Anyone who experiments with Colloidal Silver for any length of time will need to understand the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction (or Herxheimer reaction for short).
Silver is such an effective killer of bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts, that a very seriously-ill person may suffer from a reaction to the release of toxins caused by the large-scale death of those pathogens. While this is a normal process and does not normally cause any issues noticeable to the person who is self-treating, sometimes the pathogen die-off is so severe that the person starts to feel more unwell than the initial discomfort experienced as a result of the disease.
When a person is taking CS for the first time, there may also be an effect from the die-off of the many millions of (normally-harmless) bacteria within the body. It is necessary to make a new user of CS aware of this effect, so that they understand that this is a normal part of the healing process, and do not mistakenly view it as being caused directly by the CS itself.
The Herxheimer Reaction is normally short-term and can be regarded as a form of detoxification by the body, and the body may experience symptoms similar to those of Influenza; mild-to-moderate fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, body aches, sore throat, general malaise, sweating, chills and nausea. The skin, being a known outlet for the disposal of poisons, may also show exaggerated blotches or itching.
It resembles the medical definition of sepsis (which is hardly surprising) and can also happen after a prescription of antibiotics, such as penicillin or tetracycline (again, hardly surprising).
Sources on the Internet state that the Herxheimer reaction is particularly common during the treatment of relapsing fever, syphilis, Lyme disease, leptospirosis, brucellosis, typhoid fever, and trichinosis; in particular, any disease involving spirochaete bacteria.
If this reaction is particularly severe, doctors may prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin every four hours for a couple of days, or 60 mg of prednisone. Patients should be closely monitored for the potential collapse and shock. In extreme cases, meptazinol, may be prescribed.
The Herxheimer Reaction is a perfectly normal reaction that shows that the CS is destroying the pathogens. CS does not directly cause the Herxheimer reaction. Anyone who suffers from this effect should try to maintain the consumption of CS at a lower dose or stop for a few days and then re-start the dosage, as this is the curative, not causative agent. CS is not toxic, and it should be emphasised that most people never experience the Herxheimer reaction.
The single most effective “treatment” for the Herxheimer reaction is drinking water. All users of Colloidal Silver should maintain a high intake of fluids, and water in particular. If this reaction is experienced, then it is better to endure the detoxification process if possible, even if it has to be done in stages by reducing the intake (volume and frequency) of CS, as the body is successfully cleansing itself of the unwanted pathogens and this reaction is a sign that the parasitical load is particularly high in that individual.
Any really-serious symptoms such as irregular heartbeat, breathing difficulties or coughing so severe that the person cannot “catch their breath” or significant swelling in the throat, should be given immediate medical attention.
http://www.silvermedicine.org/herxheimerreaction.html
http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/herxheimer.html
Coming next: The use of Nebulisers with CS.
Month: July 2013
Electrode Geometry
This post is to illustrate the effects of different spacing and sizes of electrodes. You will soon get an understanding of the best spacing for your own chosen electrodes, but you should know the principles. All the following “rules” are actually approximations, but you will be able to fine-tune them yourself. This is probably the most important subject to learn once you have mastered the basics.
If you double the size of your electrode, you should be able to double the current. Note that only the side of the anode which faces the cathode should be used to calculate the area. Kephra found that the best results used about 1 ma per square centimetre with the distilled water kept hot, and using a stirrer if possible.
I only use a stirrer if “cooking” cold. I find that the convection currents are adequate to stir the DW, but if you have a stirrer, laboratory or home-made, then use that. More vigorous stirring is better, the idea being to sweep the silver ions away from the anode as fast as possible.
Maximise the anode size, minimise the cathode area. A piece of copper wire, stainless steel or brass is fine, unless the current is set to alternate polarity at intervals.
1 ma per square centimetre of submerged anode area for the suggested current when processing DW hot.
10 ma per square inch of submerged anode area when processing DW hot.
2 or 3 ma per sq inch of anode area when processing cold.
Moving the electrodes closer together increases the amperage (until the set-point of the constant-current circuit is reached).
For a Silver wire anode, 4 inches submerged depth, we suggest no higher current than 3 ma cold and 6 ma hot-processed. 12 gauge wire is 2 mm in diameter.
Remember that the effective area of an anode is that which is facing the cathode (the reverse side has much less effect) and of course, submerged in the DW. Do not allow suspension devices or parts of the holder to touch the DW unless they are made of the same quality of silver as the anode.
If you seem to need a lot of electrolyte and want to use less, increase the size of the electrodes or move them closer together.
If you need to use more electrolyte to prevent cathode plating, raise more of the cathode out of the water, or increase the electrode spacing.
If you are using a circuit with a constant-current limiter, connect a voltmeter across the electrodes and connect an ammeter in series between the positive connector of the PSU and the anode. Once the water is up to the operating temperature, measure the voltage across the electrodes in air. Submerge the electrode array. Add electrolyte until the voltage starts to drop to about 90 per cent of the original value. This indicates that the constant-current circuit is now operating to control the voltage in order to maintain the current. Note the current. The operating voltage should be as high as reasonably possible, between 20 and 30 volts (at the beginning of the process) is ideal. If possible, maintain the voltage over 10 volts by moving the electrode spacing.
If each drop of Sodium Carbonate makes too big a change in the measured voltage across the electrode array, then dilute the electrolyte and use more drops of a more dilute product.
If you are getting hydrogen and oxygen bubbles coming off the electrodes in any significant quantity, then either the current is too high or stirring is too slow. Increase the speed of the stirrer or use a miniature water pump.
To increase the electrode voltage, reduce the area of the cathode exposed to the water. You can even raise the cathode out of the water so far that the tip of the cathode wire is just touching the water, but ensure that the evaporation of the DW does not leave the cathode out of the water during your production process.
Professional electro-platers use a “dog-bone anode” where the thin edges of the plate are swollen and rounded off, because the electrical field is concentrated at sharp edges. You can see this effect when running with too little electrolyte, as the oxide accumulates on the edges of the strip of Silver. I am unsure whether this would have any significant effect for our application. I personally ignore this effect.
Give your Experiences here
This is the part of the blog for your experiences or difficulties in making CS. You can ask for help, boast about your results, or offer advice and ideas to others.
Just remember that we are all researchers in this field. Neither Kephra or I are doctors, and we don’t/won’t/can’t give any medical advice. We are just putting on record what we have found to work in our own experience, for us. That is why this section is so important, as the dose-rates are essential to the successful use of CS in all its’ forms.