EDITORIAL & OPINION — NEW HORIZONS — Silver aids in burn therapy

Silver ion therapy helps rebuild tissue and, since its introduction 10 years ago by a New York-based scientist, has been used on a limited basis in a clinical setting at Mountain Medical Specialties in Georgia.

Research by the U.S. army shows that lab animals with burn wounds treated under controlled conditions experience faster healing and recovery with silver nylon dressings. The results indicate that recovery of skin function increases when electric current is applied.

When positively charged silver ions are electrically introduced into the wounds through a proprietary silver-coated fabric, large amounts of embryonic stem cells are produced. These cells rebuild destroyed tissue at a pace considerably faster than if the wound is left to heal on its own.

The procedure is believed to work in three stages. The first stage is the chemical combination of highly active free silver ions with bacteria in the wound, which is neutralized within 30 minutes. The second stage occurs over the next few days. Silver acts on fibroblast cells (cells that normally aid in healing), causing them to revert to stem cells from embryonic cells. These cells are building blocks that reconstruct new tissue rather than scar tissue. In the final stage, silver ions form a complex with living cells in the wound to produce stem cells, which, as they flood the wound, are converted to new, mature tissues.

The end result of this conversion is complete restoration of all anatomical structures, including nerve endings and blood supply.

The preceding appeared in Silver News, the publication of the Washington, D.C.-based Silver Institute.

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