The HBO documentary Love Has One: The Cult of Our Lady opens with a grim picture. The body of cult leader Amy Carlson lies on a bed, wrapped in blankets and light bulbs. He has lost a lot of weight and his face is very blue. When Carlson died in 2021 at the age of 45, the medical examiner listed the cause of death as "alcohol abuse, anorexia and chronic use of colloidal silver."
Although facial changes are a normal part of the dying process, Carlson's face started turning blue much earlier. This is because he was ingesting large amounts of colloidal silver, which is tiny particles of metallic silver in a liquid solution. The particles are small enough not to sink and can be delivered as a tincture.
The documents make it clear that colloidal silver was not only an important part of Carlson's health care system, run in part by the Galactians, which included the late Robin Williams, but also a community-wide alternative health care. Followers are also selling bottles of their colloidal silver online, which they claim is a "cure" and one of the "most healing" medicines on the planet, which can boost the body's immune system.
Thanks to documentaries, colloidal silver has returned to popular culture, but not for the first time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alex Jones promoted colloidal silver as a treatment for the coronavirus. Gwyneth Paltrow once told Dr. Oz says colloidal silver "really protects against viruses." Before Paltrow, libertarians were drawn to colloidal silver by a man named Stan Jones, who turned blue after taking too much colloidal silver. Jones became aware of this at the turn of the millennium after witnessing a so-called "preparedness demonstration" for the coming Y2K crisis, which luckily never materialized due to fears of antibiotic shortages.
Most medical experts advise against consuming silver, especially in large amounts. This is because it can build up too much in a person's body and cause light, the disease that affects Carlson and Stan Jones and causes them to turn blue. Although the wax itself is not a serious condition, it does not go away when a person stops using silver. Also, too much silver can be fatal.
"If you overdose or give it an intravenous injection or something like that, it can cause organ failure and make you very, very sick," said Rob Hendrickson, medical director of the Oregon Poison Center at Oregon Health & Science. the university - said Salon. According to Hendrickson, when people are exposed to light, it's a result of silver accumulating on the skin. This is why it appears bluer when exposed to sunlight. "It's really just dousing the layers of your skin with silver and then activating it with sunlight to turn it blue."
Silver has long been known to promote the healing process of venous ulcers and leg wounds. Some silver-coated catheters are now used to reduce the risk of infection, Hendrickson said. These are particularly important, not internal applications. "Although applying silver to batteries or certain wounds may reduce infections, there is no evidence that taking colloidal silver confers health benefits," Hendrickson said. "Of course the infection rate will not decrease."
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However, the tincture continues to be sold (sometimes for over $100 per bottle) and advertised on social media like TikTok. What makes eating exciting? Hendrickson said he thinks there's a certain fascination with metals, or the idea that an element like silver might have healing properties.
Derek Beres, host of the Conspiracy podcast, told Salon that he agrees there are concerns about precious metals and that the problem goes a little deeper. In particular, the logical leap that silver can be a consistent treatment for the inner man "speaks to the idea that the inner world and the outer world coincide." This is the same logic that underlies "becoming manifest" or "becoming one's thoughts."
"If I put silver on a wound and it heals well, my organs should do the same," explained Beres. "There's definitely a lack of real scientific literacy, but that's why I think it's so popular."
Some may be surprised to learn that colloidal silver has gained popularity among both the far left and the far right. The cult of Love Has One has attracted more new-age people, while far-right "preppers" and so-called "preppers" have colloidal silver in their survival kits. Beres said this is not surprising, as there is a lot of overlap between the two groups.
"This caution has been around for a long time," he said. "And I think there's an anti-establishment sentiment within this group."
City University London's Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker, author of Culture of Health, agrees that anti-establishment attitudes unite the two groups in the health world.
"The countercultural left and the extreme right are united by a mistrust of corporations and an institutional efficiency," he said. "Where qualified experts are often commercially and politically at risk, these groups are eschewing privilege like Andrew Wakefield and embracing and experimenting with the full range of 'in-house expertise'."
According to Beres, there is also a decline between the two groups, the belief that a society or organization is in decline. This creates a kind of romantic nostalgia that the past was better, especially when it comes to healing.
"The idea is that we should take a cue from the past and return to it," he said. "It doesn't matter that all dietary supplements are made in a lab and some contain pharmaceutical grade ingredients."
While it is true that many life-saving treatments and vaccines are available, and that people no longer suffer from many life-threatening diseases and conditions, the structure of the American health care system allows this pseudoscience to persist. As my Salon colleague Mary Elizabeth Williams once wrote, "It's not hard to see why skipping a period seems more appealing than a once-a-day pill that always takes Hulu." colloidal silver
"It's very frustrating to live in a system where you don't reach a certain financial threshold that most of us don't," he said. "People are frustrated with health care and politics in general, so they're looking to other sources to take care of themselves."