Following my article on “Magic Waters,” part of the Skeptical Inquirer’s special issue on “The Health Wars” (September/October 2019), another type of supposedly magical water has made the news. Televangelist Jim Bakker advertised on his website (“The Jim Bakker Show,” February 12) a product called Silver Solution. Its label says it contains “deionized water.” That is essentially demineralized water (water that has been treated to remove nearly all of its mineral ions). A combination of processes (such as carbon filtering, ultraviolet oxidation, electro-deionization, and others) is sometimes employed to produce ultrapure water (having only trace contaminants, measured in parts per billion). Highly purified water has many uses—notably in medications (though also in beverages to help maintain product consistency).
The demineralized water was being touted as something of a high-tech snake oil.
In Silver Solution, however, the de-mineralized water was being touted as something of a high-tech snake oil. It appears it also contains colloidal silver (as its name implies), which is found in similar products. However, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the silver not only provides no known health benefits but may also cause side effects, such as skin discoloration and the body’s poor absorption of other medicines.