The pro shop

Would you be surprised to learn that our bodies are made up of more bacterial cells than human cells? I certainly was. But don’t let this factoid scare you – fortunately most of the bacteria in our body perform useful chores such as helping to eliminate toxins and protecting us from Salmonella.

The bacteria subject was raised by this question e-mailed to me by an HSI member named David: “What effect does taking colloidal silver have on the beneficial bacteria that are supposed to live in your stomach?”

Good question – and the answer leads directly to some very important information about natural antibiotics that may come in handy during the upcoming flu and cold season.

To begin with, David is probably thinking about the beneficial bacteria that live in other areas of the digestive track. Compared to the intestines, for instance, the stomach doesn’t contain many bacteria (good or bad) because of its high acidity. The most notable exception is the bacterium called helicobacter pylori (h. pylori) that causes peptic ulcers and thrives in the mucous layer that protects the lining of the stomach from the intense acidic activity.

We’ll come back to h. pylori in a moment. First I’ll address David’s concern about colloidal silver and its effect on good bacteria – a concern that anyone who uses any type of natural or synthetic antibiotic should be aware of. Most likely, David was writing in response to a recent e-Alert about antibiotics written by HSI Panelist, Allan Spreen, M.D. (“Be Afraidbe very Afraid – Part II” 10/17/02).

Colloidal silver is nothing more than submicroscopic metallic silver particles finely dispersed in water, which is taken orally to prevent infections. As Dr. Spreen pointed out, Dr. Jonathan V. Wright’s research has found that bacteria have an enzyme system that is disrupted by the presence of silver ions, causing the organism to die. Before the advent of pharmaceutical antibiotics in the 1940’s, colloidal silver was a commonly used antibacterial agent. Today, however, it’s considered controversial, probably because there is no known use for the silver ion in human biochemistry.

So can colloidal silver do harm to the good (and necessary) bacteria in your body?

Absolutely.

I asked Dr. Spreen if he would address this question and he agreed, first pointing out that when using olive leaf extract (another natural antibiotic), the good bacteria are adversely affected and need to be replaced, during and after use, with probiotics – supplements of good bacteria. He added, “My assumption is that the exact same thing happens with the use of colloidal silver because bacteria all operate similarly metabolically. That’s why probiotics must be taken with any anti-bacterial attempt, and also why such agents (olive leaf extract, grapefruit seed extract, colloidal silver, etc.) should not be used for extended periods.”

Which brings us back to the stomach and how to deal with the hard-to-treat h. pylori bacteria – the primary cause of peptic ulcers. A recent study from Taiwan concluded that probiotics may increase the effectiveness of conventional antibiotics in treating h. pylori by reducing the harsh side effects of the antibiotics, which include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and allergic reactions. But in addition to problematic side effects, the antibiotics used to treat h. pylori have created a new drug-resistant strain of the bacterium.

In a previous e-Alert (“Enchiladas and Beer” 5/30/02) I told you about a formula called Probiotics 12 Plus that contains a beneficial bacterial strain proven to destroy resistant pathogens. In vivo (living organism) testing showed that this formula’s helpful bacteria, called TH 10, inhibits all strains of h. pylori – even those that have become resistant to antibiotics. Probiotics 12 Plus is available from Uni Key Health Systems (800-888-4353).

So in the next few months, if you find you need to take a round of antibiotics (either synthetic or natural) to fight off a stubborn cold or a flu that stops you in your tracks, consider adding a good quality probiotic to your supplement regimen. It may help considerably in bringing your body back to normal functioning, with trillions of bacterium cells working hard to keep you healthy.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute