Mike DiRienzo
The Silver Institute, Washington DC July 27, 1999
Washington, D.C. — Silver, the same commodity used in coins and in the manufacture of jewelry, silverware, mirrors and electronics, helps regenerate human cells that have been destroyed by disease or damaged in accidents, according to a recently released report in this month’s edition of Silver News, a bi-monthly newsletter published by The Silver Institute.
Clinical tests indicate that the silver-based procedure is so successful that one patient who had sustained three crushed fingers in an accident grew new tissue rapidly. Within 2-1/2 months, skin coverage was complete and there was normal full sensation, good blood supply and all joints had a normal range of motion. If left untreated, the 30-year old electrician’s fingers would have fallen off after turning black from gangrene, and he would have been left with a totally useless hand. Ironically, his orthopedic surgeon recommended amputation of all three fingers, but the patient requested silver-ion therapy which proved successful.
The mechanism by which silver ions help rebuild tissue has been studied for more than a decade by Dr. Robert Becker of Becker Biomagnetics in New York. Dr. Becker initially reported his findings at the First International Conference on Silver and Gold in Medicine, co-sponsored by The Silver Institute in 1987. In the decade since, this technique has been used in clinical settings where hundreds of patients with various wounds have recovered. In addition, a laboratory study conducted by the U.S. Army Institute for Surgical Research in Houston, Texas, showed that laboratory animals with burn wounds treated under controlled conditions experienced shortened time for reconstruction with silver-nylon dressings. Recovery of skin function was faster when electric current was applied compared to no application of electric current. Last fall, Dr. Becker received a U.S. patent (5,814,094) for the devices, materials, and techniques involved in regeneration of tissue using silver ions.
After several hundred cases, Dr. Becker believes that the technique works in three stages. The first stage is the chemical combination of highly active free silver ions with all bacteria or fungi present in the wound which are inactivated within 20 to 30 minutes. The second stage occurs over the next few days. Silver acts on fibroblast cells to cause them to revert to their embryonic state, becoming stem cells. These cells are universal building blocks whose role is to reconstruct new tissue. In the final stage, silver ions form a complex with the living cells in the wound area to produce immediately convertible stem cells. The end result of this conversion is that the stem cells supply all the building blocks necessary to completely restore all anatomical structures.
No other known treatment provides sufficient numbers of the embryonic or stem cells required for true regeneration of damaged or destroyed tissues in humans and animals. The success indicates that there is the potential not only for the healing of near-surface wounds, but for regenerative repair of internal organs such as the heart, liver, brain and the spinal cord.
For Further Information Contact: Mike DiRienzo, The Silver Institute 1112 16th Street, N.W., Suite 240 Washington, D.C. 20036 Tel: (202) 835-0185 Fax: (202) 835-0155 Copyright © 2000 The Silver Institute All Rights Reserved
