Colloidal Silver and Nano Silver have become the silver bullets against Ebola recently including claim of the discovery by a Nigerian. It was pleasant news compared to all the bad information we get all the time. Before we say gbosa, Nigerian Government placed order for Nano Silver from abroad. For some reasons, these African leaders think our deliverance can only come from foreign contracts, even when we have the same natural “solutions” for Ebola at home.
When Colloidal Silver and Nano-Silver were hailed as cure it sounded like compound from space to many of us. We did not even relate it to the silver in our backyard but our scientists know more than us and it is surprising that either nobody asked for their input or they were side-lined completely for another “discovery” by Christopher Columbus. This is a case of selling silver, gold and diamond for mirrors or catching fresh fish in our seas and selling it as can-tin-fish back to us.
Since ancient times, the world took advantage of Silver, diamond and gold biocompatibility for use in medicine, particularly in dentistry and for arthritis. Recently they have also claimed roles in the treatment of infectious diseases, for X-ray and arthritis at nano-scale technology.
None of these compounds is in short supply in Africa. Actually, we have them more than other continents. Traces of silver in eye drops are probably the most common use around the world. Silver nitrate was used for many years as drops in newborns’ eyes to prevent blindness caused by gonorrhea, and is also used in lotions for burn victims.
Colloidal or Nano Silver gained more popularity by taking advantage of Center for Disease Control warnings regarding some bacterial infections known as super-bugs and parasitic infections that became resistant to drugs. Exploration for alternatives sent scientists back to ancient remedy of colloidal Silver which gained mixed results. Others went further and found that these silver compounds could also be effective against viruses such as Ebola and AIDS.
In the case of Nigeria, we have a PhD Zoologist as President! Some of these research scientists are of course Africans in our teaching hospitals. It is a disservice to ignore all their hard work in the African laboratories and jump to conclusion that a definite cure for Ebola has been found outside. Most chemists in African countries do prepare these so called “silver” bullets. But our Government did not ask or ignored their advice in order to pursue foreign contract as usual.
What evidence do we have that colloidal silver, silver sulfadiazine and silver nitrate work? Colloidal silver is applied to skin for acne, burns, eye infections, fungal infections, throat infections, and Staphylococcus infections. Colloidal silver if given may kill certain germs by binding to and destroying proteins and some claim by acting as magnet inside the cell’s RNA?
If that is the case, others wondered what damage the silver compounds can do to normal human cells, not just to lower animals and insects.
Colloidal silver, a mineral were once available as over-the-counter products. Though in 1997, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that colloidal silver drug products were not considered safe or effective, more scientist and natural healers have come out hailing its effectiveness in treating Lyme disease, more bacteria and virus infections. The same way Prof. Iwu has claimed that bitter cola-nuts is effective against Ebola.
Many of us react differently to different drugs. Some people that cannot get relief from normal medication may search for untraditional means to cure their ailments. This is why Colloidal or Nano Silver is used to treat infections due to yeast; bacteria as tuberculosis, Lyme disease, bubonic plague, pneumonia, leprosy, gonorrhea, syphilis, scarlet fever, stomach ulcers, cholera plus parasites as ringworm, malaria and viruses as HIV/AIDS, pneumonia, herpes, shingles, wart.
Some people would go further and use silver compounds for just about anything when they feel other medications have failed, including treatment of Ebola, cancer, emphysema, inflammation of the bladder, skin conditions, bronchitis, prostate, colon, nose, stomach, tonsils, appendix and sinuses. Or diabetes, arthritis, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, leukemia, hay fever and other allergies, trench foot, and gum disease. It does not mean Silver is a bullet for each of these!
Colloidal silver is a mineral. Despite promoters’ claims, silver has no known function in the body and it is not an essential mineral supplement. It is not for use in humans but good as insecticide. Use can lead to an irreversible bluish skin discoloration in light skin folks that may first appear in the gums. It can also stimulate melanin production in skin, and areas exposed to the sun will become gradually discolored.
This condition is called Argyria in some humans, which occur in people who eat or breathe in silver compounds taken as medication in grams of small doses over several months or over a long period of time. The silver in colloidal silver products gets deposited in vital organs such as the skin, liver, spleen, kidney, muscle, and brain.
“Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Colloidal silver is not safe when taken by mouth, applied to the skin or injected intravenously. Increased silver levels in pregnant women have been linked to abnormal development of the ear, face, and neck in their babies. Colloidal silver supplements can also lead to silver accumulation in the body an irreversible bluish skin discoloration known as argyria. Silver can also be deposited in vital organs, where it does serious damage.”