Silver bullet for COVID-19, other monsters

If your buddy is bitten by a werewolf or vampire and infected, myth, legends and pop culture say the cure is silver. Whether it is a silver bullet through the heart or skin searing silver to keep your vampire at bay, silver is the answer to most of your supernatural ailments.

But what about the more mundane? And how did silver become the hero of mythology?

The fact is, silver has been used for thousands of years in medicine. While it has only been recently that we understand why silver is so useful, it likely led to the spawning of these myths and legends long ago.

Killer flu, MRSA, COVID-19 and a slew of other unseen monsters pop up in our news causing widespread panic and fear; only you can't get your pitchforks and torches to scare off these monsters. So, scientists look for the silver bullet, every pun intended.

The answer is silver.

Silver won't defeat the virus, but it can help prevent the spread of bacteria and germs that transfer diseases. With millions of people walking into hospitals with ailments unknown, the hospitals can become a literal petri dish. Sanitizers and cleanliness can help, but silver is the real hero.

Doctors don't walk around with silver ingots in their pockets, rather, pure silver and ionized silver (silver with an electron missing) are used to help kill bacteria. Air filters, water filters, tools, and even your doctor's clothes may have silver in them to help prevent the growth of bacteria.

How does this work? Are we validating the myths? Not exactly.

The reason silver works to kill, or in the very least halt the spread of bacteria, is that at its molecular level, silver can bind itself to other things as it tries to stabilize its ions. Bacteria is a very basic living thing, so when silver binds it with its floating electron to stabilize itself, the bacteria can no longer perform its basic functions, and dies.

The lifespan of bacterium is usually less than twelve hours, so germs that transport viruses usually only last a matter of hours outside the body and the effect of most die off within a few minutes, depending on the surface.

Silver helps lesson the ability of the bacteria or germs to grow, lessening the likelihood of contamination and spread. However, the best bet is still to wash your hands often.

Ionized silver is water soluble which means it can be absorbed into water. Concentrations of this are becoming more widespread in the use of making antibacterial clothing used in hospitals as well as medical masks.

As you have likely seen the hundreds of different copper threaded clothing lines promising to alleviate joint pain, silver is also malleable and can be stretched into thread which can be woven into fabrics to provide protection and help reduce the possibility of bacteria from finding a home.

Silver is also used in creams and ointments to help fight of surface infections, especially around open wounds. The silver in these creams help prevent the growth of bacteria and germs and reducing the chances of infections. It must noted that silver is a topical medicine and is not safely consumed with the purpose of dealing with interior infections as silver doesn't discriminate.

Scientist and doctors are continuing to find new and more effective ways of using silver in medicine. As our knowledge grows, these applications can be used in conjunction with other metals and their unique properties to one day help us to live happier and healthier lives.