silver Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Invisible Toxins in Food Can Damage Your Health

AHA Publisher — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 08:00:51 +0000

Jonathan Landsman via NaturalHealth365 – You can’t see, smell or taste them – but for many years silver nanoparticles have been added to our food supply (and medications) at an alarming rate. Like me, I’m sure you’re wondering why would food producers – and the pharmaceutical industry – place silver in their products? Sadly, the media loves to portray this idea of using nanoparticles as ‘no big deal.’ But, to be perfectly clear, we – at NaturalHealth365 – think that consuming silver nanoparticles is a bad idea. These particles are sprayed onto produce – as a pesticide – and incorporated into food packaging to extend shelf life, due to their antimicrobial properties. And, we’re not the only ones sounding the alarm. Scientific research warns us that the uptake of these tiny particles can cause cellular damage, kidney disorders, stomach upset, headaches, fatigue and skin irritation. Nanoparticles will NOT help you to “age gracefully” Researchers have demonstrated the devastating effects of silver nanoparticles on cell survival, and the integrity of the mitochondria. For example, animals treated with silver nanoparticles exhibited reduced cognitive/motor functions and altered cellular structures in the brain. And, just to be clear, many scientific studies suggest that chronic exposure to silver nanoparticles can damage brain function. Simply put, with all the other pollutants in our environment, should we really allow this kind of technology to contaminate our food supply?! Science clearly reveals an alarming (toxic) trend Further data shows silver nanoparticles induce toxicity in neurons with the resulting dysfunction of physiological function. These particles, once digested, get distributed inside the brain, heart, and blood – which can result in cardiac arrhythmia, slower blood flow and impaired motor skills. Observations, in laboratory animals, have shown that the uptake of these particles – in the digestive tract – can change the terrain. As you know, the digestive tract harbors beneficial bacteria along with pathogenic bacteria. But, silver nanoparticles can wipe out the “good” bacteria along with toxic ones. Naturally, if you disturb the healthy balance of bacteria, within our gut, you compromise the immune system – setting the stage for chronic disease. Scientists detect unwanted toxins on our fruit supply Scientists developed a new method for detecting silver nanoparticles in food during a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. This method was able to identify and measure relatively small amounts of these nanoparticles, in pears, according to Mengshi Lin, Ph.D. – study author and associate professor of food science at the University of Missouri. The pears were immersed in a silver nanoparticle solution, similar to a pesticide application, and then washed and rinsed repeatedly. Four days after the treatment and rinsing, the silver nanoparticles were still attached to the skin and some even penetrated the skin to reach the pear pulp. In addition, many food packing materials incorporate silver nanoparticles to prolong the shelf life of packaged foods. The nano material has been known to transfer to the food – inside the package. I hope, after reading this, you’ll feel even better about eating fresh (unprocessed) food – as much as possible. Keep in mind, nanoparticles can become airborne easily due to their size and mass. When inhaled, nanoparticles can go deeper into the lungs reaching more sensitive areas. These particles can inflame the lungs – which must work harder in attempts to remove the foreign particles. The only known protection from nanoparticle toxins It takes an incredibly small amount of this substance to cause health problems. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is on record saying that nanoparticles pose safety issues – because they significantly alter bioavailability properties of food, which alter how much your body can absorb a substance. This means it affects the amount of nutrients you absorb and the amount of toxins that can enter a cell. Unfortunately, companies aren’t required to label or test nano materials in the food they sell you or the packing they put it in. To counter the ever increasing amount of nanoparticles in food – you have to look for whole (unprocessed) foods, which aren’t commercially packaged. We’re talking about: apples, carrots and dark leafy greens. In terms of animal foods … only eat small amounts of wild caught fish or grass-fed, pasture-raised eggs, chicken and beef. Buy local (whenever possible) – since foods that are transported long distances are often treated with nanosilver particles to keep them looking “fresh.” Organic produce is less likely to be treated with nanoparticles. Plus, we know that organic farming techniques avoid the use of sewage sludge fertilizer – which can be tainted with nanoparticles. Thankfully, the world is changing and people are waking up to the truth about toxic food, medicine and personal care products. Vote with your dollars and be part of the solution. The rewards are worth the effort. Sources for this article include: ABC.net.au, Beyondpesticides.org, Sciencenordic.com To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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Local Startup Testing a One-Two Punch Against Hard-to-Heal Wounds

