| georgia 2006-08-29, 4:23 pm |
| Many colloidal silver and silver salt preparations have been touted as
cures
for AIDS, chronic fatigue, herpes, TB, syphilis, lupus, malaria,
plague, acne,
impetigo, and many other diseases. Lyme disease is just the latest
target. A
1996 Federal Register notice declared that the "FDA is not aware of any
substantial scientific evidence that supports the use of . . .
colloidal silver
ingredients or silver salts for these disease conditions." The same
notice
stated that "human consumption of silver may result in argyria -- a
permanent
ashen-gray or blue discoloration of the skin, conjunctiva, and internal
organs"
[14]. Despite these warnings, some Web sites devoted to Lyme disease or
colloidal silver products display reports of laboratory experiments in
which
colloidal silver killed spirochetes. One is a letter from Dr.
Burgdorfer,
written on National Institutes of Health (NIH) stationary. The letter
merely
reports on a pilot study using colloidal silver to kill spirochetes in
a test
tube and states that additional laboratory and human studies are
underway. Many
silver and Lyme advocates have used the letter to suggest that
colloidal silver
has been proven effective against Lyme disease. However, no study has
shown
that colloidal silver is safe or effective for treating people with
Lyme
disease (or anything else).
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