Drug-Resistant Fungal Infections: Can Colloidal Silver Help?
In March 2023, the CDC published a warning on their website about an increase in cases of antimicrobial-resistant fungal infections, but could colloidal silver help?
Well considering colloidal silver has been demonstrated, both in clinical studies and in hundreds of anecdotal accounts, to be highly effective against fungal pathogens, the question only remains: might colloidal silver prove to be effective against drug-resistant fungal pathogens, as well?
The good news is…we already have research to show it does!
Here’s what you need to know…
Hi, Steve Barwick here, for The Silver Edge…
According to this press release from March 20, 2023 on the CDC website:
“Candida auris (C. auris), an emerging fungus considered an urgent antimicrobial resistance (AR) threat, spread at an alarming rate in U.S. healthcare facilities in 2020-2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Equally concerning was a tripling in 2021 of the number of cases that were resistant to echinocandins, the antifungal medicine most recommended for treatment of C. auris infections.”
Now, this is brought to mind an article published on The Conversation website I read a few years ago, which stated that – even back in 2019 – drug-resistant fungal infections were on the rise, and thousands of folks were dying annually from these infections.
The article’s author, Cornelius J. Clancy, an Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Mycology at University of Pittsburgh, wrote:
“Ninety percent of fungal strains are now resistant to fluconazole, the frontline antifungal in many countries; 30% are resistant to two antifungal classes; and between 3% and 5% to all antifungals.
Candida fungi are now the third-leading cause of sepsis and other life-threatening infections in U.S. hospitals…deeply invasive Candida auris and other drug-resistant Candida infections are similar in severity, resulting in the death of 40% of patients.”
Another interesting fact the article points out is that it’s very difficult for researchers to develop effective new antifungal drugs because yeast and mold cells are so closely related, genetically, to humans, that the antifungal drugs end up damaging human cells!
So, what’s the solution?
According to the above article, ongoing research funded by “various U.S. government agencies” could one day yield new antifungal drugs. Healthcare facilities are also being taught to operate “stewardship programs” designed to “reduce inappropriate prescribing and development of resistance.”
Translation: Nothing for the foreseeable future is being done about the drug-resistant fungus crisis.
But…what if there’s already a proven yet overlooked solution to today’s growing drug-resistant fungal crisis? And what if it’s both safe and natural, to boot, and unlike prescription anti-fungal drugs, does not harm healthy human cells at all? And what if you can find it in just about any local health food store?
Enter Silver: the Fast-Acting Fungicide
Naturally, I’m talking about colloidal silver (aka nanosilver) – the world’s most powerful natural infection-fighting agent.
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency points out in their “State of the Science Literature Review” on nanosilver:
“Nanosilver is an effective, fast-acting fungicide against a broad spectrum of common fungi including genera such as Aspergillus, Candida, and Saccharomyces.”
Of course, this information is nothing new.
After all, as far back as 1976, Dr. Robert O. Becker M.D. did clinical research at Syracuse Medical University proving that silver ions (such as those found in colloidal silver) were highly antifungal, even at concentrations under 2 ppm. For confirmation, read Dr. Becker’s study, Antifungal Properties of Electrically Generated Metallic Ions.
2 Newer Studies: Silver Beats Drug-Resistant Fungi
What’s more, brand new clinical research has completely confirmed Dr. Becker’s earlier work from the ’70s. For example, the following 2018 study helps demonstrate that silver is indeed the answer to drug-resistant fungi:
According to the study authors, after testing silver nanoparticles against a drug-resistant species of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans, a concentration of 40 ppm silver nanoparticles, in the size range of 10-30 nm, inhibited the growth of the fungal organisms by a whopping 90%.
The researchers wrote:
“Our results demonstrated that silver nanoparticles induced dose-dependent intracellular ROS which exerted antifungal effects; however, even scavenging ROS by antioxidant could not offer protection from silver nanoparticle mediated killing.
Treatment with silver nanoparticles altered surface morphology, cellular ultrastructure, membrane microenvironment, membrane fluidity, ergosterol content, and fatty acid composition, especially oleic acid.”
In other words, the silver particles penetrated the fungal cells and began to release reactive oxygen species (similar to the effect of hydrogen peroxide) which began to kill the fungi.
What’s more, when the researchers added an antioxidant to the mix, in order to neutralize the reactive oxygen species being released by the silver in order to determine if it was the only mechanism responsible for the death of the fungal cells, they noted that the fungal cells continued to die in the presence of the silver, anyway.
This means that silver’s effectiveness against drug-resistant fungi is multi-pronged, i.e., based on more than one mechanism of action.
