I hate to tell you, but alternative medicine has been under attack for
a number of years in this country. There are whole organizations that
exist to fight back. They even target their own: they revoke liscenses
from drs that practice outside of what "they" consider to be good
medicine, which in my opinion, exists to line the pockets of the drug
and insurance companies.
Which is why National Health Insurance is to be regarded with fear and
loathing. That might be like writing them a blank check.
Kathryn
On Oct 24, 2007, at 10:11 AM, alchemysa wrote:
One of the websites that is most impeding the public acceptence of
colloidal silver is YOUR US National Centre for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine. (Although it should be called the
Uncomplementery Centre!)
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/alerts/silver/index.htm
The following quote from the NCCAM is continually quoted wordwide on
sites that are happy to spread fear about colloidal silver.
" 4 . What are the risks of using these products?
..... Other side effects from using colloidal silver products may
include neurologic problems (such as seizures), kidney damage, stomach
distress, headaches, fatigue, and skin irritation. ...5 "
It's a basic rule when citing references that 'Exceptional claims
require exceptional sources.' So what's the exceptional source for
these claims by the NCCAM that CS can cause these serious illnesses?
Quite simply there isnt one.
Reference 5 cited at the end of the quote takes you to the Natural
Medicines Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com/ (Requiring a $10
monthly subscription) . This site is simply another collection of
statements and references. Apart from Argyria, the exact side effects
listed on this site are "neurological deficits, diffuse silver
deposition in visceral organs, renal damage, and metal flume fever
(5525,8148,10647)."
The important reference here is '5525'. (Fung MC, Bowen DL. Silver
products for medical indications: risk-benefit assessment. J Toxicol
Clin Toxicol 1996;34:119-26 ). I couldn't find this article
anywhere free on the internet so I had to buy a pdf copy for $26
through the National Library of Australia. I've often seen this
reference cited elsewhere so I thought this might be the 'holy grail'
of CS research but, alas, its another disappointment. Basically its
just 7 pages of old news. It contains no original research, barely
mentions side effects other than argyria and contains almost nothing
that seriously supports the life threatening claims made on the NCCAM
and Natural Medicine websites. (Unless you include some not very
convincing theories based on 25 year old experiments of feeding
massive doses of silver nitrate to vitamin deficient mice).
So where do these NACCM claims of stomach distress, headaches,
fatigue, and skin irritation really come from? I can only assume they
are based on (of all things) the claim on the that CS can induce
'Metal Flume Fever'. 'Metal Flume Fever is primarily caused by
exposure to zinc oxide fumes. The main cause is exposure to fumes from
welding, brazing or cutting galvanised metal . Symptoms of Metal Fume
Fever include headache, fever, chills, muscle aches, thirst, nausea,
vomiting, chest soreness, fatigue, gastrointestinal pain, weakness,
and tiredness' (http://files.aws.org/technical/facts/FACT-25.PDF)
So it appears that most of the symptoms on the NCCAM site are
actually based on the idea that drinking colloidal silver is akin to
breathing lung-fulls of zinc rich welding fumes. I dont know where
that idea comes from. I couldnt find an exceptional source for that
exceptional claim!
Any of you US citizens care to take this up with your NCCAM?
David
(In Australia).
Footnote. The NCCAM site also says that 'Colloidal silver may
interfere with the body's absorption of the following drugs:
penacillamine, quinolones, tetracyclines, and thyroxine." When you
follow that claim to the Natural Medicines database you find that the
risk of these adverse interactions is 'moderate' and 'theoretical')
--
The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver.
Instructions for unsubscribing are posted at: http://silverlist.org
To post, address your message to: silver-list@eskimo.com
Address Off-Topic messages to: silver-off-topic-l...@eskimo.com
The Silver List and Off Topic List archives are currently down...
List maintainer: Mike Devour <mdev...@eskimo.com>
