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Silver – The Antibiotic Of Our Ancestors
Written by Wellness Club on March 4, 2013 – 12:36 pm -By Nurse Mark
Silver has been used as an antimicrobial throughout history.
Ancient Phoenicians kept water and other liquids in silver coated bottles to discourage contamination by microbes.
Many readers may remember the days of fresh milk in “real” glass bottles – and that granny would place a silver coin in the bottle to preserve freshness and prevent spoiling.
The expression “Born with a silver spoon in the mouth” is rooted in old tradition – as the children of wealthy parents would be given a silver spoon to suck and teethe on, and the wealthy have long known the benefits of silver dishes and cutlery in preventing food-borne illness.
Silver containing drops have been applied to the eyes of newborns since the late 1800′s to prevent blindness caused by infection – though this practice is declining as drug companies insist that their patented antibiotic drops be used instead.
During the early years of the 20th century silver was used in the treatment of wounds and silver-containing creams are used today in the treatment of burns.
Silver is a natural, powerful antibiotic – it is bactericidal, and kills fungus and viruses on contact. (1, 2) Researchers have stated:
Silver nanoparticles have mainly been studied for their antimicrobial potential against bacteria, but have also proven to be active against several types of viruses including human imunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, herpes simplex virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and monkey pox virus.
and,
SNP [Silver NanoParticles] also exhibited good antifungal activity (50% inhibition at 75 microg/mL with antifungal index 55.5% against Aspergillus niger and MIC of 25 microg/mL against Candida albicans).
Colloidal silver is not known to be toxic at any dose – though prolonged ingestion of large amounts may cause a cosmetic condition known as argyria – an otherwise harmless bluish discoloration of the skin.
There is even research that suggests that colloidal silver may be an effective treatment for breast cancer! (3) A Mexican study in 2010 concluded:
“The present results showed that colloidal silver might be a potential alternative agent for human breast cancer therapy.”
There are a lot of colloidal silver products on the market, and even instructions for do-it-yourself colloidal silver. Quality however is a concern and it is wise to get your colloidal silver from a trustworthy source with a reputation for quality. Once again, as with most supplements, price can be an indicator of quality and “bargain brands” are no bargain if they contain no silver! Dr. Myatt offers a physician’s grade of colloidal silver – find more information here.
“Hand sanitizers” have become popular in recent years, but few people know their actual contents or risks.
Most hand sanitizers contain substantial concentrations of alcohol. While alcohol is effective as an antimicrobial, it is also harsh on skin – as anyone who has ever accidentally rubbed alcohol into a cut or scratch can attest! Alcohol also poses serious poisoning risks to children.
Most hand sanitizers also contain a variety of other chemicals, from perfumes to pesticides. That’s right, pesticides!
A common chemical used in hand sanitizers is triclosan – which was first registered with the EPA as a pesticide in 1969. (4) While it is effective as an antimicrobial, it is being found to have thyroid and hormone-disruptive effects. (5)
Triclosan has been shown to disrupt thyroid homeostasis in mammalian models (Paul et al. 2010; Rodríguez and Sanchez 2010), and current human exposure levels are in the range of those predicted to have this activity based on laboratory tests (Rotroff et al. 2010). Triclocarban has been shown to amplify endogenous androgen response in mammalian models (Chen et al. 2008).
These are not products that we should be slathering on our hands with out thought for their dangers!
Fortunately, there is an alternative!
ASAP 365 – 24 ppm Silver Gel Soothes Damaged And Injured Skin And Promotes Healing.
It is a highly effective, safe, everyday, natural healing alternative to chemical-laced hand sanitizers.
Dr. Myatt recommends colloidal silver gel both for it’s valuable effects in soothing and healing damaged skin and for daily use as a non-toxic hand sanitizer. This gel rubs in quickly and easily, is non-greasy, and contains no perfumes or dangerous chemicals. It is a valuable addition to a natural first-aid kit for treating minor burns, wounds, fungal and bacterial infections – there are even those who swear by colloidal silver fir the treatment of “Cold Sores” and “Fever Blisters”, and scientific research supports their belief in it’s effectiveness! (1)
ASAP 365 Silver Gel, with it’s non-prescription strength of 24 ppm (parts per million) is gentle enough for everyday use and safe even when used multiple times daily, while being potent enough to be highly effective as an antimicrobial hand sanitizer. This 1.5 fl oz tube is perfect for purse or pocket and is a must-have for your natural first aid kit.
ASAP 365 – 24 ppm Silver Gel is effective, safe, and inexpensive – Dr. Myatt and I carry this with us whenever we travel and use it often – and we don’t use chemical-laden “hand sanitizers”!
References:
1.) Galdiero S, Falanga A, Vitiello M, Cantisani M, Marra V, Galdiero M., Department of Experimental Medicine, II University of Naples, Via De Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy. sgaldier@unina.it, Silver nanoparticles as potential antiviral agents. Molecules. 2011 Oct 24;16(10):8894-918.
2.) Jain J, Arora S, Rajwade JM, Omray P, Khandelwal S, Paknikar KM. Centre for Nanobioscience, Agharkar Research Institute, India. Silver nanoparticles in therapeutics: development of an antimicrobial gel formulation for topical use. Mol Pharm. 2009 Sep-Oct;6(5):1388-401.
3.) Franco-Molina MA, Mendoza-Gamboa E, Sierra-Rivera CA, Gómez-Flores RA, Zapata-Benavides P, Castillo-Tello P, Alcocer-González JM, Miranda-Hernández DF, Tamez-Guerra RS, Rodríguez-Padilla C., Laboratorio de Inmunología y Virología, Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, N, L, México. Antitumor activity of colloidal silver on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2010 Nov 16;29:148.
4.) http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/triclosan_fs.htm
5.) Robin E. Dodson, Marcia Nishioka, Laurel J. Standley, Laura J. Perovich, Julia Green Brody, and Ruthann A. Rudel, Endocrine Disruptors and Asthma-Associated Chemicals in Consumer Products, Environ Health Perspect. 2012 July; 120(7): 935–943. Published online 2012 March 8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3404651/
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