What is Argyria?

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Posted: 11 Sep 2014 08:00 AM PDT

Argyria is a discoloration of the skin, generally characterized by a bluing of the skin's pigment. This rare, biologically-benign condition proves the old adage that quality is much more important than quantity. The condition occurs in response to the overconsumption of impure colloidal silver particles. Argyria is also an industrial concern that has been historically observed in workers consistently exposed to silver dust over a period of months and even years.

How Does Argyria Happen?

Silver naturally forms compounds, especially when exposed to ultraviolet light (sunlight). If a silver mixture uses proteins or salts to suspend silver particles, the silver will pass into tissues. ^[1] In the skin, silver will naturally be exposed to light with the result that the silver compounds will grow and expand and will not be able to pass out of the skin tissue. Unable to escape, the silver reacts with ultraviolet light in a manner very similar to the photographic development process causing the skin to turn blue, or bluish-gray.

Symptoms

Before the skin turns blue, the body does give a subtle warning. The body disposes of silver through the kidneys (urine), sweat, and through the hair and nails. Silver gets stored in the nail beds prior to release. If the nail bed (the skin under the nail) begins to show a blue coloration, it may indicate overconsumption of silver.

Regular consumption of low-quality silver also appears to decrease selenium levels. Selenium is essential for thyroid hormones which directly affect mood, hormonal balance, and feelings of fatigue. Fortunately, argyria does not appear to affect bodily function, only affecting the cosmetic appearance of an individual. The condition is often irreversible; however, some laser surgeries have reported success reducing symptoms associated with argyria.

Is It Permanent?

While steps can be taken to reduce the bluing effects of argyria, no known remedies exist to completely eliminate it. Some have reported success reducing the blue tint by taking selenium and vitamins A, E, and C. These vitamins and minerals reduce the size of the silver compounds in the skin so they no longer absorb light, but they do not appear to remove the seed particles lodged in the skin. It has been reported by some that even after treating argyria and taking a higher-quality colloidal silver supplement, the condition returned.

How Can I Reduce Risk?

Based on these reports, it appears the best way to avoid argyria is to take only the highest-quality colloidal silver supplement, particularly one that contains very small silver compounds. The highest-quality supplements contain colloidal silver particles in the range of 0.0008 – 0.005 microns, or silver particles more than a 1000 times smaller than a blood cell. That's the problem with so many DIY home kits; the silver particle size is just too big. That's why I developed Silver Fuzion.

Not All Colloidal Silver is Created Equal

Pure electro-colloidal silver produced in clean environments without additives, proteins, and stabilizers is said to be less likely to cause argyria. Products containing silver protein, silver chloride, silver citrate, and silver nitrate, or those which do not use automatic voltage regulating technology have caused this rare condition. These preparations of silver encourage the formation of large particles which are then embedded in the skin.

Watch out for preparations with silver as large as 0.1 microns. This is way too big. If you shake a bottle of colloidal silver and get a foam, this is a clear indication that the silver particles are too large. The foam generally indicates a protein additive aiding the suspension of the large silver particles. You really don't want silver bigger than 0.005 microns.

Silver Fuzion is Unsurpassed Quality

Too much of low-quality colloidal silver preparations could leave you blue — literally. This is why it's so important to know the quality of the colloidal silver you use. Silver Fuzion contains 10 ppm of pure silver and is produced using a colloid generator to keep the electrical current constant. This process produces small, uniform silver particles suspended in ultrapure, triple-distilled water. Global Healing Center remains committed to providing the finest colloidal silver that is guaranteed pure, potent, safe, effective, and crystal clear.

-Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM