If you are looking for natural, less toxic solutions to you have on hand in your home medicine cabinet, you may already be familiar with colloidal silver. It’s a popular choice as an alternative to antibiotics, and can be used for topically for wounds, grazes, cuts, burns, fungal infections, for sore throats, viral infections, pink eye, and is often used long term in cases of eczema to manage staph infections. I have seen it been used in all of these situations and more.
Colloidal Silver certainly seems to offer a solution to bacterial infections, and avoid antibiotics.
What is Colloidal Silver?
Colloidal Silver is made with tiny (nano) particles of silver which are suspended in a liquid solution. When this solution is near a bacteria or pathogen it suffocates the cell by disabling the oxygen metabolism of the cell. No more pathogen for the body to deal with. For those who are familiar with using colloidal silver, you will know how speedy this process can be.
Colloidal Silver has its place in our home medicine cabinet, and offers a safer alternative to antibiotics. Short term use of colloidal silver has its place. Colloidal silver has a long history successfully treating bacterial skin infections, the important thing to remember here is that it was used short term and during active cases of bacterial infections.
Anti-bacterial.
Just like antibiotics, colloidal silver is an external agent introduced to the body for a specific purpose. The body’s own healing mechanism is over-ridden by the action of this substance. Using colloidal silver to manage symptoms is a reminder to the body it doesn’t need to engage the immune system and innate healing drive. Seen this way, colloidal silver is suppressive of the body’s own healing ability. The body literally doesn’t know what to do as the external agent has been doing all the work on its behalf. The body doesn’t know if the external agent is anti-biotics or colloidal silver, the process is the same however there may be fewer side effects with the colloidal silver.
Bacteria cannot like near silver particles; they suffocate and die. This is ALL bacteria; colloidal silver is a broad spectrum anti-microbial so doesn’t select specific bacteria (the bad guys) and leave the good bacteria. We need a healthy balance of bacteria in our body and antibiotics and any antibacterial product will kill ALL bacteria. If we are using a product long term which kills bacteria on, or in our body, we are pushing our body into a consistent state on imbalance by overriding the body’s own healing mechanisms.
Bacteria grows are different rates, and many of the bad bacteria are much quicker at repopulating are area than the good bacteria – the bad bacteria are prolific and can overwhelm healthier strains of bacteria. If they are given a terrain which is bacteria free, they will multiple quickly and leave no room for the good bacteria to move in again. So, the cycle begins again and its back to the anti-bacterial agents.
When is it appropriate to use Colloidal Silver?
Consider colloidal silver usage in the same way as antibiotics. Short term, emergency use can be very helpful, for example 1-2 times a day for a few days (less than 5). If you wouldn’t use antibiotics for a certain situation, then colloidal silver may not be appropriate either.
Topical use only.
A few sprays on a cut, graze or wound can be helpful in an emergency situation to keep the wound clean is helpful, or a couple of sprays on the back of throat when strep throat is making its presence felt.
Although the silver is in very very small particles – nanoparticles, it is still a metal and needs to be processed and excreted by the body.
Supporting not suppressing.
There are other options which support the body as it heals. Homeopathic remedies, increased doses of vitamin c and zinc, homeobotanical therapy for example. HyerpCal tincture is a fabulous wound cleaner and supports rather than suppresses the body’s healing mechanisms.
Allowing the body to heal using its own resources and mechanisms, and supported with homeopathic remedies when needed, builds resilience. Our immune system learns overtime how to deal with illness by exposure, it needs to be put to work so it can learn. If we use an “anti” biotic or bacterial substance we are not allowing our immune system to learn. How will it know what to do if we don’t teach it?
If you are using colloidal silver or similar anti-bacterial products consistently long term (several weeks or months), or find you are reaching for them on a regular basis again and again, this could be a sign your body is out of balance and the immune system hasn’t had the opportunity to learn what to do.
When the body’s natural healing process is suppressed, the disturbance can turn inwards, and you may start to see more complex issues developing. An example of this is when skin symptoms clear but issues such as asthma and lung issues develop, or digestion may become disrupted with changes in bowel movements and an increase in digestive disturbances and food allergies.
Colloidal Silver has its place in our home medicine cabinet.
For short term topical emergency use it’s a great help. For other situations, there are other tools in your home health tool kit which are worth reaching for first.
If you would like some help with which remedies to have on hand for situations, I have a selection of blog posts which you may find useful.
