Colloidal Silver Is Safer Than Antibiotics
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Poison Control Center reports no toxicity listing for Colloidal Silver. Regular doses of colloidal silver can act as a second immune system by assisting the body in the war against invading micro-organisms. Unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics which destroy beneficial enzymes, colloidal silver leaves these tissue-cell enzymes intact. In other words, it does not harm the good tissue or effect your “good” Gut bacteria.
As it relates to Silver Hydrosol, the formulations are able to use much less silver than their colloidal counterparts which deem them much safer and more effective. Critics of colloidal silver or silver hydrosols will state that silver can cause Argyria, or turn you “blue”. This statement has been debunked, as Argyria is caused by silver compounds, such as silver nitrate, silver sulfate, silver sulfadiazine, etc., and not micro-particles of pure elemental silver.
How Does Colloidal Silver Work?
In 1996, Richard Davies and Samuel Etris of The Silver Institute researched “The Development and Functions of Silver in Water Purification and Disease Control.” They discussed three mechanisms of deactivation that silver uses to disarm disease-causing organisms, which are:
1.Catalytic Oxidation
Silver naturally holds onto oxygen molecules, which readily reacts with the sulfhydral (H) groups that surround bacterial and viruses. In turn, this helps block the respiration and causes the pathogen to expire or die. Employing a simple catalytic reduction/oxidation reaction, colloidal silver will react to any negative charge presented by the organism’s transport or membrane proteins and deactivate them.
2. Reaction with Bacterial Cell Membranes
There is evidence that silver ions attach to membrane surface radicals of bacteria, impairing cell respiration and blocking its energy transfer system. In other words, Silver ions can attach to bacteria cell membranes directly and produce the same respiration-blocking effect.
3. Binding with DNA
Studies by C.L. Fox and SM Modak regarding a difficult bacteria to treat showed that up to 12% of silver had been taken up by the organism’s DNA. According to one source, “While it remains unclear exactly how the silver binds to the DNA without destroying the hydrogen bonds holding the lattice together, it nevertheless prevents the DNA from unwinding, an essential step for cellular replication to occur.”
Now that you understand that Colloidal Silver is safe and how it works, let’s discuss the different uses of Colloidal Silver for supporting health.
What is Colloidal Silver Used For?
Does Colloidal Silver Kill Bacteria?
Silver has historically and extensively been used as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent. According to a study, for bacteria grown under aerobic or anaerobic conditions, significant growth inhibition was observed. Silver has also been shown to control antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Furthermore, Larry C. Ford, MD at UCLA in the 1980’s, documented over 650 different disease-causing pathogens that were destroyed in minutes when exposed to small amounts of silver.
Colloidal silver, unlike prescription antibiotics, simply doesn’t create resistance or immunity in the organisms. This is extremely important to note as we are in a society suffering from Antibiotic resistant diseases; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that more than 2 million people in the U.S. suffer illness every year as a result of antibiotic-resistant infections and 23,000 die from these infections.
Does Colloidal Silver Kill Viruses?
Dr. Martin Hum, from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, lists colloidal silver as one of the natural remedies to help devitalize viruses fast. It also has been known to boost the immune system and strengthen the immune systems ability to help fight viruses.
Is Colloidal Silver Anti-Inflammatory?
Colloidal silver is also a known as an anti-inflammatory remedy. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) studied the effects of inflammation after being treated by colloidal silver; they found that the inflamed skin of pigs treated with silver experienced near-normal skin after 72 hours, while other treatment groups not treated with silver remained inflamed.
I encourage you to search testimonials regarding colloidal silver and swelling, increasing the speed of healing, and boosting cell recovery.
Can You Use Colloidal Silver for Wounds?
In a study published by Pubmed.gov, “Taking the Silver Bullet Colloidal Silver Particles for the Topical Treatment of Biofilm-Related Infections”, silver was showed “substantial in vitro and in vivo activity against clinically relevant biofilms.” Furthermore Robert O. Becker, MD, says colloidal silver helps stimulate healing in the skin and other soft tissues.
In a research article produced by Pharmacognosy Communications in 2012, it was specifically recommended that certain colloidal silver preparations should be considered for topical use to treat burns, thrush, periodontitis and other conditions.
