Editing Medical uses of silver (section)

== Alternative medicine {{anchor|Colloidal silver|Coloidal silver}}==
{{Infobox:Alternative therapy
|name = Colloidal silver
|image = Plata Coloidal Super Tyndall Effect.jpeg
|caption = A bottle of colloidal silver
|NCCIH = 
|school = 
|risks = [[Argyria]], decreased drug absorption,<ref name=NCCIHsilver/> 
|legality =Not to be sold for consumption or disinfection in Sweden.<ref name="Swedish Food Safety Agency"/><ref name="Swedish Chemicals Agency">{{cite web|title=Vad gäller om jag vill sälja kolloidalt silver som biocidprodukt?|url=http://www.kemi.se/en/fraga/vad-galler-om-jag-vill-salja-kolloidalt-silver-som-biocidprodukt/|publisher=Kemi (Swedish Chemicals Agency)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010001325/http://www.kemi.se/en/fraga/vad-galler-om-jag-vill-salja-kolloidalt-silver-som-biocidprodukt/|access-date=9 October 2016|archive-date=2016-10-10}}</ref> Not to treat or prevent cancer (UK, Sweden, etc.) Illegal to be marketed/advertised as a dietary supplement or medicine in the U.S. <ref name="fda-rule"/>|MeshID =
|benefits = Antibacterial
}}

'''Colloidal silver''' (a [[colloid]] consisting of silver particles suspended in liquid) and formulations containing silver salts were used by physicians in the early 20th century, but their use was largely discontinued in the 1940s following the development of modern antibiotics.<ref name=pmid8632503>{{cite journal | vauthors = Fung MC, Bowen DL | title = Silver products for medical indications: risk-benefit assessment | journal = Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology | volume = 34 | issue = 1 | pages = 119–126 | year = 1996 | pmid = 8632503 | doi = 10.3109/15563659609020246 }}</ref><ref name="mskcc"/> Since about 1990, there has been a resurgence of the promotion of colloidal silver as a dietary supplement,<ref name=NCCIHsilver/> marketed with claims of it being an essential mineral supplement, or that it can prevent or treat numerous diseases, such as [[cancer]], [[diabetes]], [[arthritis]], [[HIV]]/[[AIDS]], [[Herpes simplex|herpes]],<ref name=pmid8632503/> and [[tuberculosis]].<ref name=NCCIHsilver/><ref name=pmid15748553>{{cite journal | vauthors = Wadhera A, Fung M | title = Systemic argyria associated with ingestion of colloidal silver | journal = Dermatology Online Journal | volume = 11 | issue = 1 | pages = 12 | date = March 2005 | doi = 10.5070/D30832G6D3 | pmid = 15748553 | url = http://dermatology.cdlib.org/111/case_reports/argyria/wadhera.html }}</ref><ref name=pmid7563503>{{cite journal | vauthors = Fung MC, Weintraub M, Bowen DL | title = Colloidal silver proteins marketed as health supplements | journal = JAMA | volume = 274 | issue = 15 | pages = 1196–97 | date = October 1995 | pmid = 7563503 | doi = 10.1001/jama.1995.03530150020017 }}</ref> No medical evidence supports the effectiveness of colloidal silver for any of these claimed [[Indication (medicine)|indications]].<ref name=NCCIHsilver/><ref name="fda-rule">{{cite journal | vauthors =  | title = Over-the-counter drug products containing colloidal silver ingredients or silver salts. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Public Health Service (PHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Final rule | journal = Federal Register | volume = 64 | issue = 158 | pages = 44653–44658 | date = August 1999 | pmid = 10558603 | url = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1999-08-17/pdf/99-21253.pdf }}</ref><ref name=pmid11593479>{{cite journal | vauthors = Newman M, Kolecki P | title = Argyria in the ED | journal = The American Journal of Emergency Medicine | volume = 19 | issue = 6 | pages = 525–26 | date = October 2001 | pmid = 11593479 | doi = 10.1053/ajem.2001.25773 }}</ref> Silver is not an [[essential mineral]] in humans; there is no dietary requirement for silver, and hence, no such thing as a silver "deficiency".<ref name=NCCIHsilver/> There is no evidence that colloidal silver treats or prevents any medical condition, and it can cause serious and potentially irreversible side effects, such as [[argyria]].<ref name=NCCIHsilver/>

