When it comes to preventing bacterial and viral infections, you want safe but powerful remedies to help you take matters into your own hands. If you’re (literally) sick of waiting helplessly for the flu season or the latest epidemic to be over, the benefits of silver are worth looking into. We asked some of our most dedicated Silver Excelsior users how silver has helped changed their life and they had a lot to offer.
Silver is best taken in a liquid suspension as colloids or nanoparticles for the tiny, free molecules which are readily available, or in a chelated form to boost bioavailability. Always read the label to be sure of what you’re getting. These formulations are much safer than external-use only products such as silver nitrate, which is toxic to the digestive and nervous systems. So how can it help?
Millions With Bacterial Infections Miss The Benefits Of Silver
Despite improved sanitation and hygiene, millions of people around the world still develop severe infections every year. Even people living in developed nations are at risk, with sepsis the leading killer of hospital patients in the USA. Sepsis is a condition where the immune system goes into overdrive against serious infections, causing extensive organ damage. Globally, it caused one-fifth of all deaths in 2017. Many serious bacterial infections are the result of antibiotic resistance. Over 2.8 million Americans develop antibiotic-resistant infections every year, and over 35,000 die. Even if you fight it off before serious complications like sepsis develop, using silver can help you heal faster.
How Silver Fights Bacterial And Viral Infections
The difference between pharmaceutical antimicrobials and silver nanoparticles is their ability to attack pathogens in several ways. This prevents bacteria from evolving resistance to silver. For example, silver ions both disrupt their DNA function and systems of energy production. They also damage bacterial cell membranes, increase oxidative stress, disrupt iron regulation, and can increase the efficacy of antibiotics by up to 100 times. Silver has been shown to be effective in protecting against E. coli, MRSA, Pseudomonas, and V. cholera. Additionally, Australian research on different brands of silver found that all 14 bacterial species tested were affected by at least one colloidal silver product. These bacteria included three Staphylococcus species, one Salmonella species, Shigella sonnei, and E. coli.
Unlike antibiotics, silver can help combat common viral infections too. For example, silver has a strong ability to inactivate influenza A and blocks respiratory syncytial virus and herpes simplex-1 from infecting cells. In others, including hepatitis B, silver interferes with the virus’ DNA. It also has membrane-damaging effects on viruses, similar to how it disrupts some bacteria.
What About Clinical Research On Humans?
A study of 100 Italian children with respiratory infections found that a nasal spray of colloidal silver and a beta-glucan significantly sped recovery. Beta-glucans are a type of sugar that protects our cells and promotes a healthy immune response. Ninety percent of children using the silver solution were fully recovered at the end of treatment, compared to 66 percent taking saline spray. This meant they avoided complications such as bronchitis and ear infections. Another trial of topical silver nitrate for warts, which are caused by the HPV virus, found that 69 percent of volunteers were completely or partially healed. Only 25 percent of those in the placebo group saw their warts disappear.
Of course, silver is no substitute for sensible precautions such as hygiene and avoiding used needles. However, as Dana found out, it can be a fantastic complement to common-sense precautions and good hygiene:
I began taking the chelated silver daily back in September of last year, and I have not been sick a single day since! I’m amazed. I am a teacher and am constantly exposed to germs and whatever sickness is going around, and I usually come down with something at some point. I have not had a cough, cold, or even the sniffles this year. Most recently when my husband felt like he was coming down with the stomach flu [silver] knocked it right out of him in 24 hours. I’ll never go back!
Silver Versus Chronic Illness
Silver’s potential to heal is just starting to be explored. Many case studies report the resolution of chronic illnesses, from allergies to depression and schizophrenia, once Candida albicans infections are cleared. The reason why candida infections are so difficult to remove is their ability to form biofilms. These protect them from most antifungal drugs. Silver nanoparticles are much smaller and can damage new biofilms, already-formed films, and the fungal cell walls. Additionally, silver acts against Candida albicans by disrupting energy production and overloading the cells with free radicals. Other biofilm-causing infections that can underlie chronic illness include Lyme disease and Staphylococcus species.
