results after months or years of
abusive usage of colloidal silver or related silver products, in which higher
levels of silver are ingested on a regular basis than the body’s normal
channels of elimination can handle.
The excess silver particles gradually get pushed out to the
skin by the body in an attempt to eliminate them. That’s because the skin is the body’s third
major organ of elimination after the liver and kidneys.
But once those silver particles reach the skin, they remain trapped
there, and become “tarnished” upon exposure to sunlight. This “tarnish” – much like a photographic
process -- is what stains the skin a gray or bluish color.
While argyria is considered to be extremely rare – 20 or 30
documented cases in the last 20 years, compared to literally millions of responsible colloidal silver
users who have suffered no problems whatsoever – it is nevertheless
cosmetically unappealing.
Most importantly of all, argyria is usually quite permanent. However, there have been a few cases in
recent years in which a form of laser tattoo removal has effectively cleared the
skin of some argyria victims if the condition was not severe.
This is why I constantly write about the need to use
colloidal silver safely, sanely and responsibly.
(See here,
for example.)
And it’s why I have no trouble lambasting those internet
sites that claim you can drink all of the colloidal silver you want without
fear of consequences. It’s simply not
true.
Here’s the truth:
While colloidal silver, when used in moderation, has one of
the safest toxicological profiles of any nutritional supplement on the face of
the earth, the long-term abusive use
of colloidal silver will sooner or later bite you in the butt by causing
argyria.
And the past five years of Mr. Karason’s life have been a public
testimony to that fact.
Karason’s Medical
Problems Not Caused By Silver
Karason’s original appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show was followed by repeat appearances on
MSNBC’s The Today Show.
His story was also featured in literally hundreds of news
articles in print publications, as well as in online news sources from around
the world.
When some news stories suggested Mr. Karason’s health was in
grave danger from his excessive usage of colloidal silver, the MSNBC Today Show had Mr. Karason undergo an
extensive series of medical tests looking for signs of silver-induced toxicity.
But after examining the results of his medical tests,
Karason’s doctor had to admit that other than the argyric skin-staining, he
could find no additional medical problems that could be attributed to the
silver.
Karason’s blood work was normal. His kidney and liver function were normal. And
there were no signs of toxicity.
In short, the only consequence of his long-term and abusive
use of colloidal silver was the argyric skin-staining.
Was Heavy Smoking a
Contributing Factor?
According to Karason’s widow, he was a very heavy tobacco smoker.
This apparently led to his recent battle with heart disease
and ultimately to his premature death, just as it has with so many tens of
millions of heavy smokers around the world.
But could his heavy tobacco smoking have also led to his
argyric skin-staining? That’s an
interesting question. Of course, there’s
no way to know for sure. But consider
this:
According to the “Quit Smoking” page on About.com,
“Cigarette smoking speeds up the production of free radicals which in turn depletes levels of important antioxidants in
the body.”
This is vital to understand, because the body’s ability to effectively
metabolize, process and eliminate silver
depends in large part upon the presence of key antioxidant nutrients such as:
- Vitamin E (which tobacco smoking is known to deplete from the body’s tissues)
- Selenium (which tobacco smoking is known to deplete)
- And glutathione (which benzenes and cadmium from tobacco smoking are known to deplete)
So the very same antioxidant nutrients known to be needed by the human body in the
metabolism, processing and elimination of silver are regularly depleted from the body by heavy tobacco
smoking.
So if smoking depletes these key antioxidant nutrients, it
is at least theoretically possible
that Mr. Karason’s heavy tobacco smoking may well have contributed not only to
his heart disease, but also to his body’s inability to fully rid itself of the
excessive levels of silver he was consuming.
Though I admit there are no clinical studies to back-up my conjecture,
it would nevertheless seem prudent that colloidal silver users might also want
to take steps to limit activities such as heavy tobacco smoking, since this is known
to deplete the body’s levels of the key nutrient antioxidants needed to
metabolize and process silver.
