Does Our Body Require the Intake of Silver?

Silver occurs naturally in the soil as a trace mineral and is one of many essential elements required by plants, animals, and man. We obtain silver from the food we eat, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and legumes, if this food is grown in organic soil containing living organisms. These organisms assist in making the minerals available to the vegetation.

EPA guidelines outline that a balanced diet would normally contain 90 mcg of silver, if the fresh foods we ate were grown in nutrient rich soil. Today, most of our crops are grown on highly depleted chemically fertilized soils, and we do not get the necessary quantity of many important metallic minerals like iron, zinc, copper, magnesium and chromium; and trace minerals like silver and gold are no longer readily available to us except through the use of mineral supplements.

Dr. Robert Becker noticed a correlation between low silver levels and sickness; colds, flu, etc. Some Biochemists also suspect that a silver deficiency is possibly one of the main reasons cancer exists and is increasing at such a rapid rate today. Becker believed a silver deficiency was the reason for the improper functioning of the immune system. Dr Gary Smith, a medical researcher, also suggests that silver may be linked to the proper functioning of the body's natural defense system and that people with an inadequate intake of silver may be more prone to illness.

According to the National Academy of Sciences, silver has no declared value. However, it is important to recognize that it took long periods of time for many of the metal minerals to be officially recognized for the critical roles they play in maintaining health. For several decades, chromium, fluorine, manganese, and selenium had no declared human daily value, even though there was strong scientific evidence that indicated otherwise.

Two Time Nobel Prize Winner, Dr. Linus Pauling, PhD stated: "You can trace every sickness, every disease, and every ailment to a mineral deficiency."