Silver Ions in the Treatment of Local Infections
In this 1999 study published in the journal Metal-Based Drugs, Dr. Robert O. Becker, M.D., documents his two decades worth of research into the use of electrically generated silver ions to cure local infections, including treatment of “over 100 cases of recalcitrant osteomyelitis (i.e., osteomyelitis infections that did not respond to traditional antibiotic drugs) with an overall success rate of approximately 65% and no evidence of argyria.”
Dr. Becker ultimately switched from the use of electrically generated silver ions in wound care to the use of silver-coated nylon fabric, which releases silver ions en masse directly into covered wound sites. This study documents that transition. As he wrote at the time: “Both the silver iontophoresis technique and the simple application of the silver fabric in wound care utilize no agent other than free silver ions given off into the wound as the primary anti-bacterial agent…At present, silver ions appear to have the broadest spectrum of anti-bacterial activity. The level of free silver ions produced in the wound is greater than with any silver compound presently available. The method of use is simple and dressing changes are easy and non-painful.”
