The term “nanotechnology” conjures images of extremely tiny
robots that are swallowed, treat people from the inside and
then self-destruct into excretable components. Unfortunately,
reality falls short of that expectation.
Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary research field that
attempts to manipulate the nanoscale structure of a material.
“Nano” is a prefix meaning one-billionth. To put that in perspec-
tive, a “nano” of the distance between Sydney and Melbourne
(716 km) is 0.72 mm or about the thickness of a human finger-
nail. Imagine trying to manicure someone’s fingernails from
the international space station while they sit on Earth – that is
the equivalent of what nanotechnologists try to do.
Common sense rarely wins in the nanodomain. Strange and
unexpected properties of otherwise uninteresting materials are
regularly reported, and seem to offer just the right combina-
tion of the fascinating and counter-intuitive that proponents
of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) need to
sell nano-related products.
Nanotechnology has genuinely contributed to everyday
commercial products; Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nano -
particles in sunscreens absorb UV light. Titanium dioxide
nanoparticles have also been used for light-activated self-cleaning
of cotton fibres, so you never have to worry about being a messy
eater, and self-cleaning in electronic devices, so you needn’t get
up on the roof to clean your solar panels.
On the less useful side, colloidal silver, which is a solution of
silver nanoparticles, has been used for generations to treat a
myriad of afflictions. Unfortunately, there has never been any
evidence to support the efficacy of these small petanque balls for
any medical condition.
However, if your medical condition is a desire to be the same
colour as a Smurf, colloidal silver is the answer that you have been
seeking. When taken orally, silver nanoparticles become
deposited under the skin and darken when exposed to sunlight.
In extreme cases this results in argyria, a condition where long-
term users of colloidal silver develop a blue hue to their skin. For
a full Smurf transformation, however, users must provide their
own hat and smurfing attitude.
The “nano” term has been much abused in the world of
nanopharmacology, including rebranding homeopathy in an
obvious attempt to shed the stigma associated with the ultra-
dilution of active chemicals for a supposed therapeutic effect.
On the more complicated side of things, a product named
double helix water (tinyurl.com/otxmgrb) uses the mystique
of the nanodomain to try to convince customers that they are
consuming unique helix-shaped “stable water clusters”. Theproponents claim that it is much better than “normal water” at
rehydrating and maintaining health.
Surprisingly, there is even a peer-reviewed paper arguing for
the existence of stable water clusters (tinyurl.com/plghve5).
The paper uses atomic force microscopy images and other nano-
imaging techniques to try to convince readers of the presence
of nano-helices. Unsurprisingly, this paper falls short in many
ways; the authors do not provide a reasonable explanation of
whether or not these would actually exist in water as it is supplied,
and their conclusion completely ignores the contribution of
any potential contaminants that they may be observing.A strong rebuttal, published 4 years after the initial paper
(tinyurl.com/pzmybtn), met a relatively unscientific response
from the original paper’s authors (tinyurl.com/nuqr7mq) and
has been ignored in subsequent pitches made to the consumer.
It seems that using the fact it has been published in a journal is
too good a marketing spin to resist, regardless of whether it is
widely disputed. This is a great example of how nanotechnology
can be used to pull the wool over people’s eyes, despite the
claims being easily falsifiable.
I suspect that as nanotechnology is increasingly thrust into
the mainstream, CAM will rely on the smoke and mirrors
provided by the counter-intuitive properties of the vanishingly
small to convince people to part with their money.
Andrew Stapleton is a Research Associate at Flinders University in the Centre for Nanoscale
Science and Technology.46 | JAN/FEB 2016
THE BITTER PILL Friends of Science in Medicine
Smoke, Mirrors and Nanotechnology
Alternative health practitioners are quick to offer a variety of untested therapies.
Nanotechnology is yet another in the list.The “nano” term has been much abused
in the world of nanopharmacology,
including rebranding homeopathy in an
obvious attempt to shed the
stigma associated...http://doublehelixwater.com/shop/double-helix-water/