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Discovering Silica and Its Healing Potential
by Rick Wagner M.S., C.N.
Sometimes in life, one has that exceptional experience which completely changes all thought processes, lifelong goals, ambitions and destiny. Such an experience happened to me and I wish to share it with you.
The journey began in May of 1995 at the age of 50. Before beginning my story though a little history is important. About 5 years prior to my 50th birthday, I began to notice my neck getting stiffer and my knees getting progressively weaker and stiffer. By the time my 50th birthday rolled around I could not run, paddle my surfboard on my knees or even worse, turn my head 90% in each direction. Alarmingly, the range of motion of my head had dropped from 90% to 45%. I also had constant cracking in my neck, (and extreme pain if I turned my head too quickly) which was sometimes accompanied by a temporary loss of vision.
The pain had progressed to a level of severity that prompted a visit to my HMO, Kaiser Permanente, for an exam and neck x-rays. I expected to see massive calcification in my neck vertebrae. To my dismay the x-rays revealed nothing. I knew I was not imagining these symptoms and asked my doctor what he thought may be happening to cause all this physical degeneration? His response was somewhat sympathetic in that he said many times calcium deposits will not show up on an x-ray. He then asked me how old I was. I told him my age (50) and his response was "it's no wonder you have this pain, you're getting old!" I responded with the question "well, you are the doctor, what can you do to correct this problem?" He looked me in the eyes and said that unfortunately, there is no cure for arthritis. He suggested I take aspirin for the pain, and if the pain became intolerable he could operate and scrape out the calcium deposits. I found out later that the calcium deposits were next to my spinal cord and therefore not visible in the x-ray. I would have been putting myself at great risk of paralysis should I have elected the surgery option. I left his office in a state of great despair imagining a life of increasing pain and decreasing mobility. Imagine everyone with an arthritic diagnosis being given the same dismal prognosis?
The next thing that happened in my story was quite miraculous. Within a short period of time, one of my employees told me about a conversation she had had with a neighbor regarding a nutritional supplement the neighbor had discovered and used successfully to re-grow her daughter's hair. At this time I had developed alopecia and had lost the hair on my head and my employee thought her neighbors experience would be of benefit to me.
The supplement the neighbor discovered was a mineral called Silica. At that time it was available in a capsule or gel form. I initially purchased the capsule because the gel was not particularly appealing. I switched to the gel in 1-2 weeks as I intuitively felt I was not absorbing much Silica with the capsule. I went back to the health food store and purchased the gel (I still have the capsules 10 years later). Intuition is an amazing thing and while I had never voluntarily taken a liquid supplement before, I felt that taking something in liquid form would enhance the absorption level. My intuition served me well.
I began taking Silica daily as recommended on the label-one tablespoon per day in juice or water and started watching for new hair to begin growing. Given I was at that time 50 years old and hadnt had any hair for 15 years, I knew patience was going to be required; and so was prepared to give this supplement regime at least 4 to 6 months. Half way through my second bottle of Silica and 6 weeks into it I scheduled a 10 day trip to the East coast. I left the Silica at home because the bottle label read, "Refrigerate after opening" and I would not have a refrigerator handy where I would be staying. Interestingly, my neck had begun feeling slightly better. I was experiencing diminished pain and crackling sounds in my neck, and a slight improvement in my range of motion. It is difficult to remember the exact degree of improvement because I was not expecting help with the neck pain, but was looking for new hair growth. Towards the end of my 10-day trip something quite startling occurred. Since discontinuing my daily Silica use, the pain in my neck returned with a vengeance.
Upon my return home, the very first thing I did was to restart my use of Silica. Within 2 days of resuming my daily dose of Silica, the pain level had dropped down to where it had been prior to leaving on my trip. I was astounded and incredibly excited. I knew then that the Silica was having a profoundly positive effect on the arthritic condition of my neck since it was the only supplement I was using.
