COLLOIDAL SILVER AND OTHER SUPPLEMENTS:
 
Periodically (paradoxically?), the question of colloidal silver
resurfaces.  Some people are absolutely convinced--to the core of their
being--that CS is a magic elixir that will save the life of a sick
ferret.  Silver is cheap and common, and if it had ANY effectiveness in
combating disease, it would be a common ingredient in many medicines.
Arguments that drug companies have suppressed the use of CS are obtuse
and duplicitous; aspirin is also a cheap and common ingredient, no one
owns the patent, and it makes BILLIONS for drug companies.  If something
is effective, greedy drug companies WILL use it to make a buck.  The fact
that these same greedy drug companies ignore CS is an indictment of its
effectiveness.
 
Last year I did an experiment using various strengths of CS poured on
agar plates inoculated with ferret intestinal flora.  The results were
predictable; CS did absolutely nothing to stop the growth of bacteria,
and in fact, in some cases, it might have helped to spur the growth of
several species of fungus.  This experiment included fresh batches from
different manufacturers, and various agar plates.  I have since
duplicated the results a dozen times with various bacterial contaminants,
ALL presenting the same results.  CS simply does not do what some people
report it does.
 
I am a zooarchaeologist because I have an overpowering curiosity about
three questions.  The first one is the reasons that drive animal
domestication, an interest I use to understand the history of ferrets.
The second question is how human diet changed the evolution of our
species; I have applied lessons learned there towards questions about
ferret diet.  The third consuming question I have is what happened to
the giant animals that lived in North America.  I believe they were NOT
over-hunted, and I don't think climate change killed them, although I am
sure both processes had great impact.  I am convinced the thing that
really did them in was the introduction of disease with the immigration
of humans into the New World.
 
The pursuit of that question has required I understand the history of
disease and treatment.  It is THAT understanding why I reject most
alternative medicine supplements, INCLUDING colloidal silver.  Why?
Because nearly all the alternative medicines and supplements used today
were in common use in the last few centuries, and they did NOTHING to
stem the tide of disease.  The USA at the end of WWI is a prime example.
 
Bob C
[Posted in FML issue 4407]