History Of Silver In Medicine
- From: rpautrey2 <rpautrey2@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 17:46:26 -0700 (PDT)
A Brief History of Silver and Silver Colloids in Medicine
(This is a chapter from the book Colloidal Silver: Medical Uses,
Toxicology and Manufacture)
Silver has been used as a medicine and preservative by many
cultures throughout history. The Greeks and others used silver vessels
for water and other liquids to keep them fresh. Pioneers trekking
across the wild west generations ago faced many hardships. Keeping
safe drinking water was one of them. Bacteria, algae, etc. found a
fertile breeding ground in the wooden water casks that were carried on
the wagons. They placed silver and copper coins in the casks to retard
the growth of these spoilage organisms. They also put silver dollars
in their milk to keep it fresh. Settlers in the Australian outback
still suspend silverware in their water tanks to retard spoilage.
Silver water purification filters and tablets are manufactured in
Switzerland and used by many nations and international airlines.
Preventing growth of algae and bacteria in swimming pools is a similar
problem that people face today. Electrical ionization units that
impregnate the water with silver and copper ions are available today
that sanitize the pool water without the harsh effects of chlorine.
In contemporary times, colloidal silver is something of a
pariah. It is popular among alternative medicine enthusiasts and it
has been officially disapproved of by the FDA. It is politically
incorrect and has been marketed widely as a "modern wonder cure
alternative to antibiotics" in health food stores, multi-level
marketing and other related outlets. These claims are based on the
germicidal properties of silver and anecdotal reports of
effectiveness. Silver does indeed have germicidal properties. It was
employed as a germicide and antibiotic before the development of
modern antibiotics. After reviewing the literature on the prior usage
of colloidal silver in the pre-antibiotic era, it becomes evident that
the dosages they used were far in excess of the usual recommended
dosages of current over the counter health food products.
Silver was used as a medicine in the late 1800's and early
1900's. Silver, along with other metals was discovered to possess
germicidal properties. Silver alone showed both strong germicidal
properties and low or no toxicity to humans. The Colloidal state
proved to be the most effective form because it lacked the caustic
properties of salts (such as silver nitrate) and demonstrated a high
level of activity with very low concentrations.
Medicinal silver compounds were developed in the late 1800's and
there was widespread use of silver compounds and colloids prior to
1930. By 1940 there were approximately four dozen different silver
compounds on the market being used to treat every known infectious
disease. These were available in oral, injectable, and topical forms.
They carried such names as; Albargin, Argonin, Argyn, Argyrol, Largin,
Lunosol, Novargan, Proganol, Electrargol and Silvol, etc.
These different silver preparations were drastically different
from each other. Some were true colloids of silver, others were
colloids of silver salts or other compounds of silver, many were
silver proteinates, and some couldn't legitimately be called colloids.
The actual silver content also varied widely, with some products
containing 30% silver by weight.
The effectiveness of the silver sol or suspension, as
antibacterials, depended on the composition of the product, the
initial quality of the product and the time elapsed since manufacture.
Consequently, there was a wide variation in their effectiveness and
safety.
With some products, skin staining could occur from topical use
and, because of the relatively high silver content of some compounds,
there was a greater risk of silver toxicity and argyria. None of these
products were as effective against bacteria as silver nitrate. However
silver nitrate has potential serious, if not fatal, side effects due
to its toxicity.
With the discovery of antibiotics, interest in Silver as an anti-
microbial medicine declined. There were at that time no antibiotic
resistant strains of disease organisms and there was a lot of
excitement over the new wonder drugs. There were also problems with
silver based pharmaceuticals. The overuse of certain types of protein
bound silver compounds caused a discoloration of the skin called
argyria and the therapeutic results were variable depending on the age
and quality of the preparation.
In Ayurvedic medicine silver is used in small amounts as a tonic
or elixir or rejuvenative agent for patients debilitated by age or
disease.
A correlation (not an explanation) of some of the diverse
reported effects and discrepancies in reported effects of colloidal
silver can be found by regarding colloidal silver as a Homeopathic
substance rather than an antibiotic. In Homeopathy, a substance is
"proven" by administering large doses to a group of healthy
individuals and observing the symptoms that develop. Then when a
patient has the same or similar group of symptoms a highly diluted
preparation of the same substance is given to correct the condition.
Simila similibus curenteur is the Homeopathic motto. Illnesses are
treated by the “rule of similars.”
It so happens that the 1, 5, and 10 PPM. colloidal silver
products being sold in health food stores have concentrations of
silver in the same range as Homeopathic preparations. I suspect that
the most common complaints treated with colloidal silver are the
common cold and flu. It so happens that the Homeopathic symptom
profile for silver corresponds to many of the common symptoms of colds
and flu.
