Continued from Colloidal Silver Make You Look Dumb. So why has Paul Karason’s skin permanently changed to a dark blue color? Yes, this is the guy who has been ingesting colloidal silver for four years even though the FDA banned its use in any products that make claims to any health benefits of its use.

I guess Karason, who has been skeptical of traditional medicine, decided that he has enough knowledge to play a doctor and a pharmacist at the same time. His source of knowledge? Atlantis Rising – a magazine that dabbles into pseudoscience and woo-woo theories an alternative science – in which he saw an ad championing the miraculous healing powers of colloidal silver.

His next move? For $60, he bought a strange-looking contraption designed to make colloidal silver at home from distilled water and silver wire. Then, he drank his homemade colloidal silver daily for four year, which incidentally looks and tastes like a bitter perspiration from dirty sucks.

From colloidal silver to blue skin Silver’s antibacterial properties have been known for centuries. The metal is commonly used in topical creams for burns. But colloidal silver – tiny silver particles suspended in liquid – is a different story.

Karason’s blue hue, known as argyria, occurs because the body cannot rid itself of high doses of silver, which builds up in skin and tissue. Although most pronounced in areas of the body reached by sunlight, the discoloration can also affect the mouth, nail beds and internal organs.

Can argyria be reversed? “Laser treatments may break down the silver in localized areas,” says Dr. Akhil Wadhera, a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente, “but we’re dealing with a much larger problem. It’s as if each skin cell has a tattoo.”

Take home message? Being skeptical is good. Being skeptical of an established science while basing your decisions on information from woo-woo magazines, is not smart and potentially dangerous for your health. [via]