Hi List! I rec'd an off-line request for info from a new member and
decided to revise and repost this overview FAQ.
A couple of the addresses below were not functioning when I
posted this, so please give me feedback if they stay broken.
Be well,
Mike Devour
*****
Greetings! Let me take this opportunity to welcome you to the
silver-list.
This message is an attempt at one of several needed FAQ files for the
list. Please make your comments, amendments, objections, and
suggestions known, either on-list or to me directly. Thanks, all!
INTRODUCTION:
You're curious about Colloidal Silver? Okay then, let's begin:
First thing you'll need is the good sense to recognize that a *lot* of
what you'll find on-line about colloidal silver (CS) is imprecise,
unscientific, and hype. I've had to read everything I can find just to
track down all the claims people are making. In the process, I have
found precious little objective data to back up even the most
fundamental of those claims.
The next thing to realize is there is a backlash against colloidal
silver that expresses itself as righteous "debunking" of anything and
anyone offered as evidence in its favor. These people's arguments do
not hold up in the face of readily available facts. Still, they choose
to dismiss all favorable evidence in retaliation for the all too
frequent hype and lies.
In truth, there is *very little* mainstream research to support the
claims of colloidal silver advocates. There is a small body of
interesting research emerging from the literature, and we'll try to
pull that together as time goes on. But for now, you won't find the
kind of controlled studies and scientific documentation you've been
used to with modern pharmaceuticals and therapies.
So you'll have to live with anecdotal testimony, and accept many
statements by faith or common sense until you can verify them
yourself. You'll also have to reject quite a few things along the way,
as there are still too many people out there trying to sound
intelligent -- and failing miserably! And you'll find yourself rubbing
shoulders with advocates of every kind of "alternative" medicine, from
time honored and proven, to the wildly speculative and downright
weird.
What persists when all is said and done is the core of compelling
testimonials of people who have treated themselves successfully for
some very serious conditions. These are people who are not trying to
sell you anything, but have found their health and lives dramatically
improved with the simplest of methods. They want nothing more than for
others to be helped as they have been.
When I discovered them, I realized the marketers and debunkers had
failed to tell me the whole story. It is this that has made me want to
find out more.
AN OVERVIEW:
This will be a brief tour of some of the web sites that talk about CS.
I have chosen them to try to give you a taste of what colloidal silver
is about. So, if you're ready, let's see a little of what's out
there...
A good place to start is an article by Peter Lindemann that does a
good job of laying the groundwork for what you're trying to find out,
and points out some of the mythology that confuses the issue:
http://www.elixa.com/silver/lindmn.htm
Some of Lindemann's assertions are still hotly debated among
proponents of various products. The use of salt to speed the process,
the nature of "golden" CS, and the best voltage to use, are all points
of contention. But his basic perspective is good.
Commercial CS Generators:
Elixa's home page will route you to their CS making products, which
are good examples of the sort of equipment available out there if you
*really* don't want to build your own. They specialize in the low
voltage direct current devices that we are most familiar with.
http://www.elixa.com
Another source of low voltage DC generators and some interesting
information is Sota Instruments. Follow the current products link from
their home page and explore the entries about their silver pulser and
silver maker.
http://www.sota-inc.com/index.html
If you're into more exotic hardware, CS Pro Systems makes a variety of
CS generators that use higher voltages and microprocessor control. As
with everyone else, they tout their products as better, but they
acknowledge that the simpler systems do work. We've got several
satisfied users of their systems on the list.
http://www.csprosystems.com/
Build Your Own CS Generators:
The following site features an article by a fellow named Mark Metcalf,
who tells how to make a simple colloidal silver generator. He
recommends salt to speed up the process, being on the other side of
the issue from Lindemann and others. However, his device works just
fine with no salt and a different protocol if you prefer, and is
typical of any home-brew low voltage DC generator you're likely to
build.
http://www.newciv.org/Colloidal_Silver/
Another source of DIY information is Thomas Miller. He wrote an
article for "73" magazine (an amateur radio publication) about making
a CS generator. He sells kits and generators, and is attracting a
loyal following.
http://www.infocom.com/~thomil/silver.htm
Other Information And Product Sources:
The following people sell a book by a "Dr. Hill" that purports to
explain a lot about CS. The couple of excerpts look fairly reasonable,
and it might be worth buying just for the references in the back. The
excerpt on toxicity is interesting reading. Follow the link for
Colloidal Silver:
http://www.wwmagic.com/clearlake/index.html
And no survey of the state of CS marketing and research would be
complete without a visit to the source of the ONLY safe and effective
colloidal silver preparation in the known UNIVERSE (NOT!):
http://www.escape.ca/~revive/
And follow the link to their companion site:
http://www.xpressnet.com/bhealthy
Their specialty is the use of a protien molecule to keep the silver in
suspension. It's probably the most reliably produced of the commercial
preparations. Their product is very good but expensive.
You must also take what they say about all other colloidal silver
products with a grain of salt. They are aggressive in trying to
convince you that their's is the *only* safe and effective CS. You
shouldn't believe that.
The good news is they offer some interesting if limited "research"
citations, dosage and treatment recommendations, and other useful
information on their web site.
Lastly, I would recommend the following site for the readable prose.
Be forewarned, however, that the author digresses into gratuitous
flights of fancy on the subjects of medieval alchemy and speculative
scientific theories that are not in keeping with the rest of the site!
Other than *that* he has some good things to say. (Remember what I
told you about "the wildly speculative and downright weird?")
http://www.wishgranted.com/
Of course there are many other sites and resources, many of which are
as good or better than the above. In no way do I wish to imply by the
inclusion or exclusion of any site that this is the best there is. Nor
do I endorse everything, or necessarily anything, you will find at the
above sites.
CONCLUSION:
This is certainly enough to keep you busy for a day or two! By the
time you've read much of the above you'll see just how easy it is to
build a simple colloidal silver generator, you'll have some idea how
much CS to use, and at least some clues how to make your own. You'll
also have a good idea of the kinds of commercial products that are
available.
There will be more information available in further FAQ's. We will
talk about our members' experiences, introduce some basic CS generator
designs and protocols, evaluate some of the commercial products out
there, and begin to pull together the historical and modern references
that paint the picture of how CS is made and works.
You're also welcome to join the silver-list discussion group. We're a
bunch of folks who are experimenting with home-made and commercial CS
products. The list is for discussing what works, what we're learning,
who's feeling better, and anything else related to CS. We're
non-commercial and newcomers are welcome.
Send an e-mail message to: [email protected] with the
word "subscribe" in the Subject: field. You will then begin recieving
the messages that people are posting to silver-list. To post, send
your e-mail message to: [email protected] and it will be
reflected back to you and the rest of the list.
Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
Mike Devour
DISCLAIMER: I'm not a doctor and I don't dispense medical advice. None
of the materials spoken of or referenced here are intended to take the
place of the advice of a competent professional. If you choose to
experiment with any of the materials or procedures found in any of the
above, you are solely responsible for ascertaining their safety and
suitability and seeking professional opinion before proceeding.
[Mike Devour, Citizen, Patriot, Libertarian]
[[email protected] ]
[Speaking only for myself... ]
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