The Mystery Of The Blue-Skinned Colloidal Silver Drinkers

Every now and again, a person will pop up out of the masses of the world with some unusual ailment and we will all stop and stare at them.

It isn’t that we’re mean, merely curious as children are about why someone doesn’t look like we do. That must be what it’s like to have blue skin. But instead of being natural, these blue-skinned people are the way they are because of an unusual, alternative health habit: colloidal silver.

What Is Colloidal Silver?

Everyone has a different idea about what works and what doesn’t. This dubious area of effectiveness is where colloidal silver falls. Essentially, colloidal silver is any kind of product (usually it’s a liquid) that has tiny particles of silver suspended inside it. Yes, silver. The same kind that we use in jewellery or dental fillings, or even cutlery (if you’re really fancy).

What Does Colloidal Silver Do?

Well, isn’t that the question? The truth is that there’s no proven truth that colloidal silver does anything at all. In fact, most medical professionals agree that it either does nothing at all, or something you really don’t want: turn you blue. Still, people continue to take colloidal silver for a number of reasons.

Colloidal silver is usually targeted as a dietary supplement that you drink. The products can also be injected into the body, or applied to the skin. Manufacturers of colloidal silver products boast that they are an innovative cure-all. They claim that the products boost the immune system, fight viruses and bacteria, treat cancer, combat HIV/AIDS, help with shingles, herpes, eye problems and much more.

Seems to good to be true right? Well, although none of these claims are substantiated, there is something that colloidal silver will do for you: it will turn your skin blue.

How Does Colloidal Silver Make Your Skin Blue?

Colloidal silver contains a metal, which means it tends to build up in your body’s tissues over the months and years that you use it. To be honest, doctors aren’t really sure exactly how long it takes for this to happen, or how much you have to ingest. Every person may have a different level of toxicity. However, once you have a large amount in your system, you will find yourself suffering from argyria.

Argyria (pronounced ahr-JIR-e-uh) is a discolouration of your skin from natural tones to a more blue-grey colour. The skin is the most obvious part of the change, but a person’s eyes, nails, gums and even internal organs are also affected. Admittedly, argyria isn’t a serious health risk, but it is a cosmetic issue because even when you stop taking the colloidal silver, the unusual colour will remain.

Famous Blue-Skinned People

As the warnings against colloidal silver are rarely actively advertised by the manufacturers of the products, many people take colloidal silver without being aware of the risks. Others are aware, but believe the product is of great help to them and refuse to stop using it. In either case, they become blue people, living with argyria. Luckily, there aren’t too many of them, but here are two of the most famous ones.

Paul Karason

Paul Karason started making and using colloidal silver in his own home to treat terrible dermatitis that was caused by the stress of his father dying. He produced the concoction using electrolysis, and drank it for more than a decade. Although initially very secluded when his condition became noticeable, Karason later embraced his fame as an oddity, and even occasionally enjoyed his nickname: Papa Smurf.

Paul Karason’s condition was particularly pronounced because as well as drinking the colloidal silver, he also made a silver salve that he spread on his face. In September of 2013, Karason died of a heart attack and stroke, not related to the argyria.

Rosemary Jacobs

When Rosemary Jacobs was eleven years old, she was a bit of a sickly child, always suffering with the flu. Her mother took her to an ear, nose and throat specialist who prescribed her nose drops that contained silver. All he told her was to ‘use them as needed’. She took them every other day for four years. When she was a teenager, she was volunteering at a hospital when someone noticed her unusual skin colour. Until then, her friends and family weren’t aware that she was grey.

She became an outspoken advocate against colloidal silver products, sharing her story and the dangers of the products with the world. Now, she is one of the most famed argyria sufferers, the face of a condition that often scares people into hiding.

Would you try taking colloidal silver?