At the very least, regular colloidal silver users should
take heed, and make sure their diet contains plenty of the key antioxidant
nutrients known to help the body effectively metabolize silver such as vitamin
E, selenium and N-acetyl-cysteine (which helps increase the body’s stores of
glutathione).
As Dr. Jonathan Wright, M.D., has pointed out regarding
colloidal silver and antioxidants in the past:
“Silver
belongs to the family of metals that also includes copper and gold (both of
which can also have numerous health benefits when they're used properly).
One
of the primary concerns people tend to have about using these metals is the
risk that they'll accumulate in the body and lead to heavy metal toxicity.
But
if you have plenty of antioxidants in your diet, such as selenium, vitamin E,
and amino acids like N-acetyl cysteine, you're safe from any harmful effects from
this family of metals. Germs, however, are not."
Let a word to the wise be sufficient.
Excessive Colloidal
Silver Usage
v/s Safe, Sane and
Responsible Usage
Over the years I've written extensively about Paul Karason, as
well as on the subject of argyria, and on the need to use colloidal silver
safely, sanely and responsibly.
I’ve done so in my book, The Ultimate Colloidal Silver
Manual…on The Silver Edge website…on
the Colloidal Silver
Secrets blog…and on my Colloidal
Silver Secrets page on Facebook.
The main thing I’ll always remember about Paul Karason was his
gracious attitude, and the charming humor he displayed when talking about his
argyric skin condition.
He openly admitted he was making highly-concentrated
solutions of colloidal silver using salt
as an accelerant to boost the concentration far above normal levels.
And by his own admission he was drinking between 10 to 20
ounces per day of this highly-concentrated colloidal silver chloride solution. Indeed,
he apparently did so daily for over 10 years before his facial skin began to
turn blue.
Not only that, but according to televised accounts of his
colloidal silver usage, he admits he was also vigorously rubbing this
concentrated colloidal silver chloride solution into his facial skin each day, in
an attempt to overcome a perceived skin condition.
Of course, a normal oral dosage of colloidal silver is about
a teaspoonful, which can be taken up
to several times a day when sick. And a normal concentration of colloidal
silver is about 10 ppm.
What’s more, topical usage of colloidal silver is generally limited
to occasional need, such as for relief from cuts, burns, bug bites, and topical
fungal and bacterial infections such as athlete’s foot, toenail fungus or even MRSA.
So not only was this gentleman’s homemade colloidal silver far
more concentrated than normal (based on the colloidal silver solution he
displayed on national television, I'd estimate it was about 100 ppm or higher --
i.e., 10x the normal concentration)…
…but he was also drinking dozens of times the normal daily dosage of colloidal silver (i.e., he
was drinking 10-20 ounces a day rather than a few teaspoons full per day).
And then he also rubbed these highly concentrated silver solutions
into his facial skin as well, which later turned blue.
The lesson to be learned from Paul Karason’s life as the
“colloidal silver blue man” is that excessive and abusive usage of colloidal
silver does indeed have consequences, just as excessive usage of any natural substance inevitably will.
Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to the family and
friends of Paul Karason. We do hope the news
media will finally let the man have his peace.
And we ask the colloidal silver naysayers to at least show him some
modicum of respect in his death.
May he always be remembered for his shy, quiet charm, his
wit, and his willingness to come clean and publicly admit that he caused his
own problem through his long-term abusive usage of colloidal silver.
Learn More…
You can learn more about the "colloidal silver blue
man" and argyria, as well as how to determine a safe, daily colloidal
silver dosage based on your body weight and the ppm of the colloidal silver
you’re using, in the articles at the following links:
You can also learn how to make your own high-quality colloidal silver, quickly and
easily, and for less than 36 cents a
quart, by clicking the link in this sentence.
I’ll be back next week with another great article on
colloidal silver…
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
2013 | Life & Health Research Group, LLC | PO Box 1239 | Peoria AZ
85380-1239 | All rights reserved.
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