In August 1999, the U.S. FDA banned colloidal silver sellers from claiming any therapeutic or preventive value for the product,<ref name="fda-rule"/> although silver-containing products continue to be promoted as [[dietary supplement]]s in the U.S. under the looser regulatory standards applied to supplements.<ref name="fda-rule"/> The FDA has issued numerous [[FDA warning letter|warning letters]] to Internet sites that have continued to promote colloidal silver as an antibiotic or for other medical purposes.<ref name="fda-warn1">{{cite web |url= https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm127976.htm|title= Colloidal Silver Not Approved|access-date=2008-09-22 |publisher=[[U.S. Food and Drug Administration]]|date=2007-02-12}}</ref><ref name="fda-warn2">{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/cder/warn/cyber/2001/Cyber097.pdf|title=FDA Warning Letter|access-date=2008-09-22|publisher=[[U.S. Food and Drug Administration]]|date=2001-03-13}}</ref><ref name="fda-warn3">{{cite web |url=https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm253264.htm|title=FDA Warning Letter|access-date=2013-04-11|publisher=[[U.S. Food and Drug Administration]]|year=2011}}</ref> Despite the efforts of the FDA, silver products remain widely available on the market today. A review of websites promoting nasal sprays containing colloidal silver suggested that information about silver-containing nasal sprays on the Internet is misleading and inaccurate.<ref name=pmid18478796>{{cite journal | vauthors = Gaslin MT, Rubin C, Pribitkin EA | title = Silver nasal sprays: misleading Internet marketing | journal = Ear, Nose, & Throat Journal | volume = 87 | issue = 4 | pages = 217–220 | date = April 2008 | pmid = 18478796 | doi = 10.1177/014556130808700414 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Colloidal silver is also sold in some topical [[cosmetics]], as well as some toothpastes, which are regulated by the FDA as cosmetics (other than drug ingredients making medical claims).<ref>[https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/it-cosmetic-drug-or-both-or-it-soap "Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?)"] Food and Drug Administration.</ref>

In 2002, the [[Australia]]n [[Therapeutic Goods Administration]] (TGA) found there were no legitimate medical uses for colloidal silver and no evidence to support its marketing claims.<ref name="Australia">{{cite web|url=http://www.tga.gov.au/industry/cm-colloidal-silver.htm|title=Regulation of colloidal silver and related products|publisher=Australian [[Therapeutic Goods Administration]]|access-date=2008-09-22|date=2005-11-09|archive-date=2014-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140930141203/http://www.tga.gov.au/industry/cm-colloidal-silver.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The U.S. [[National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health]] (NCCIH) warns that marketing claims about colloidal silver are scientifically unsupported, that the silver content of marketed supplements varies widely, and that colloidal silver products can have serious side effects such as argyria.<ref name=NCCIHsilver/>
In 2009, the USFDA issued a consumer advisory warning about the potential adverse effects of colloidal silver, and said that "there are no legally marketed prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs containing silver that are taken by mouth".<ref>[https://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/SafetyAlertsAdvisories/ucm184087.htm "Dietary Supplements Containing Silver May Cause Permanent Discoloration of Skin and Mucous Membranes (Argyria)"]. FDA Consumer Advisory (October 6, 2009).</ref> [[Quackwatch]] states that colloidal silver dietary supplements have not been found safe or effective for the treatment of any condition.<ref name="qw">{{cite web |url = http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/lyme.html |title = Lyme Disease: Questionable Diagnosis and Treatment |vauthors = McSweegan E |publisher = [[Quackwatch]] |access-date = October 9, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140209034930/http://quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/lyme.html |archive-date = February 9, 2014 |url-status = dead }}</ref> ''[[Consumer Reports]]'' lists colloidal silver as a "supplement to avoid", describing it as "likely unsafe".<ref name="consumer-reports">{{cite web | title = Twelve supplements you should avoid | date = September 2010 | access-date = January 31, 2013 | work = [[Consumer Reports]] | url = http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/september/health/dangerous-supplements/supplements-to-avoid/index.htm}}</ref> ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' stated that "colloidal silver as a cure-all is a fraud with a long history, with quacks claiming it could cure cancer, AIDS, tuberculosis, diabetes, and numerous other diseases".<ref>{{cite news | work = [[The Los Angeles Times]] | title = Scam 'cures' for swine flu face crackdown | date = May 2, 2009 | access-date = May 23, 2022 | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-may-02-fi-swine-flu-scams2-story.html | vauthors = Colker D | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121111135157/http://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/02/business/fi-swine-flu-scams2 | archive-date = November 11, 2012 }}</ref>

