Information about whether colloidal silver is useful.
Sources that indicate it can be dangerous and has no proven benefit:
- http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/consumer-health/expert-answers/colloidal-silver/faq-20058061
- http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/PhonyAds/silverad.html
- http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/alternative/colloidal-silver.htm
Sources that indicate it can be effective:
- http://www.deseretnews.com/article/760249/Is-silver-an-antibiotic-alternative.html?pg=all
- http://www.toolsforhealing.com/CD/Articles/B/Brigham-YoungUniversityRe.html
Sources that say both depending on what form you use:
- http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/07/new-guidelines-released-for-safe-usage-of-colloidal-silver-supplements.aspx
- http://www.purestcolloids.com/silver_content.php
My conclusions:
- I have insufficient information so far to conclude whether colloidal silver is useful or not, but the mayo clinic article comes pretty close to providing credible information that it's not. There does seem to be a danger in at least some forms, so I'd personally avoid its use at this point.
- If colloidal silver is useful, it's probably the kind with mostly particles instead of ions.
- Most products apparently use the ions because it's much cheaper to manufacture.
- Some sources mentioned above indicate that silver accumulates in your tissues and doesn't go away. This is also intuitive and would lead me to avoid its use.
- It's important to be skeptical of claims made by organizations that sell the product. It represents a significant conflict of interest.