When silver removes chronic infections and their biofilms, it allows the immune system to calm down and reduce inflammation. The immune response against biofilms can even contribute to autoimmune disease, as the proteins on them sometimes resemble those our bodies produce. The benefits of silver nanoparticles also extend to the promotion of tissue healing and the relief of inflammation. Research has found that they reduce pro-inflammatory signaling chemicals while raising immune-balancing signals and tissue growth factors.
Silver And Neurological Conditions
Silver can help with neurological conditions and their consequences too, as told by Gina Mercer:
In my late 40s, I found out I was born with my nervous system stuck on fight or flight, experiencing PTSD every day. Weight jumped on me from out of nowhere. I have documented proof of gaining 15 lbs in 48 hours. Within six days of taking [silver], I dropped eight pounds. I went from size fourteen to size four. PTSD caused me nausea every day of my life. I vomited every day from Kindergarten to the end of 3rd grade from separation anxiety. When that silver hits my stomach, instantly the nausea is gone. I bought it for the toxic cleanse and to help my immune system. I got SO MUCH MORE THAN I EVER DREAMED OF!
Silver And Neuropathy
Gina continues with her friend, Jeb B.’s experience:
But the better story is my fireman friend I gave it to! He quoted this to me…it started with very slight tingling in his legs but got worse quickly. He was diagnosed with neuropathy due to toxins from his job as a fireman. The doctors said there is no cure, you’ll slowly lose the use of your legs, and you will become impotent. That was it. No cure; deal with it. I gave him a bottle to try, and he said on day one he urinated a huge amount of times but the next day, he could already tell a difference. Used every day, all the neuralgia is gone. He said I can have the coupon since I gave him his first bottle free. He is still in disbelief that he went from ‘too bad, nothing we can do’ to having it be gone completely.
These amazing benefits of silver could be partly explained by an increase in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). For Gina, chronic stress impairs the production of new neurons, disrupting the healthy stress response and creating a harmful cycle. Boosting VEGF through taking silver nanoparticles breaks the cycle by helping to restore neuron development. In Jeb’s case, VEGF aids the restoration of peripheral nerves after they have been damaged.
Doesn’t Silver Cause Blue Skin?
There are several concerns around silver’s safety: that it turns your skin blue, damages your microbiome, and has toxic effects due to not being an essential nutrient. The “blue skin” condition, known as argyria, is usually caused by cheaper silver products such as ionic or protein-bound silver. Long-term use may lead to argyria too, so it is best to stop once the infection has cleared. If you require silver for prevention, do not take more than the recommended dose.
Despite its broad-spectrum effects against disease-causing bacteria, silver nanoparticles do not negatively affect our normal microbiome either. Laboratory research has shown that even one month of daily use does not affect microbiome diversity, membership or structure. Antibiotics, on the other hand, dramatically skews our body’s delicate balance to encourage the dominance of the Firmicutes bacterial phyla. A third lab study, this time testing nanoparticle and ionic silver for their effects on lung cells, demonstrated that silver nanoparticles did no harm to cellular integrity, while ionic silver showed some toxic effects at high levels. The antiviral benefits of silver are possible at lower concentrations than what could harm human cells. You’re safe if you stick to the recommended dose and only take it as needed.
Considering the broad benefits of silver, it makes sense to include a quality preparation in your travel bag or medicine cabinet. If you’re struggling with poor wound healing or a chronic illness linked to long-term infection, silver may help you too. At HoneyColony, we recommend Silver Excelsior, a chelated form 200 times more bioavailable than colloidal silver.
Alexandra Preston is an Australian naturopath, passionate about empowering others to take charge of their health and healing the planet. Her special area of interest in natural health is antiaging; she also loves the beach and is a semi-professional dancer.
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