It seems to me that one of the biggest barriers to competent discussion of the subject of colloidal silver, or ionic silver, or EIS is the lack of a common, specific definition of these terms. Add to this the fact that we define these words differently than the scientific medical world, and confusion reigns.
When I began to search the internet for definitions, one of the first I found was Nenah Sylvers. The following is from her website: What is "Colloidal" and what is "Ionic"? When Definitions Can Confuse: "Colloidal" vs. "Ionic" minerals; defining "Colloidal" Silver In an effort to strike it rich in the health market, a few vocal advocates promote what they call "colloidal minerals," claiming that these minerals are fine enough to be easily absorbed by the body. But the main definition of "colloid" is simply any substance that is broken down into minute particles and dispersed throughout a second substance (usually a liquid)and, by definition, a colloid is too large to pass through a living membrane. Further confirmation of the uselessness or outright danger of these "colloidal minerals" comes from recent investigators who warn that since the ancient plant beds from which these minerals are derived are fossilized, the minerals are actually rock (an inorganic source) rather than plantswhich makes them inassimilable. In contrast to the above, other liquid mineral supplements on the market are excellent, quickly and easily absorbed by the body. They are mistakenly called "colloidal" and should really be termed ionic or crystalloid minerals, since the particles are tiny enough to pass through living membranes and therefore can conduct an electrical charge. Adding to the confusion about the word "colloid" is yet another definition: any substance in solution through which an electrical charge was passed to break it down. Colloidal silver falls into this category. In this instance, the use of an electrical charge through pure silver causes the silver to break apart into fine enough particles so that the silver can penetrate cell membranes in the body and microbes as small as viruses. Electrified silver is used as a germicide for a variety of illnesses. What most people call "colloidal" silver is really ionic. Silver particles can only do their job when they are small enough to permeate a cell wall. [From Ninah Sylver] Next, I found this definition on mywiseowl.com: A colloid or colloidal dispersion, is a form of matter intermediate between a true solution and a mixture (suspension). Microscopic particles of one substance, said to be in the dispersed or solute phase, are distributed throughout another, said to be in the dispersing, continuous, or solvent phase. The field was introduced in 1861 by Scottish scientist Thomas Graham. Colloidal sizes range from 0.001 to 1 micrometers in any dimension. Dispersions where the particle size is in this range are referred to as colloidal aerosols, colloidal emulsions, colloidal foams, or colloidal suspensions. Colloids may be colored or translucent because of the Tyndall effect. The Tyndall effect is the scattering of light by particles in the colloid. http://www.mywiseowl.com/articles/Colloid Lastly, I found this one: Colloid: Microscopic particles suspended in some sort of liquid medium. The particles are between one nanometer and one micrometer in size and can be macromolecules. http://www.thebiotechdictionary.com/term/colloid Looking at ions, I found this on whatis.com: ion An ion is an atom or group of atoms in which the number of electrons is different from the number of protons. If the number of electrons is less than the number of protons, the particle is a positive ion, also called a cation. If the number of electrons is greater than the number of protons, the particle is a negative ion, also called an anion. A compound, as well as individual atom, can be ionized. A common example is nitrate, which consists of a nitrogen atom and 3 oxygen atoms (NO3) in the form of an anion; this is symbolized NO3- because it normally has a surplus of a single electron. http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci859894,00.html So, silver-nitrate is "ionic" silver. The thing that I noticed was how different this was than how we use these words. Generally speaking, we tend to say colloidal when we mean particles small enough to float (stay in suspension) in liquid without having to be joined to a protein to stabilize the suspension. But, in fact, even mayonnaise is considered to be a colloid, and the silver proteins that we eschew are also colloids. According to mywiseowl, colloidal sizes range from 0.001 to 1 micrometers. According to Ninah Sylver (and other sources as well), a colloid is a particle too big to pass through a cell membrane. Not being able to pass through cell membranes, the benefits of colloidal silver would happen in the blood stream, as the silver particles come into contact with pathogens there. When we use the word, ionic, we usually mean particles even smaller than colloids, even too small to refract light (a silver solution that has no Tyndall effect is considered to be mostly or completely ionic). But, in fact, ionic simply means a particle with a charge (number of electrons is different from the number of protons), and particle size is irrelevant. Everything we brew is ionic silver, since the DC process we use charges the particles. Nor is the word ionic exclusive of the word colloidal, since a colloidal particle that has a positive or negative charge (what we make) is also an ionic particle. When the FDA or the EPA refers to colloidal silver, they include silver salts, proteins and other compounds in that definition, which agrees with general scientific usage. We argue, No, no, colloidal silver wont do that! But we are wrong, at least using the normal scientific definition. We need to develop a more specific, exclusive vocabulary, hopefully using other words that already have accepted scientific definitions. EIS (electrically isolated silver) is a good start, and uses descriptive words to specify what we are referring to. What do we mean by colloidal or ionic? We need to agree on an exact definition of those words, else discussion is worthless. We want to discriminate between particles bigger than a certain size, and smaller than a certain size, and we have been calling them colloidal and ionic without even agreeing on what we mean. It seems to me that ionic silver particles that can pass through a cell membrane wall will affect the body in a different way than silver particles that cant. The argument over which form of silver is better is like arguing over whether protein is better than carbohydrates. Better for what? We benefit from both, in different ways. As far as the safety/toxicity issue is concerned, I am convinced that silver particles smaller than 0.001 microns (what I generically call ionic silver) never have and never could be toxic or unsafe, whereas silver particles certainly could, if larger than a certain size (whatever that is). The EPA/FDAs steadfast refusal to even consider that the form of the silver preparation could determine the affect on the human body is as prime an example of close-minded, political, bureaucratic stupid-think as you will see. I do eagerly invite response to this post. Terry __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. 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