h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Here’s some modern claims that have been disproven time and time again.
• Magnetism - There is no scientific basis to support the notion that magnets improve circulation. Static magnets do not have an effect upon blood flow. If they did, then it would pool under the magnet, and a human being would explode in an MRI machine. Many manufacturers of wearable magnets will tell you that the earth has lost some of its electromagnetic field over the past 4000 years, and that we suffer a magnetic deficiency. “The concept of "magnetic deficiency" is absurd because the body is not magnetic. If deficiency did exist, how would it be diagnosed? Would there also be a magnetic excess condition?” (Quackwatch)
• Acupuncture - While acupuncture is widely used in the United States, the Chinese themselves regard it to be worthless. When Mao took over and found that millions of Chinese needed medical care, he reintroduced the practice of acupuncture. Only five percent of operations in China are done using acupuncture for anesthesia, and only when the patient is susceptible to suggestion. In the United States, many New Age practitioners of alternative medicine use a Voll machine; an electro-acupuncture device that measures the skin’s resistance to electricity. With this, they say that they can diagnose any possible ailment. Since the reading changes with increased pressure of the probe against the skin, any findings from this ‘electroacupuncture’ device are worthless.
• Colloidal Silver - Sellers of colloidal silver products say it kills all disease-causing bacteria, boosts the immune system, has no harmful side effects, is effective against viruses, and has been used successfully against AIDS, lupus, skin cancer, syphillis, and whooping cough. These claims are unfounded and unresearched. What they don’t say is that long-term use of silver can cause argyria, which deposits silver salts in the skin, eyes, and internal organs. The skin will turn a silver-gray. Argyria was pretty common in the pre-antibiotic era, and silver was used mainly in nosedrops. When researchers made the connection between silver and argyria, respectable manufacturers stopped using silver in their products. Legally, no non-prescription drug that contains colloidal silver or silver salts can be sold. Dietary supplements can be sold as long as they stay below the legal limit of silver in a product. Promoters say the colloidal silver for sale has too little silver to violate any law, but FDA laboratory studies show that samples vary from 15.2% to 124% of the amount on the product labels. Since the amount of silver necessary to produce argyria is unknown, it’s recommended that you should stay away from these supplemental products altogether.

Hello,
I am replying to this piece that was written by your good selves as follows:"What they dont say is that long-term use of silver can cause argyria, which deposits silver salts in the skin, eyes, and internal organs. The skin will turn a silver-gray. Argyria was pretty common in the pre-antibiotic era, and silver was used mainly in nosedrops. When researchers made the connection between silver and argyria, respectable manufacturers stopped using silver in their products. Legally, no non-prescription drug that contains colloidal silver or silver salts can be sold."

You should read into what you have written and then realise that modern Colloidal silver does not contain salt. Any decent maker of colloidal silver will not use salt in any form shape or way, Because it when salt is introduced to the manufacture of Colloidal silver, Then there is the risk of Getting Argyria.
It appears to me that If a product cannot be PATENTED by the big wigs in this multi billion Pounds or Dollar business, then it will be simpler to ridicule it so that not too many people will get to know about it and those who do will be too scared to use it.

It is a crying shame that the health and well being of Human life actually comes secondary to money.

I write this without predjudice and without mallice.
I wish you happy health and so to, to anyone who reads this.

From
John UK.

This is actually a tag-end to a larger piece on medical quackery that I put together for the Guide some time back. Because it wasn't relevant to the article and I had too much copy anyway, I posted the text here so that I wouldn't lose it, and because I thought it was interesting.

There was no ridicule intended in this article. What my sources indicated was that silver is being used as a homeopathic remedy, but it's too dangerous to use in large quantities. Those sources did not include major medicine manufacturers.

What I read indicated that argyria was still possible with the use of colloidal silver. I did not say that colloidal silver contains silver salts - read the article again. In fact, nothing I read indicated that colloidal silver used to contain silver salts, and that that was the cause of argyria. This is information I didn't have, and if you know any more about this, please let me know. If you can give me a URL or two, even better.

Thanks for your input, John!

- Lentilla