Colds and Flu / Colloidal Silver

Herb Of The Week / Colds and Flu / Colloidal Silver

Herb Of The Week

In recent Herb-Of-The-Week newsletters, we have discussed herbs and
nutritional supplements that can prove helpful against colds and
flu. I have purposely shied away from the most commonly known herbs
(Echinacea and golden seal) in favor of the plethora of other herbs
and nutritional supplements that have proven to be extremely
antiviral.


Today's nutritional supplement is one that is buried in controversy,
NOT because it has proven to be ineffective, but because it is
allegedly more harmful than helpful. MANY, MANY foods/herbs have
been thought to be more harmful than helpful. One well known
controversial herb thought to be more harmful than helpful was
ephedra. Ephedra, used for colds and flu, is extremely dangerous
when used everyday for crazy stuff like weight loss. Crazy? I think
when one uses a medication traditionally used for flu, colds,
stuffiness, respiratory distress etc. for weight loss, OF COURSE the
risks would outweigh any claims.

BUT..... There have been studies conducted on the effectiveness of
colloidal silver.



Critical Studies and Case Reports
In 1995, an herbal distributor named Leslie Taylor tested nine
commonly marketed colloidal silver products available at health-food
stores and concluded:

Two of the products were contaminated with microorganisms.
The amount of silver suspended in solution varied from product to
product and would gradually decrease over time.
Only five products actually showed antibacterial activity in a
laboratory test. To perform the test, she prepared a culture plate
with Staphylococcus aureas bacteria, which can cause infections in
humans. She then placed a drop from each product on the plate and
used disks of two common antibiotics as controls. After eight hours
of incubation, she found that bacterial growth had been inhibited
around the antibiotics and four of the products.

This statement in particular sounds VERY biased to me:

".......Of course, the fact that a product inhibits bacteria in a
laboratory culture doesn't mean it is effective (or safe) in the
human body. In fact, products that kill bacteria in the laboratory
would be more likely to cause argyria because they contain more
silver ions that are free to deposit in the user's skin.

That statement is MORE THAN CORRECT, especially when you see the side
effects of prescription drugs on the TV commercials.


The second thing is that the herbal distributor conducted the
research to PROVE that their colloidal silver was pure and
uncontaminated and FRESH.

The other very important fact is that OBVIOUSLY ingesting silver is
not something you want to do for extended periods of time. One of
the symptoms of toxic amounts of silver is turning purple. I have
taken colloidal silver only when I am sick and I have not turned
purple yet...... but WHO KNOWS..... maybe I might. Do your own
research.

"...Many brands of colloidal silver are inferior. The highest grade
is produced by the electro-colloidal / non-chemical method where the
silver particles and water have been colloided, i.e., dispersed
within and bound to each other by an electric current. The super-fine
silver particles are suspended indefinitely in demineralized water.
The ideal color of colloidal silver is a golden yellow. Darker colors
indicate larger silver particles that tend to collect at the bottom
of the container and are not true colloids. If a product contains a
stabilizer or lists trace elements other than silver, or if it needs
to be shaken, it is inferior. If a product requires refrigeration,
some other ingredient is present that could spoil. The container and
dropper must be glass, as plastic cannot preserve the silver in
liquid suspension for any length of time. Some brands with high
concentrations of silver may actually not be completely safe. High
concentrations of silver do not kill disease germs more effectively
than the safe range of 3 to 5 parts per million (ppm.). ..."

Colloidal silver was commonly used all the way up to 1938. People
used to put silver dollars in milk to keep it fresh without
refrigeration. Since then, the pharmaceutical industry moved in,
causing colloidal research to be set aside in favor of fast working
and financially lucrative drugs.

The Food and Drug Administration today classifies colloidal silver as
a pre-1938 drug. A letter from the FDA dated 9/13/91 states: "These
products may continue to be marketed . . . as long as they are
advertised and labeled for the same use as in 1938 and as long as
they are manufactured in the original manner." Some of the
manufacturing methods used before 1938 are still used today. An
electro-colloidal process, which is known to be the best method, is
used.

There has not been a drug interaction reported between colloidal
silver and any other medication. Colloidal silver has been reported
by users to be both a remedy and a prevention for numerous
infections, colds, flu, and fermentation due to various bacteria,
viruses or fungi, even the non-apparent low-grade, general body
infections many people have.

IT'S YOUR HEALTH. Why take my word for it? You can research anything
mentioned on this site yourself. Two good search engines are
www.mamma.com which will search at least 22 other search engines and
www.google.com. Enter one or more keywords and do your own research.


Until next time remember .... most illness (upwards of 80% according
to experts) can be attributed to FOUR important factors that can
weaken your immune system and your ability to fight off disease:


1. Anxiety, depression, anger, guilt and other STRESS factors

LEARN TO FORGIVE AND LET GO

2. Improper and/or inadequate NUTRITION habits

LEARN TO AVOID PROCESSED AND/OR REFINED FOODS

3. A sedimentary lifestyle that does not include enough EXERCISE

FIND SOME KIND OF PHYSICALLY ENGAGING ACTIVITY IF IT IS NOTHING BUT
MORNING OR EVENING WALKS.

4. Not enough rest and quality SLEEP time

GO TO BED. "EARLY TO BED AND EARLY TO RISE; MAKES A MAN HEALTHY,
WEALTHY AND WISE"


LEGAL DISCLAIMER - Required by the FDA. The statements on this page
have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and these
statements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease.