| Upper respiratory tract infection, or URTI, strikes | | | | disrupts an enzyme that it needs in order to |
| an estimated one billion times every year in the | | | | process oxygen properly. Without oxygen, the |
| United States alone. That is more than three | | | | bacteria quickly die. Colloidal silver is thought to be |
| cases for every U. S. resident. It is an illness that | | | | able to kill harmful bacteria while leaving healthy |
| is caused by any kind of infection of upper | | | | tissue and cells untouched because cells that are |
| respiratory tract, that is, the nose, sinuses, and | | | | natural to the body have a much thicker cell wall |
| larynx. | | | | than bacteria cells. |
| Typically, doctors will treat upper respiratory tract | | | | Colloidal silver can be taken many ways, but as a |
| infection with prescription antibiotics. According to | | | | treatment for upper respiratory tract infection |
| the 2005 article "Antibiotics for acute laryngitis in | | | | most users of colloidal silver claim the most |
| adults" published in The Cochrane Database of | | | | success through the use of a nebulizer. A |
| Systematic Reviews, antibiotics are ineffective for | | | | nebulizer is a medical device that pumps air into a |
| the treatment of laryngitis, a kind of respiratory | | | | liquid and turns it into a fine mist for inhaling. |
| tract infection. | | | | Inhaling the colloidal silver directly into the lungs will |
| The summary states that the few benefits that | | | | apply the product directly the infected area, which |
| do exist for the prescription of antibiotics for | | | | is believed to reduce the amount of time needed |
| laryngitis are " not relevant in clinical practice as | | | | for a successful treatment. Some who suffer |
| the modest benefits from antibiotics may not | | | | from reoccurring sinus infections choose to |
| outweigh their cost, adverse effects, or negative | | | | regularly use the nebulizer even after the infection |
| consequences on antibiotic resistance patterns." | | | | has subsided to support their immune system. |
| The "adverse affects" referred to in the article | | | | Anyone who wishes to take colloidal silver as a |
| are the many unpleasant side effects of | | | | treatment for a upper respiratory tract infection |
| antibiotics, which include diarrhea, fever, nausea, | | | | should be aware that different silver products can |
| interactions with drugs, a weakened immune | | | | have varying levels of effectiveness. In particular, |
| system, and fungal infection. | | | | patients should avoid ionic silver solutions. A silver |
| Many have found benefit in the use of colloidal | | | | ion is very unstable, and can easily bond with |
| silver for the treatment of upper respiratory | | | | chemicals in the body, most typically chloride. This |
| tract infection. Colloidal silver is a solution of | | | | creates silver chloride, a useless compound. |
| microscopic particles of silver suspended in water. | | | | True colloidal silver is much more stable, and |
| Almost every major civilization with access to | | | | retains silver's well-documented antibacterial |
| silver have used the metal for its germ fighting | | | | properties after it has entered the body. Some |
| capabilities, and modern hospitals harness it too in | | | | producers of ionic silver solutions choose to |
| the form of water filters, antibacterial bandages, | | | | disclose that they only sell ionic silver, but others |
| and antibacterial creams. | | | | do not. One can observe whether or not their |
| Colloidal silver is believed to work by essentially | | | | silver product is ionic silver simply by looking at |
| "choking" harmful bacterial cells. When silver | | | | the color of the liquid. If it is perfectly clear, it is |
| comes into the proximity of harmful bacteria, it | | | | ionic silver. |