Finally, the researchers state that the silver nanoparticles corrupted the surface membrane of the fungal cells, and then continued to corrupt the internal structure of the cells, leading to cellular death.
The researchers concluded that the silver nanoparticles “affected multiple cellular targets crucial for drug resistance and pathogenicity in the fungal cells.”
In other words, unlike prescription antifungal drugs, the silver targeted and attacked the very parts and mechanisms of the fungal pathogens that are responsible for drug resistance!
Finally, the researchers stated that what they’d discover “might emerge as a new paradigm for developing nano silver-based therapy for clinical applications in fungal therapeutics.” In other words, silver-based anti-fungal drugs might one day replace Big Pharma’s failing prescription anti-fungal drugs.
Of course, you don’t have to wait until Big Pharma finally gets around to turning silver into a drug. Safe, natural colloidal silver can be found in just about any health food store.
We’ll discuss where to find colloidal silver in just a minute. But first, here’s info on one more important clinical study demonstrating silver to be a powerfully effective key to the drug-resistant fungal crisis:
Silver Also Makes Antifungal Drugs Work Better!
Let’s take a quick look at another recent study, this one from 2016:
In the Abstract to the above study, the researchers wrote:
“Opportunistic fungi such as Candida albicans and Trichophyton rubrum are becoming more resistant to antifungal agents due to their extensive usage.
And research on new antifungal agents has become imperative due to marked increase in the resistance to antifungal agents such as Fluconazole and Ampotericin B in these fungi.
…In this prospective, the present study is aimed to evaluate improved antifungal activity of fluconazole with nanosilver, stabilized with chitosan against pathogenic fungi.”
In other words, the researchers decided to see whether or not adding nanosilver to a popular prescription anti-fungal drug like Fluconazole increased the activity of the drug against pathogenic fungi. And it did! In the end, the researchers concluded that:
“Antifungal activity of respective chitosan stabilised silver/Fluconazole nanoconjugate revealed improved activity by 2 to 20 folds against both tested organism compared with free antifungal agent.
Present study addresses the possible utilization of nanoformulated fluconazole as an effective antifungal agent against pathogenic fungal organisms.”
Put another way, adding silver to a popular anti-fungal drug increased the activity of that drug by between two-fold and twenty-fold.
In short, the silver made the drug between two and twenty times stronger against the fungal pathogens tested, demonstrating that mixing silver with anti-fungal drugs increases the effectiveness of anti-fungal drugs against drug-resistant fungi!
Silver Beats Fungal Bio-Films, Too!
One of the issues that makes Candida albicans so difficult to eradicate with antifungal drugs is the fact that it can form protective biofilms that prevent the drug from getting to and killing the fungal cells.
But in a December 2015 clinical study published in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology and titled “Effect of silver nanoparticles on Candida albicans biofilms,” researchers demonstrated silver nanoparticles have a “potent inhibitory effect” on biofilm formation in the Candida albicans species of fungal pathogen.
The researchers wrote, “Candida albicans is the most common pathogenic fungus isolated in bloodstream infections in hospitalized patients, and the fourth most frequent infection in U.S. hospitals.”
They also noted that Candida albicans “has the ability to form biofilms – a community of fungal cells surrounded by a protective matrix that effectively shelters Candida against the action of antifungal drugs.”
Thankfully, according to the researchers, silver not only busts through those fungal biofilms, but also helps prevent them from forming in the first place.
The study authors concluded:
“Our results demonstrate that silver nanoparticles are potent inhibitors of C. albicans biofilm formation.
Observations with a Scanning Electron Microscope are consistent with an overall loss of structure of biofilms mostly due to disruption of the outer cell membrane/wall and inhibition of filamentation.
Transition Electron Microscopy indicates the permeabilization of the cell wall and subsequent disruption of the structural layers of the outer fungal cell wall.
The anti-biofilm effects are via cell wall disruption.”
In other words, the silver nanoparticles not only inhibited the formation of Candida biofilms, but also destroyed existing biofilms by disrupting the outer cell wall of the fungus and entering into the fungal cells.
Most interesting of all is that the silver nanoparticles were able to inhibit the formation of Candida biofilms at an astonishingly low concentration of .48 ppm – which is to say, less than one-half ppm!
The bottom line being this: Research now demonstrates that colloidal silver not only kills drug-resistant fungal pathogens when used on its own, but it also tears down their protective biofilms, and when added to anti-fungal drugs it boosts the effectiveness of those drugs by up to 20x!
