This is a posting I've *not* been looking forward to making. Some of the folks whom I agree with will be discomfited by what I'm about to say. Given the sheer volume of discussion about clear vs. golden CS and salt or no salt, though, I think it's time.
Nobody's gotten out of line, so this *isn't* meant as a correction to anybody on the list. It's just something I need to say in the interest of honesty and fairness. Just what do we *know* about the CS we make? Some of you use (or have used) salt or baking soda to speed the process, making a clear CS, correct? Have you turned blue? Have you had any success using it? Others of you have switched to (or have always used) a golden CS that starts with pure distilled water, or with starter from a previous batch, yes? Have *you* turned blue? Have you had any success? I'm probably typical of most of you. In fact I've been on both sides of the issue and can answer: yes, no, yes, and yes, no, yes! (The same questions could be asked about various HVAC, HVDC, Kilovolt nuclear accelerator versions of CS! <grin>) The various gurus of colloidal silver are at odds over what makes the best preparation. Some say salt produces toxic contaminants and/or particles that are too large. Others say golden CS is everything *but* pure silver and must be full of toxic impurities. On the anti-salt side, Peter Lindemann claims that electron microscopy proved the particles were larger when made with salt. On the anti-golden-CS side, folks like Miller claim that the color indicates impurities. It *must* be so, according to them. Why just look at all the yellow colored compounds of silver in the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics! Excuse me! Does anybody here have those electron microscope pictures Peter Lindemann saw? Has anybody done an elemental analysis of a batch of golden CS and found all those nasty poisons that're supposed to be in it? Or all the nasty toxins in the stuff made with salt? How about some proof that using one or the other is *harmful*? Or that one is even a little better than another? We don't believe the blatant debunkers when they bash colloidal silver, should we be any less cautious when people on our side start clashing with each other? I realize that the arguments and explanations go deeper than the above on both sides. Some of you have gone to great lengths to bring information and insight to the discussion. (Susan must have typed in half the Materia Medica. She must be feeling better! <grin>) My assertion is that we don't have any evidence that anybody is going to be *harmed* by virtually any of the properly made colloidal silver preparations we have been discussing. We need to distinguish between what we *believe* and what we can *observe*. Phrases like "ought to", "must be", "obviously", are *not* enough to constitute *proof*! Concealed data are *not* admissible as evidence of a claim! Until the principal proponants of these theories are able to show us the data, and/or we can corroborate their assertions with our own experiments, all we can do is speculate. Somebody on the list knows Peter Lindemann, I believe. Maybe someday he'll join us and share some of that data? Others of you might have back issues of SOTA's newsletter to cite for info on absorption and excretion vs. particle size? Surely *someone* somewhere has published a well documented report on the unhealthy effects of their competitors' colloidal silver... Disagreement on non-essentials is the norm on this list. While we should and will keep exploring this question, sometimes vigorously, keep in mind that we all agree on that which is *essential.* Think of the people who are healthier today on account of using *some* kind of CS. And think of the people who come to us every day looking for some kind of answer. Even if your way is "better", please don't be afraid to let them start with "good enough." God Bless! Mike Devour (The guy with the keys to the list! <g>) [Mike Devour, Citizen, Patriot, Libertarian] [[email protected] ] [Speaking only for myself... ] -- The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: [email protected] -or- [email protected] with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the subject: line. To post, address your message to: [email protected] List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
