By Ben Taylor
I only advocate and recommend the use of either colloidal silver, which is silver particles suspended in water or ionic silver, which is silver ions suspended in water or a combination of these products. I believe that particle silver products are best for any condition beyond the stomach, but ionic silver products are just as good topically or any place that doesn’t have to pass thru the stomach or into the bloodstream. Some proponents even claim that the sublingual use of ionic silver, which if held in the mouth for a time without swallowing, can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
Key suggests that as proof, “have a subject ingest 250 mL of ionic silver or any substantial amount for that matter. Ingested silver (nano-particles) can generally be found in the bloodstream within 15 – 30 minutes after ingestion so the same would apply to ions if they are going to be present. Draw a small sample of blood from the subject after 15 to 30 minutes and test for the presence of silver ions using the silver ISE. The result will always be negative or a value that is indistinguishable from noise regardless of how much ionic silver is ingested. The same blood sample when tested using atomic absorption/emission spectroscopy will detect the presence of silver from the silver chloride present.”
Although any product containing silver will have anti-microbial benefit, I generally advise against the long-term or regular use of silver proteins, silver in saline solutions, silver nitrates, any silver produced with a chemical process, and generally any large particle or high PPM silver solution. I would use these type products if nothing else was available, but when silver in distilled water is available, there is simply no reason to have to deal with the skin discoloration possibilities that these other products may have if overused.
Contrary to what the media propaganda would lead you to believe, the condition called Argyria develops only with prolonged and heavy use of these other silver products, but I do believe that colloidal silver (silver in distilled water) in any reasonable therapeutic use will not cause this condition. Certainly this very rare occurrence is not reason for anyone to be averse to using one of mankind’s safest and most effective natural germ-killers. Just remember, we should be reasonable with anything we put into our bodies, even health supplements; an aspirin or two will kill a headache, a bottle of aspirin may kill you. This holds true with anything you consume; there is a toxic effect level with almost all products. Iron and copper are essential for healthy bodies and their deficiencies can be devastating to the body’s chemistry, but there are levels at which they too can cause adverse effects. Plain water consumed excessively can cause death by diluting and depleting the body’s electrolytes. The bottom line is, when you consider the tens of thousands of deaths and organ failures caused by most over-the-counter and other ‘FDA approved drugs and medicines’, any risk with silver pales in comparison to any OTC headache drug.
Let’s get back to the purpose of this article, which is to try to help develop for you a better grasp of effectively using silver. There is a minimal maintenance level of silver consumption at which our cells are able over time to develop a stronger immunity to germs. But as with anything, it may vary greatly from person to person, depending on each body chemistry, body size and lifestyle. The effective amount for sedentary individuals may not be adequate for more active people; as with all nutrients and minerals, they are constantly being depleted via sweating, urinating and stool elimination. A side note here: If you are that sedentary person, supplements may not be enough to overcome the bad health that will result from inactivity, but at the very least, silver may still reduce issues caused by microbes.
The simple and unadulterated scientific fact is, silver kills germs; bacteria, virus, and fungi on contact; that no one can credibly deny. According to research by Beiersdorf the maker of Curad bandages and one of the world’s largest medical supply companies, silver when brought into contact with germs inhibits their growth by deactivating their oxygen metabolism enzymes. In turn, this destroys the microbe’s cell membranes, stopping the replication of its DNA. For therapeutic purposes, the silver key in the lock is bringing the silver into contact with the one-celled organism and how easy or difficult that is depends on where the silver needs to go and how wide spread or systemic the microbial infection actually is.
For issues in the ears, eyes, sinuses, throat, and the skin, it is very simple matter, because there is easy access to those places. For the ears, a flush works very well by lying on your side or tilting your head and simply filling the ear with silver, either ionic or colloidal; even a few drops may work on mild ear infections. For the eyes, drops will usually do the trick, but for more serious infections, an eye wash cup to do a flush is best. In the case of cuts and abrasions you can apply directly to the damaged area and for a puncture, a plastic squeeze/mist sprayer bottle can be used to ‘pressure force’ silver into the puncture wound. Just a mild warning here; there are beneficial bacteria on the surface of the skin, just as there is in the digestive system, so any heavy use of or ‘flushing’ with silver should be specific to the affected area and should be short-term. If silver is overused, it can result in dry scaly and flakey epidermal layers. If you experience this, simply discontinue use for a short time and the skin will return to normal.
Colloidal and ionic silver are both very effective in getting rid of most conditions of the gums and can be a powerful deterrent to cavities by rinsing the mouth after brushing. Believe it or not, the best tooth paste I’ve ever used is a soap, Utopia Naturals Silver Aloe Skin Care Bar, made with colloidal silver, Aloe Vera, plant minerals and essential oil of juniper (itself an anti-bacterial agent). This unorthodox sounding ‘tooth paste’ was recommended to me by a retired lawyer/engineer and now south Texas rancher friend. I had sent him several bars to use as skin therapy since he spends most of his time out-of-doors working his cattle and goats and gets lots of abrasions and wind and sun damage to his skin. A month or so later, he called me and told me the story of how he had cured his gum infections using the skin therapy soap. He said he had developed a persistent gum problem that nothing seemed to get rid of, but as he was reading the ingredients of the soap one night, he thought, “There’s nothing in here that could be harmful, so why not try it as a ‘toothpaste’?” Within two weeks, his gum problems had cleared up. Now, I will use nothing else, although I have improved his discovery a little by sprinkling a bit of baking soda on the soap before applying it to my toothbrush.