Another interesting fact at this point was that I had very little knowledge about Silica, and to this day most people are unaware of the multiple health benefits of this amazing mineral. Additionally, there were at that time very few places where one could go to access accurate information on nutrition. Amazingly, the Internet was yet to be popularized. I returned to the store where I purchased the Silica "Green Tree Grocers" in San Diego. They had a small library of current published literature on nutritional subjects. A thorough search of the bookshelf turned up one book written solely on the subject of Silica. The author, Klaus Kaufmann, had put together an extensive review of the mineral, fully describing the plethora of applications of Silica, which were far more than I could have ever imagined. I looked at all of the other published compendiums of vitamins, minerals and other supplements and could not find any printed information mentioned about Silica, even in passing. I thought this was quite astonishing especially given how it was helping me. I did not feel minerals, and especially the mineral Silica, were given the important consideration they deserved. I became doubly motivated to continue supplementing with Silica after reading the book "Silica The Amazing Gel".
Within 3 months, the arthritis in my neck was substantially improved and somewhere between 6 and 9 months, the arthritis symptoms were completely gone. It was somewhere during this time period that I made a conscious decision to do what I could to tell others about this incredible mineral, and to make it more accessible and affordable to the public.
Having somewhat of an entrepreneurial spirit, I decided I needed to figure out a way to make this miracle mineral drink in the U.S., as the only place it was currently manufactured was in Germany. I began working on creating my own version of Silica in solution in late 1996 and it took close to a year working with two excellent and knowledgeable chemists before I was able to perfect a Silica in a liquid state that had no offensive taste and was as effective as the Silica I had been taking.
In the meantime, I had experienced the following changes:
1. The arthritis in my neck was gone.
2. I began to run again without pain.
3. I could knee paddle on my surfboard without pain.
4. All of my acid indigestion was gone.
5. My gums stopped bleeding and receding.
6. My complexion dramatically improved.
Silica plays a special role in our health in that it also affects the body externally, and visible results become obvious with skin, hair and nails. Silica makes our hair and nails grow faster, thicker, and smoother, our skin more supple with less blemishes and wrinkles. It is also very effective in keeping acne under control and abating the pain and stimulating healing of superficial burns and abrasions.
Silica works by catalyzing the enzymes that activate the production of glycosaminoglycans, the building blocks of collagen, the strong fibrous material that holds us together. Collagen is found everywhere from the inside of our bones (80% of all bone is collagen) all the way through to the outside layer of our skin. As such, a lack of Silica can impact many different areas of the body. Our genetic makeup predisposes us to experience different problems from a lack of Silica in our diet. I have since discovered this applies to all the minerals. All minerals act as catalysts to different cellular enzyme functions as their primary physiological role in human tissue.
Silica works internally as well. In its role of building and maintaining collagen, it does the following:
1. Maintains flexible, strong bones.
2. Maintains the strength and flexibility of cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.
3. Keeps all cardiovascular components strong and flexible (heart, arteries, and veins).
4. Supports healthy teeth, gums and jawbone.
5. Keeps the gastrointestinal tract intact and operating efficiently.
6. Keeps calcium from being deposited in places other than bone (joints, arteries, and muscle tissue including the heart).
7. Stops vertigo.
8. Assists in the rapid healing of burns with minimum scarring.
Our health care system tells us they are looking for new solutions and cures for diseases but then we are told we have even more diseases emerging. We are getting more and more prescription drugs that mask the symptom by blocking one or more natural bodily functions. Most drugs not only block basic biological functions, but also create side effects that many times require even more drug therapy to circumvent. This can be a downward spiral unless we take charge of our destiny, ask questions and assume personal responsibility and look closer within for the origins of ever increasing maladies.
The health promoting attributes of Silica continue to reinforce my zeal, as I talk daily with individuals who share their experiences with this marvelous, understated mineral. Silica is ubiquitous in our environment, and an integral part of the abundance of nature available to us in ever expanding applications, directed at achieving wellness the drugless way.
I continually feel gratitude that I can best express by sharing my own experience, knowledge and profound beliefs.
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