Originally published June 28 2013
Adding silver to antibiotics boosts their effectiveness against superbugs
by Michael Ravensthorpe
(NaturalNews) The antibacterial benefits of silver have been known for thousands of years. The ancient Phoenicians, for instance, understood that keeping water, vinegar, and wine in silver vessels maintained their freshness. Similarly well-documented is the ancient Europeans' usage of colloidal silver - silver particles suspended in a solution - as the antibacterial of choice. According to new research by scientists at Boston University, however, silver might be even more powerful than originally believed; adding silver to antibiotics, it seems, boosts their effectiveness against antibiotic-resistant superbugs by up to one-thousand times.
A different approach
The scientists' research, which was published in the Science Translational Medicine journal in June 2013, commenced shortly after a well-known doctor in the United Kingdom declared that the rise of 'superbugs' could trigger an 'apocalyptic scenario' in which traditional antibiotics become worthless, resulting in widespread vulnerability against infection.
"The number of antibiotic resistant strains in our hospitals and communities is growing and is growing dramatically and has been for some time," said Dr. Jim Collins, co-author of the study. "And this development is accompanied by a drop in new antibiotics being developed and approved. We are taking a different approach. Instead of trying to develop a completely new antibiotic, we are trying to enhance the ones we already have."
Collins's team found that adding small amounts of silver to standard antibiotics increased their ability to treat infections between 10 and 1,000 times. In some cases, bugs that were hitherto considered 'untreatable' due to growing antibiotic resistance became treatable anew. Silver-laced antibiotics proved particularly effective against bugs that caused urinary tract infections and chronic stomach conditions.
"This work shows that silver can be used to enhance the action of existing antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria, thus strengthening the antibiotic arsenal for fighting bacterial infections," concluded Collins.
Why not just use silver?
Though Collins and his team should be commended for experimenting with traditional cures that allopaths usually reject outright, their revelation poses an obvious question that Big Pharma researchers wouldn't dare ask: If silver boosts the effectiveness of antibiotics to such a degree that the original drug is almost impotent in comparison, why not just use silver? After all, it worked for our ancestors.
Numerous studies have shown, for example, that colloidal silver alone can cure MRSA infections and candida, destroy fungi and viruses in the body, and much more. No need to bind it to synthetic chemicals in order to consume it. No need to enrich amoral corporations in order to obtain it. Silver in its supplemental state is available to everyone (despite repeated attempts by the FDA to ban it), and it may prove an invaluable resource during the difficult times ahead.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/5/190/190ra81
http://www.silverinstitute.org
http://www.naturalnews.com/027474_colloidal_silver_antibiotics.html
About the author:
Michael Ravensthorpe is an independent writer whose research interests include nutrition, alternative medicine, and bushcraft. He is the creator of the website, Spiritfoods, through which he promotes the world's healthiest foods.
Michael Ravensthorpe is an independent writer whose research interests include nutrition, alternative medicine, and bushcraft. He is the creator of the website, Spiritfoods, through which he promotes the world's healthiest foods.
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