Although I am not able to make claims about silver, some report treating issues such as ringworm, eczema, ear infections, pink eye, as well as finding relief on scrapes and burns. Topical silver historically was used on burns but usage stopped after the advent of antibiotics, until the 1960s when it kicked back into popularity.
Can You Use Colloidal Silver for Eyes and Ear Infections?
Pink eye is an inflamed mucous membrane that covers the eyeball and eyelid lining, and it’s primarily caused by a bacterial or viral infection. Some report they have used Colloidal silver to help fight against this irritating and highly infectious virus and bacteria.
When applied on the infected eye, the tiny silver colloids in the colloidal silver eye drops pick up the infected cells by attracting them electromagnetically and sending them into the bloodstream to be eliminated.
Our modern prescription antibiotic drugs are designed to work against specific classes of bacteria, but ear infections may be caused by multiple classes of bacteria or can even be fungal.
In this case, the prescription antibiotic will be useless, whereas colloidal silver may be more effective regardless of what may be causing your infection.
Can You You Use Colloidal Silver For Sore Throats?
Many people report that gargling with silver can help alleviate their symptoms of a sore throat and recovery quicker. Considering the studies that have shown silver’s ability to devitalize viruses and bacteria, it would make sense that it would help alleviate sore throats as well.
Can You Use Colloidal Silver for Sinus Infections?
Well known for controlling sinus infections, colloidal silver can benefit people as a nasal spray, according to a study published in the International Forum for Allergy and Rhinology in 2014.
Furthermore, a recent 2018 study published in Frontiers in Microbiology found that colloidal silver nasal rinses, when used twice daily for 10 days, is safe and effective for patients with chronic sinusitis. Twenty-two patients completed the study and were given either oral antibiotics with saline rinses twice a day or colloidal silver nasal rinses twice daily. The results indicate that both forms of treatment showed similar improvements in sinusitis symptoms, and using colloidal silver in this manner for ten days was deemed safe.
Can You Use Colloidal Silver for Colds and Flu?
Colloidal Silver has been used around the world to help fight colds and flu viruses. A study researched Colloidal silver as an alternative solution to help treat Staphylococcus Aureus biofilms. They concluded “Colloidal silver directly attenuates in vitro Staph Aureus biofilms.”
Can You Take Colloidal Silver and Antibiotics Together?
Yes! In fact, Silver enhances the effectiveness of antibiotics. A study by Morones-Ramirez in 2013 showed Silver enhances antibiotic activity against gram-negative bacteria.
We show that silver disrupts multiple bacterial cellular processes, including disulfide bond formation, metabolism, and iron homeostasis. These changes lead to increased production of reactive oxygen species and increased membrane permeability of Gram-negative bacteria that can potentiate the activity of a broad range of antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria in different metabolic states, as well as restore antibiotic susceptibility to a resistant bacterial strain. We show both in vitro and in a mouse model of urinary tract infection (UTI) that the ability of silver to induce oxidative stress can be harnessed to potentiate antibiotic activity.”
Additionally, they demonstrate that silver sensitizes Gram-negative bacteria to the Gram-positive-specific antibiotic vancomycin, thereby enhancing the antibacterial spectrum of the drug. Finally, they used silver and antibiotic combinations in vitro to eradicate bacterial persister cells, and show both in vitro and in a mouse biofilm infection model that silver can enhance antibacterial action against bacteria that produce biofilms. This work shows silver can be used to enhance the action of existing antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria, thus strengthening the antibiotic arsenal for fighting bacterial infections.
As the population becomes more resistant to antibiotics and a declining pipeline of clinically useful antibiotics has occurred, it has made it imperative to develop more effective antimicrobial therapies, particularly against difficult-to-treat Gram-negative pathogens.
Want to Know More?
Read our previous article “What Is Colloidal Silver?” for even more information about this safe and effective supplement for helping the immune system and more.
Sara Banta
Sara Banta is a Stanford University Graduate with a Degree in Economics and Psychology, and a certified Natural Supplement Expert & Graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Sara is the Founder of Accelerated Health Products and host of the health & wellness podcast, Accelerated Health Radio.
