Hi Rainie, Welcome to the list! Here's part one of my answer to you regarding Lyme disease, originally too long to make it onto the list: We can't give medical advice here so I'll try to answer with my layperson's understanding of what I believe may help you, without getting myself into any hot water. Please remember that only your doctor should be consulted for medical advice. What follows is information which I have seen reported by others and is not intended to be advice in any way. Although properly made CS, also called EIS (electrolytically isolated silver), is believed by some to be be very helpful with Lyme disease it is not usually considered to be a monotherapy. Some also believe that CS may help eradicate the co-infections which can frequently accompany Lyme, such as Bartonella, Babesia, Erlichia and others. Some medical doctors are of the opinion that the Lyme disease bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, can find it's way into places such as bone, cartilage and the CNS, including the brain, if it is not diagnosed and treated quite quickly with appropriate antibiotics. This is one of the reasons why Lyme is believed to be so difficult to eradicate by those having that opinion. Those same doctors might be of the opinion that if Lyme is not discovered and eradicated quickly enough the patient could end up suffering with chronic Lyme disease requiring ongoing antibiotic treatment. Other docs believe that a few weeks of antibiotics will successfully eradicate all of a patient's Borrelia burgdorferi and that anyone complaining of symptoms after their ABX treatment period has been completed is no longer actually suffering from the disease but is experiencing a "post Lyme syndrome" or something to that effect. They believe that chronic Lyme disease does not exist at all, ever. You will find these two basic opinions when you search the web for Lyme disease information and the more you search the more you will see the suggested reasons why these opinions exist in the minds of those having them. The debate continues and can be a heated one. If I may suggest, be as analytical as you can be regarding the "chronic Lyme disease" issue and seek lots of advice from others who have been down this road before you. Try to avoid proceeding without considerable forethought and possibly enduring much unnecessary suffering as a result. Some people believe that CS might be able to "cure" Lyme disease if the disease has not yet progressed into the "difficult to reach" areas of the body but once it has, that the silver, like any other substance used to kill Lyme, will not be able to make contact with the deeply entrenched bacteria to have its effect. Some people do keep trying, however, and believe that using CS alone, or in combination with other things, ranges from somewhat helpful to considerably helpful in reducing their symtoms. How you take it can also matter more than how much you take. Long term consumption of CS, at some point, may begin to cause a discoloration of the body tissues eventually, reportedly manifesting in the finger nail half-moons initially, which can serve as a warning sign that silver is accumulating in the body. I have heard that some Lyme disease sufferers have been making questionable CS which, in some cases, may not actually be CS, by proper definition, and are, as a result, suffering from the harmfless but unsightly condition called argyria. Hence, the importance of making properly made CS and not overconsuming it even if it is properly made. The fact that silver is a transtional metal sharing detox pathways needed by heavy metals for their elimination might also suggest that moderation of consumption is warranted. Some people suggest that those having heavy metal toxicity histories, in fact, should not knowingly ingest any additional metals, such as colloidal silver, to avoid overburdening their possibly already comprimised detox pathways. You, of course, need to make your decsions based on the best possible information as guided by your doctor(s). Do you have a good LLMD (Lyme literate medical doctor) who can guide you in your recovery? Having an understanding Lyme doc is really important and can make a huge difference in how well you progress. (my layperson's opinion...not shared by some) More coming in part 2..... Peter
