Got Drugs? Don't Flush. Drop Them Off at a DEA Take-Back Site.

Got drugs? Perhaps you have some old prescriptions lurking in your medicine cabinet or stuffed into the kitchen junk drawer? Resist the temptation to flush your old medicines. Drop them off instead.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has organized a National Take Back Initiative for this Saturday, September 25. Find a local drop site in your area on the DEA website here.

The FDA says some medicines can be disposed of in the trash by mixing with a substance like coffee grinds and sealing in a container. But many medicines can be harmful, if not fatal, if consumed by someone to whom they have not been prescribed. And flushing medicines down the toilet can also be harmful for the environment and leech into our water supply.

The FDA does have a list of medicines they feel are safe to flush. You can download the list here. But recent studies also suggest that pharmaceuticals can find their way into our lakes, streams, and drinking water. The effect on people and wildlife has yet to be determined. Why take the risk?

Play it safe. Gather your old medicines tonight and drop them off at a DEA take-back location tomorrow morning. We thank you!

Colloidal Silver Banned Throughout the European Union

As of January 1, 2010, colloidal silver has been banned throughout the European Union. Colloidal silver can no longer be sold as a nutritional supplement in any health food store in the EU, and could, according to health freedom reports, meet a similar fate in the U.S. The health blog Colloidal Silver Secrets is expected to post a report on this ban, including information from European health freedom groups, soon.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) website, colloidal silver is typically marketed as a dietary supplement and consists of "tiny silver particles suspended in liquid." Silver has a medicinal history dating back centuries, though, according to NCCAM, "modern drugs have eliminated most of those uses." A handful of prescription drugs containing silver are still available, such as silver nitrate, which can be used for prevent conjunctivitis in newborn babies and certain skin conditions.

Colloidal silver is usually taken by mouth, although there are forms that can be sprayed, applied directly to the skin, or injected into a vein. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "does not consider colloidal silver to be safe or effective for treating any disease or condition." To learn more about dietary supplements and their regulation, check out the NCCAM Using Dietary Supplements Wisely page.

For more information about colloidal silver and health freedom, check out the article "Silver--Safe, Effective, Dangerous to Big Pharma" featured on the Health Freedom USA website.

We'd love to hear your thoughts and reflections about this ban. Please take a moment to post a brief comment. Thanks!

Image © iStockphoto.com, Donall O Cleirigh, http://health.howstuffworks.com/health-illness/wellness/natural-medicine/alternative-medicines/colloidal-silver.htm