It may be illegal to market as a preventive or as a treatment for cancer, and in some jurisdictions to sell colloidal silver for consumption.<ref name="Swedish Food Safety Agency">{{cite web|title=Kolloidalt silver|url=http://www.livsmedelsverket.se/livsmedel-och-innehall/oonskade-amnen/kolloidalt-silver|publisher=Livsmedelsverket (Swedish Food Agency)|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref> In 2015 an English man was prosecuted and found guilty under the [[Cancer Act 1939]] for selling colloidal silver with claims it could treat cancer.<ref name="Essex TS cancer SC">{{cite web | url=http://www.chelmsfordweeklynews.co.uk/news/maldon/11473350.Man_is_fined_after_selling__cancer_cure__which_he_made_at_home/ | title=Man is fined after selling 'cancer cure' which he made at home | publisher=Chelmsford Weekly News | date=15 September 2014 | access-date=16 November 2014}}</ref>

===Fraudulent products marketed during the COVID-19 outbreak===
{{further|COVID-19 misinformation}}
The [[US Food and Drug Administration]] has issued warning letters to firms including colloidal silver marketers for selling products with false and misleading claims to prevent, treat, mitigate, diagnose or cure [[coronavirus disease 2019]] (COVID-19).<ref name="fda-scams">{{cite web |title=Fraudulent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Products |url=https://www.fda.gov/consumers/health-fraud-scams/fraudulent-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-products |publisher= [[US Food and Drug Administration]]| access-date=8 April 2020 |date=7 April 2020}}</ref>

In 2020, [[televangelist]] felon [[Jim Bakker]] was sued by the [[Missouri Attorney General]] (AG) for marketing colloidal silver products and making false claims about their effectiveness against COVID-19. The [[Attorney General of New York]] sent a [[cease and desist]] order to Bakker and others about peddling the unproven products that were compared to selling "[[snake oil]]", and the Food and Drug Administration also warned Bakker about his actions.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.npr.org/2020/03/11/814550474/missouri-sues-televangelist-jim-bakker-for-selling-fake-coronavirus-cure |title= Missouri Sues Televangelist Jim Bakker For Selling Fake Coronavirus Cure| date= 11 March 2020| website= NPR| first= Matthew S. | last= Schwartz| access-date= 13 May 2021}}</ref>

Controversial web show host, podcaster and conspiracy theorist [[Alex Jones]] was also warned by the New York Attorney General's office to stop marketing his colloidal silver infused products (toothpaste, mouthwash, dietary supplements, etc.) because he made unproven claims of its ability to fend off COVID-19.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/03/13/infowars-alex-jones-stop-selling-fake-coronavirus-cures/5044309002/ |work= [[USA Today]]| title= Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones ordered to stop peddling phony coronavirus cures by New York AG| date= 13 March 2020| first= Joshua| last= Bote| publisher= | access-date= 13 May 2021}}</ref>