Homeopathy was developed over 200 years ago in Europe by
physicians who did not have access to modern scientific tools. They
believed in a concept that today would be called "energy medicine".
Most allopathic medical doctors and scientists do not consider
Homeopathy to be valid, yet its empirical track record is impressive.
In addition, more recent research into the scientific principles
relevant to homeopathy are giving credibility to this school of
medicine while provoking hostility in the debunkers.
The critics of colloidal silver focus on two things: (1)
Unsubstantiated claims by promoters and (2) The toxic characteristics
of silver. In some cases the language used by critics can be as biased
and critical as the promoters. There are also many sincere individuals
who hold diverse and opposing viewpoints.
Their concern over hype and mismarketing has some justification.
There are some who promote consumption with little regard to the
accuracy or truthfulness of their statements, or for the appropriate
use of colloidal silver or for the quality of their product. It
appears that most of them have copied the pitch of their predecessors
without checking the accuracy or truthfulness of the statements. This
isn't true of all colloidal silver promoters but it only takes a few
bold and reckless ones to give them all a bad rap and their critics an
excuse to quash them all.
The toxic effects of silver is another matter. Silver is toxic
when used in excess but appears to be harmless if used in small
amounts. Critics of colloidal silver sometimes state that it has been
known to cause organ damage, kidney damage, pulmonary edema,
atherosclerosis and death. Many of these claims appear to be based on
a research study on dogs in which the dogs were deliberately killed by
extremely large lethal doses of silver in order to enable the
investigators to study silver toxicity. At the doses given any heavy
metal and probably many essential minerals like zinc, iron, copper,
etc. would have produced death in a similar fashion. Out of context
references like this do nothing to bring light to the subject. This
study is reviewed in a more meaningful context in this document.
Critics also say that there is risk of developing a condition
called argyria in which excess silver is deposited in the skin and
tissues causing discoloration and possibly other harm. This is
possible and those who use colloidal silver need to be aware of it.
The issue of toxicity is of major importance and it needs to be
understood by everyone using colloidal silver. Since colloidal silver
has become popular, numerous (probably tens of thousands to hundreds
of thousands) of individuals have consumed colloidal silver, some of
them in substantial quantities. It appears that the modern low
concentration versions of colloidal silver are better tolerated and
eliminated from the body than those preparations from the early
1900's. Still there is a lot that needs to be better understood about
silver toxicity.
With regard to the political correctness, or incorrectness, of
colloidal silver, It is necessary to maintain a balanced perspective.
If you think "approved" medicines are safe, go to the library and look
them up in the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference). If you like to read
scary stuff, this is a good hobby. On the other hand, some folks who
are dedicated to "natural alternatives" often consider anything from a
pharmaceutical company to be "bad". They need to remember that most
antibiotics were derived from natural substances (like penicillin from
molds) at one time. Common sense and an ethic of "do no harm" to
yourself or others must prevail.
There is a lot of concern today about the threat of new
antibiotic resistant diseases and the potential for devastating
plagues. There is historical and informal evidence that silver will
work as an antibiotic. Given a specific infectious disease, proper
diagnosis and the informed consideration of all alternatives is
essential. The use of silver in the treatment of infectious diseases
may be appropriate in situations where the infection is truly
dangerous and safer alternatives are not available or have failed to
prove effective. Anyone using silver in these situations must engage a
physician as an ally.
There is a great need for credible research to be performed by
independent institutions regarding the toxicity, toxic mechanisms,
potential clinical uses, and usage protocols for colloidal silver.
Pharmaceutical companies won't spend money doing that because they
can't patent it and make money on it and published proof of
effectiveness could result in an inexpensive colloidal silver
competing with their products.
Recently, with the development of antibiotic resistance in many
diseases and the increase in the new strains of bacteria and viruses
worldwide, there is renewed interest in silver. Large companies are
developing and introducing new silver compounds for a variety of anti-
microbial applications, including protection against the spread of the
AIDS virus. (2)
Today, colloidal silver is sold as a trace mineral supplement
without medical claims or claims of specific benefits. Its need, or
lack of need, in human nutrition is not scientifically established. It
remains popular as an "alternative" health care modality because of
the large number of anecdotal reports of positive benefits.
Another application for silver in medicine has been approved by
the FDA. A.B. Flick, M.D., founder of Argentum Research has developed
a line of silver coated bandages that are used for wound and burn
dressings.
© copyright 2003 - 2008 Clear Springs Press, LLC.
http://www.clspress.com/History.html
.
- Prev by Date: 10 Germy Surfaces You Touch Every Day
- Next by Date: Re: Aluminum is the new mercury
- Previous by thread: 10 Germy Surfaces You Touch Every Day
- Next by thread: Re: Have you been called in for an unexpected or forced medical exam as a child, teen or adult
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
