Health care and politics seem to be popular topics on MeFi;

October 3, 2002 6:40 AM

Health care and politics seem to be popular topics on MeFi; here is a story that combines them both. It seems that the Libertarian senate candidate in Montana turned himself blue with a medically questionable remedy. He seems unconcerned; however, this lady is not too happy about her experience with colloidal silver.
posted by TedW (22 comments total)

picture here

He started taking the supplement in 1999 in anticipation of Y2K, in the event that such remedies might be in short supply in the wake of an anticipated worldwide computer disruption.

Doesn't your Militia take care of all that for you?
posted by machaus at 7:04 AM on October 3, 2002

Ver interesting link, leading to info to argiria. Thanks for posting, such links are worth thousand rants :D
posted by elpapacito at 7:15 AM on October 3, 2002

Oh man, let's see what we can tick off here... Libertarian, blue skin, Y2K, alternative medicine, Montana. Wow, I'll probably forget about this in a couple days, but the elitist New Yorker in me will be entertained by this for weeks. Thanks, TedW!
posted by mkultra at 7:15 AM on October 3, 2002

Well, that explains these guys.
oooh, too obvious
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:18 AM on October 3, 2002

Weird. You'd think there'd be a counter-supplement you could take to soak it all up, or just melatonin itself.

That story about royalty, silverware, and the plague was ... intriguing. The only googlets I could find regarding this, though, were on pages pushing colloidal silver. It was discussed on alt.folklore.urban as the possible origin of the term "blue blood".
posted by dhartung at 7:25 AM on October 3, 2002

Thanks for the compliments. If you want to learn more about blue people, there are other conditions that can make one (literally) blue.
posted by TedW at 7:35 AM on October 3, 2002

I'm suprised that the more hard core goths don't (ab)use colloidal silver to get that nice deathly pallor.
posted by substrate at 7:52 AM on October 3, 2002

If I was black or gay, you wouldn't be joking around or making fun. We blue people are the last one's it's still politically correct to make fun of.
posted by soyjoy at 8:24 AM on October 3, 2002

Sorry, I mean, "wee blue people."
posted by soyjoy at 8:24 AM on October 3, 2002

Vote for the walking cadaver! I could just imagine the nightmares he'll give people whenever he makes a speech on TV...and kissing babies should be a scream!

First the centerfold girls and now this--libertarians are batting 2 for 2 lately....
posted by amberglow at 8:35 AM on October 3, 2002

wee blue people
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:36 AM on October 3, 2002

I looked at his photo and song titles start coming to mind like "am I blue" and "call me mr blue".

That story about royalty, silverware, and the plague was ... intriguing.
I'm using silver platters from now on, just in case.
posted by Tarrama at 8:58 AM on October 3, 2002

Wow.

Ok, go back and look at the CNN picture again. Just try an tell me that's not a Decepticon symbol pin over the flag pin on his lapel...
posted by NortonDC at 8:59 AM on October 3, 2002

I once met a woman with argyria. Like the one in the story, she got it because a doctor prescribed the colloidal silver treatment for her childhood illnesses. The blue-grey color of the victim's skin is even more shocking in person than it is in the photographs.

During the anthrax panic, spams started showing up in my e-mail offering ME colloidal silver as a preventative! I was horrified. I can't help but wonder how many blue-gray people I'll run into next year. Nasty, nasty scam, that.
posted by realjanetkagan at 9:55 AM on October 3, 2002

Is this stuff big in the Goth community? Could be a big marketing opportunity. Or maybe it's not the right shade of death.
posted by HTuttle at 11:52 AM on October 3, 2002

I can see how it could reduce the chances of getting a cold or flu. People will stay away from you and you're less likely to catch something.
posted by HTuttle at 11:58 AM on October 3, 2002

All I can think of when I look at that picture is that he looks like an extra from an old Star Trek episode. Stick a couple antennae on his head and you've got yourself a new alien race!
posted by UKnowForKids at 12:23 PM on October 3, 2002

This candidate will argue in favor of the common man until he's blue in the face

:::sorry couldn't avoid it:::
posted by matteo at 1:13 PM on October 3, 2002

Yo listen up here's a story
About a little guy that lives in a blue world
And all day and all night and everything he sees
Is just blue
Like him inside and outside
Blue his house with a blue little window
And a blue Corvette
And everything is blue for him
And himself and everybody around
Cause he ain't got nobody to listen

I'm Blue da ba dee da ba daa
I'm Blue da ba dee da ba daa

-Eiffel 65
Blue (Da Ba Dee)
posted by Fofer at 1:56 PM on October 3, 2002

how's he doing in the polls? does anyone know?
(it seems like Montana would be fertile territory for Libertarians--if they weren't blue, of course)
posted by amberglow at 2:08 PM on October 3, 2002

As someone who worked for the first Bob Beck endorsed company that manufactured colloidal silver generators, as well as a few other Bob Beck "products", I can tell you that many of them were originally targeted at HIV patients. All of them had to do with strengthening the immune system, or purifying blood, etc., and much of the available studies relied on anecdotal evidence. The HIV community, looking for ANY alternative was the largest market for all the products. I've seen colloidal silver touted as a cure for all kinds of things, but I never personally saw it cure anything (I'm still in possesion of, and have tried the original versions of all the products for various minor things). Searching on Bob Beck will get you more info on all that stuff, since he is intrinsically tied to the renewed interest in colloidal silver.

As for Argyria, I've seen reasons why it occurs, and what can be done, but it's as anecdotal as anything else. I've also seen claims that argyria is not caused by electrically produced colloidal silver, but chemically produced colloidal silver.
posted by mikhail at 2:34 PM on October 3, 2002

Silver Nitrate is used in burns wards to help stop infection. I have never heard of colloidal silver being used as a treatment before.

Colloidal gold is used as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, it does have side effects; some serious at higher dosages or over a long period of time, but it doesn't color the skin.
posted by lucien at 4:29 AM on October 4, 2002