Have You Used Colloidal Silver for a Stubborn Fungal Infection?
Have you used colloidal silver to successfully fight a fungal infection? We’d love to hear about your experiences. If you haven’t already, please join the Colloidal Silver Secrets Group on Facebook and let us know!
Make Your Own High-Quality Colloidal Silver for Pennies!
Typical health food store prices for colloidal silver can range from $20 to $30 for a tiny, four-ounce bottle.
But with a brand new Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator from The Silver Edge, you can make your own safe, pure, high-quality micro-particle colloidal silver for about 36 cents a quart! In other words, you can make it at actual cost, just like the big colloidal silver bottlers do.
Compared to typical health food store prices, your first two one-quart batches literally pay for the entire cost of your new generator! Do you know of any other health product that literally pays for itself the very first few times you use it? The savings are absolutely astonishing!
In fact, by making your own high-quality colloidal silver with a brand new Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator from The Silver Edge, you’ll be as close to having FREE colloidal silver as you can get, and for the rest of your life!
You’ll never have to pay those exorbitant health food store prices again!
The new Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator is now the world’s #1 best-selling colloidal silver generator. Here are just a few reasons why you should own one…
- It pays for itself after your very first batch or two – your total cost to make your first one-quart batch is about 36 cents, compared to the $240 you’d pay at a health food store if you bought an equivalent amount (i.e., eight of those little 4-ounce bottles they normally sell for $30 apiece)!
- Safe, simple to operate…No special skills needed…You just set the handy timer, plug it in, walk away, and three hours later you have a perfect batch of therapeutic quality micro-particle colloidal silver…every time! Here’s a short pictorial demonstrating how astonishingly easy it is to use a new Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator from The Silver Edge:
- Produces uncommonly small silver micro-particles as low as .8 nm. That’s a fraction of a single nanometer. Compare that to health food store colloidal silver which can contain silver particles as large as 200 nm to 1,000 nm (or even larger), and you’ll see why micro-particle colloidal silver is the very best there is! Smaller particles mean your body can absorb and utilize up to 99% of the colloidal silver you take, compared to maybe 30% or 40% with many health food store brands!
- Runs on standard household electricity, but uses less power than a tiny Christmas tree bulb – you won’t even see a blip on your electric bill!
- Produces uniform, crystal clear batches every single time that store for months, or even years, without losing potency!
- Cannot produce silver chloride or unsafe substances – you get pure, therapeutic-quality micro-particle colloidal silver every time!
The Bottom Line…
With a high-quality Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator from The Silver Edge, you’ll never again have to pay exorbitant health food store or internet vendor prices for high-quality colloidal silver!
Indeed, your first batch or two will indeed completely pay for the entire cost of your generator, compared to health food store prices!
What’s more, you’ll be able to give colloidal silver away FREE to family members, friends and neighbors, because you’ll be making it – literally – for only a few pennies per batch!
Simply click on this link to learn more about this phenomenal new breakthrough in colloidal silver-making technology, including our current, time-limited, money-saving offers that can save you up to $100 if you act quickly and decisively!
Meanwhile, I’ll be back next week with another insightful article on colloidal silver….
Yours for the safe, sane and responsible use of colloidal silver,
Steve Barwick, author
The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual
Helpful Links:
FREE Colloidal Silver Safe Dosage Report
Colloidal Silver Secrets Group on Facebook
Make Your Own Colloidal Silver for Pennies
.9999 Pure Silver Wire for Making Colloidal Silver
Important Note and Disclaimer: The contents of this Ezine have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Information conveyed herein is from sources deemed to be accurate and reliable, but no guarantee can be made in regards to the accuracy and reliability thereof. The author, Steve Barwick, is a natural health journalist with over 30 years of experience writing professionally about natural health topics. He is not a doctor. Therefore, nothing stated in this Ezine should be construed as prescriptive in nature, nor is any part of this Ezine meant to be considered a substitute for professional medical advice. Nothing reported herein is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The author is simply reporting in journalistic fashion what he has learned during the past 17 years of journalistic research into colloidal silver and its usage. Therefore, the information and data presented should be considered for informational purposes only and approached with caution. Readers should verify for themselves, and to their own satisfaction, from other knowledgeable sources such as their doctor, the accuracy and reliability of all reports, ideas, conclusions, comments, and opinions stated herein. All important health care decisions should be made under the guidance and direction of a legitimate, knowledgeable and experienced health care professional. Readers are solely responsible for their choices. The author and publisher disclaim responsibility and/or liability for any loss or hardship that may be incurred as a result of the use or application of any information included in this Ezine.
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