Hi list, I thought some of you would be interested in a Salt Lake City, UT newspaper article about CS research being conducted at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, UT. I will try to get the actual study results and will post them, or if too long, a summary.
--Steve Young > > The following story appeared on deseretnews.com on May 16, 2000, 12:00 AM MDT > > ======== > > Headline: Is silver an antibiotic alternative? > > Subhead: BYU study shows colloidal silver is as good as penicillin > > Author: By Lois M. CollinsDeseret News staff writer > > Tests of a silver solution have concluded that it provides an alternative to > antibiotics. > > Researchers in Brigham Young University's department of microbiology were asked > to test the antimicrobial activity of ASAP Solution, one of several colloidal > silver solutions available as unregulated natural supplements. ASAP is produced > by American Silver in Alpine, Utah County. > > Silver is "colloidal" when it is suspended in small amounts in liquid. > > Silver in various forms has been used for centuries as an antimicrobial agent. > In the 1800s and early 1900s, people put silver coins in their water barrels to > kill microbes and make the water potable. A silver nitrate ointment is applied > to the eyes of newborn babies to prevent certain eye problems. And silver > suphadiazine is regularly used to treat burn wounds. > > Use of colloidal silver, once common, faded with the advent of antibiotics. > Recently, though, concerns about overuse of antibiotics and the development of > antibiotic-resistant microbes has lead to a resurgence of silver's popularity. > > And with good reason, according to the study, conducted by BYU's David A. > Revelli, microbiologist, and Ron W. Leavitt. The study compared ASAP to five > classes of antibiotics: the tetracyclines, fluorinated quinolones (Ofloxacin), > the penicillins, the cephalosporins (Cefaperazone) and the macrolides > (Erythromycin). > > Both the silver and antibiotics were tested on a variety of microorganisms, > including streptococcuses, pneumonia, E. coli, salmonella, shigella and > others. > > According to the study, the solution "exhibits an equal or broader spectrum of > activity than any one antibiotic tested." Where each antibiotic was effective > against specific susceptible organisms, the solution "is equally effective" > against both gram positive and gram negative organisms. > > "The data suggests that with the low toxicity associated with colloidal silver, > in general, and the broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity of this colloidal > silver preparation, this preparation may be effectively used as an alternative > to antibiotics," Revelli and Leavitt wrote. > > Dr. Dianne Farley-Jones, a family practitioner, recommends the solution to her > patients for external problems. She hasn't used it internally much, though she > said it works quite well for ear infections. > > "With any kind of abrasion or skin problem, it works really well and really > fast. And it seems to have an anti-inflammatory effect, though that hasn't been > proven." > > The colloidal silver solution also seems to have an antiviral effect, > Farley-Jones said, though data hasn't been collected to prove it. > > She's used different brands at different times but hadn't recommended the > solution until she saw the BYU research data. Now she encourages patients to use > it as a nasal rinse for sinus infection or to spray their throats if they feel > like they're getting a viral sore throat. > > She doesn't expect it to replace antibiotics. For one thing, just as people > developed resistance to the antibiotics, "we don't know if there's some > mechanism of resistance and people can develop it to silver, as well. But I am > glad we have this tool. Using the same formulation the (BYU) tests were done on, > I've used it enough and had good results." > > > > > > > > E-mail: l...@desnews.com > > ---------- > > Copyright 2000, Deseret News Publishing Co. > -- The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: silver-list-requ...@eskimo.com -or- silver-digest-requ...@eskimo.com with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the SUBJECT line. To post, address your message to: silver-list@eskimo.com Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html List maintainer: Mike Devour <mdev...@eskimo.com>