AHA Publisher — Wed, 02 Oct 2019 07:00:04 +0000

University of Wisconsin-Madison via News Wise – Silver’s antimicrobial activity rests on its ability to punch holes in the bacterial cell wall, but a biofilm can block that exposure. Chemically, gallium ions resemble a form of iron that cells use to gain chemical energy through the process of reduction. Newswise — MADISON, Wis. — Millions of people with severe burns or diabetic skin ulcers could benefit from an experimental enhancement to a next-generation covering that is already healing difficult wounds. A $1.5 million, two-year Small Business Innovation Research grant announced today will test whether adding gallium metal ions to an ultra-thin material carrying antimicrobial silver can defeat the “biofilms” that shield bacteria from antibiotics. Persistent wounds are distressingly common, says Ankit Agarwal, founder and CEO of Imbed Biosciences, the Fitchburg, Wisconsin-based University of Wisconsin–Madison spinoff that makes and sells the silver-bearing covering. According to a scientific report published in August 2019, “In the United States, chronic ulcers affect more than 6 million people, with increasing numbers in the growing elderly and diabetic populations.” In many cases, the chronic wounds remain open for months, due to difficult-to-treat infections that are often shielded by a biofilm. Imbed’s silver-covering technology was invented in the lab of Nicholas Abbott, then a professor of chemical engineering at UW–Madison. Abbott guided Agarwal’s postdoctoral studies on the technology. Imbed’s existing product, called MicroLyte, was cleared by the FDA for marketing in the U.S. in August 2016. MicroLyte is on the formulary of five major hospital systems, including UW Health, and is used in more than a dozen other hospitals across the country. “The formulary is a list of medications readily available for use at a hospital or health system,” Agarwal says. MicroLyte contains a tiny dose of metallic silver particles on an absorbable polymeric multilayer film. Flexible and only 25 micrometers thick (thinner than a human hair), the covering places silver in direct contact with bacteria. MicroLyte can eliminate the painful process of repeated removal that is needed when conventional bandages are replaced on tenacious wounds. Silver’s antimicrobial activity rests on its ability to punch holes in the bacterial cell wall, but a biofilm can block that exposure. Chemically, gallium ions resemble a form of iron that cells use to gain chemical energy through the process of reduction. “Bacteria inside the biofilm are looking for more iron, so they end up taking up gallium,” Agarwal says. But gallium ions cannot be reduced, and the bacteria atrophy for want of energy, helping to break up the biofilm. “So in return for accepting a worthless ‘Trojan horse,’ the bacteria are exposed to silver — the second punch — and they will die. By placing nanometer-sized particles of both metals on the ultra-thin film, “we are using levels of both metals that are so low that they are not toxic to human cells, placed on a film that actually supports growth of skin cells,” Agarwal says. Under the new grant, silver plus gallium will be tested on full-thickness wounds in pigs in the UW–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. “To simulate chronic wounds, we will surgically create wounds and inoculate them with pre-established biofilms of antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” says Jonathan McAnulty, chief of surgery at the vet school. “Healing in porcine skin wounds is similar to healing in humans.” McAnulty will head the animal studies in collaboration with Charles Czuprynski, chair of pathobiological sciences. Both researchers have worked for years with the silver-based dressings. “We see animals with skin injuries that get colonized by bad actors,” says McAnulty, “including different strains of antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus. These wounds don’t want to heal, despite our best efforts, and can go weeks or months without progress. This clinical scenario is almost identical to human cases.” Although the silver-bearing covering is highly effective in healing infections and closing many difficult wounds, the gallium is intended to enhance that activity by defeating bacterial biofilms. “Behind a biofilm, bacteria are more protected against any agent trying to get in and kill them,” says McAnulty. “If we can prevent the biofilm from forming, or if it is present and we can get it to dissolve, it will expose the bacteria to killing agents.” Research at the veterinary school has already shown that the combination film can “completely disperse the bacteria biofilms created by a mix of two pathogenic bacteria,” Agarwal says. “Treatment with a commercial, silver-based dressing — not MicroLyte — had no effect.” Angela Gibson, a burn surgeon and medical director of UW Health wound healing services, has used MicroLyte on patients of all ages when conventional products have failed. “The property that I find unique in MicroLyte is the total conformation to the wound bed as the thin film melts into all the crevices of a wound likely where the bacteria are hiding and preventing healing. It is also very easy to apply and may decrease irritation, such as itching, caused by other products.” Gibson says she looks forward to a clinical trial of the product to determine if her experience holds true in a larger study of patients. Finding metal ions to defeat bacteria is simpler than the usual approach of finding or inventing molecules, Agarwal says. “We like to keep it simple. We already had silver working, but we thought, ‘Let’s take another metal, one that’s has been used in other FDA-approved formulations, and put it into the matrix in combination with silver, and see if it gets into the biofilm and sensitizes the bacteria to silver, which will kill it.” An aging population, rising rates of diabetes, and a growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria all portend a bigger problem with persistent wounds. If gallium’s Trojan horse strategy proves able to defeat biofilms, that will be a first, Agarwal says. “Today there is no commercially available formulation that is indicated for dispersal of biofilm in a wound. Zero.” To read the original article click here.

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