The Resurgence of Colloidal Silver

For over 6,000 years the world over, the medical community considered colloidal silver a mainstay antibacterial. Silver was used to preserve foods and prevent and heal infections. But with the introduction of antibiotics in the twentieth century, colloidal silver lost its luster with conventional medicine.

Now in the face of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, the medical community is turning to other anti-bacterial alternatives and colloidal silver[i] is one of them.

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics has resulted in new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The ineffectiveness of antibiotics against these superbugs is so well recognized that a spokesman for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared this, “The end of antibiotics.”[ii]

Recent research has reconfirmed that colloidal silver possesses two powerful properties as an antibacterial: first, it can destroy antibiotic-resistant microbes like MRSA.[iii] And second, when coupled with antibiotics, colloidal silver improves their effectiveness by as much as 1,000 times against resistant bacteria.[iv]

What are the dangers of colloidal silver?

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) states, “Colloidal silver is not safe or effective for treating any disease or condition.”[v] The NCCAM warns further, “There is no scientific evidence for effectiveness and a severe risk for serious side effects from colloidal silver.”[vi]

The NCCAM goes on to call colloidal silver, “a replacement for conventional medical care.”[vii] Their assertion is very odd considering silver played a significant role in conventional medicine for preventing and treating bacterial infections well into the 20^th century in the US.^[viii]

After reviewing the medical literature on colloidal silver, Dr. J. Wesley Alexander of the Department of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine concluded, “Silver has been used for at least six millennia to prevent microbial infections. It has been effective against almost all organisms tested and has been used to treat numerous infections and noninfectious conditions, sometimes with striking success.”^[ix]

As a supplement, silver comes in three common forms:

• Ionic silver
• Silver protein
• Colloidal silver

Ionic silver and silver proteins are more prone to cause problems such as argyria.  Argyria is a condition in which the skin turns a blue-gray color. This problem does not occur with recommended dosages of true colloidal silver.[x] For this reason, colloidal silver is the only preparation recommended by healthcare professionals, and then only under supervision by a qualified health practitioner.[xi]

Personally, I have two concerns about ingesting colloidal silver:[xii]

1. Silver is a “heavy metal.” We hear a lot about heavy metals and the need to detox from them. What are the long-term effects of introducing silver into one’s body?
2. Since silver is so efficient at killing bacteria, what will it do to the good flora in our gut? (We know that antibiotics have this tendency and must often be followed up with probiotics.)

Some people rely heavily on the preventative properties of colloidal silver to the extent that they drink an ounce or more per day. They claim to suffer no ill effects. But if they do find that colloidal silver depletes their good flora, they simply supplement with probiotics.[xiii]

Unlike other metals such as zinc or magnesium, the body does not need silver. Silver is not a mineral essential to our bodies. From this perspective, taking colloidal silver as a daily supplement is more like taking an aspirin than taking vitamin D or fish oil. We may be preventing a temporary illness, but at what cost long-term?

However, there are many other great topical applications for colloidal silver. Here are 5 ways you might benefit from colloidal silver:[xiv]

1. Prevent or halt infection in a cut, scrape, or wound.
2. Find relief and avoid infection due to a burn, sunburn, or insect bite.
3. Stop pink eye, athlete’s foot, yeast infections, toenail fungus, and shingles.
4. Use colloidal silver as a natural hand disinfectant at home or away.
5. Spray colloidal silver as a disinfectant for your kitchen and bathroom.

For other applications with colloidal silver, just think “antibiotic.”

With the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, we will have to turn to other means for battling bacterial infections. Bacteria do not evolve to become resistant to colloidal silver, so perhaps colloidal silver will once again become prevalent in conventional medicine.