What Is Colloidal Silver?
The internet is full of information that promotes different dietary supplements and supposed medical miracles. This information can even be found in the dieting sections of bookstores and grocery stores. What's alarming is it's very easy for misinformation and complete lies to profligate. In some cases, this can be harmless. For example, individuals adding a harmless but non-beneficial substance to their diet won't do anything except give a placebo effect health boost. But in other cases, diet trends and health food fads can be dangerous. Individuals should always research to see whether the latest trends are backed by actual medical professionals, and they shouldn't add any herbs or supplements to their diet without knowing what they do.
Colloidal silver is a perfect example, so dive into what this is now.
What Is It Exactly?
Colloidal silver is a liquid that contains tiny silver particles. These suspended particles are small enough not to be removed through the body's normal filtering processes, and manufactured filters might also not catch them. Some of the particles can be so minuscule that they are called nanoparticles. To be classified as a nanoparticle, a particle must be lower than one hundred nanometers in size. This so small the naked eye can't detect it, so to see the silver particles, an individual would need to use a microscope. Before the development of modern antibiotics, colloidal silver was a go-to treatment for a variety of different illnesses and infections. In recent decades, the substance has experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly on the internet. Though many individuals believe this substance can help with a variety of illnesses and afflictions, there is little to no scientific evidence supporting this. In fact, multiple studies show colloidal silver can have serious and permanent side effects. There are healthier ways to actually achieve the effects colloidal silver is claimed to have.
Speaking of claimed uses, get to know about some of them now.
Claimed Uses For Colloidal Silver
Before the development of modern antibiotics, colloidal silver was used as a remedy for illnesses and infections. There has been an internet-coordinated movement to reject modern medicine, and some of these individuals believe colloidal silver is a better treatment than antibiotics. Individuals who take colloidal silver do so in a dietary supplement format, or they apply the liquid to their skin directly. Some patients who are seeking modern medicine alternatives claim this substance can act as a replacement for antibiotics that treat fungal, viral, and bacterial infections. However, no scientific evidence exists indicating colloidal silver is an effective antibiotic. There are also small but vocal subsets of individuals who claim the substance can treat tuberculosis, HIV, AIDS, Lyme disease, and cancer, but there's absolutely no scientific basis for this. While research indicates the substance may have served a purpose historically, it does not work better than modern antibiotics. The exact way colloidal silver works isn't understood, but the main theory is the silver attaches to bacterial cell walls, damaging the membranes.
Read about the side effects of colloidal silver next.