# Activated charcoal for a pregnant woman?



## Jojo F. (Apr 7, 2007)

DS and DH are horribly sick with the nasty stomach bug(diarrhea and puking) that has been going around and little old me is the one who is taking care of them. I have been trying really hard to keep my distance and stay healthy but, I have a sneaking suspicion that I may have caught it







:

So far I am 34 weeks pregnant and REALLY do not want to get to the puking stage. I'm scared to.

In my searching yesterday I did read that taking activated charcoal is OK for pregnant women but, I wanted to stop by here and get YOUR opinion/experience on it.

TIA!!

Edited to add I have no amalgam fillings.


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## WuWei (Oct 16, 2005)

This is new to me. What is the potential benefit of the AC???

Pat


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

I much prefer living clay to activated charcoal becuase then you are giving something back. I think you'd do better to look into homeopathy though at this point.


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## punchy (May 26, 2006)

I second homeopathy and also sodium ascorbate mega dosing (do a search here for details), activated charcoal would likely help with the symptoms, but will deplete your nutrients leaving you dehydrated and ill-equipped nutritionally to fight an illness (especially at 34wk pg). oil of oregano might be useful as well, but I can't vouch for it's safety during pregnancy.

All the best...


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## Jojo F. (Apr 7, 2007)

Just the other day I ran out of SA







and I have heard that too much vit C like mega dosing can be bad while PG but, maybe it's not









Also, in my searching it did mention that the charcoal has not shown to deplete nutrients.

AC is used in hospitals for a drug overdose, among other things too. This site has a FAQ about AC.

I'll have to look into oil of oregano, I don't know much about it.

As for homeopathy, what you all suggest? I'm pretty new to it.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

I didn't say that AC stripped nutrients, I just said that living clay gives something back. I am very clear on what it does, and how it's used but that doesn't mean that I agree. I wouldn't personally use it, but it's not inherently harmful. I just think there are better ways of accomplishing the same thing.

No OoO while pregnant or nursing and I wouldn't do SA to optidose while you are that pg...the risk is overdoing it and stimulating the bowels and then the uterus. If you did it could be problematic. Not everyone would agree...but in my book better safe than sorry. I wouldn't mind doing high doses-but I would be very careful.

Homeopathy takes an individualized approach and you should have a professional helping you. You can do acute dosing yourself, but again....you'd have to look into it and match your symptoms to a remedy.


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## Jojo F. (Apr 7, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firefaery* 
I didn't say that AC stripped nutrients, I just said that living clay gives something back. I am very clear on what it does, and how it's used but that doesn't mean that I agree. I wouldn't personally use it, but it's not inherently harmful. I just think there are better ways of accomplishing the same thing.

_I'm sorry you misunderstood me, punchy said it stripped the body of nutrients._

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firefaery* 
No OoO while pregnant or nursing and I wouldn't do SA to optidose while you are that pg...the risk is overdoing it and stimulating the bowels and then the uterus. If you did it could be problematic. Not everyone would agree...but in my book better safe than sorry. I wouldn't mind doing high doses-but I would be very careful.

_These were my thoughts and feelings on mega doses of SA while PG too and thanks for clarifying about the OoO._

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firefaery* 
Homeopathy takes an individualized approach and you should have a professional helping you. You can do acute dosing yourself, but again....you'd have to look into it and match your symptoms to a remedy.

_At this time I am not able to see a homeopath so I think I'll just stick to the food route I have been taking. More stock for me!_

_firefaery- I have always highly respected your opinions and knowledge about health/healing and I hope you didn't take any offense to my misguided response._


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## annran (Jan 26, 2008)

I used AC when pregnant, on the advice of a nurse in Singapore- she said it was the safest anti-diarheal and it was a common medication there.
They came OTC flattened , like pills, just a bit bigger than normal.

How do you get them here, and where.


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## Jojo F. (Apr 7, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *annran* 
I used AC when pregnant, on the advice of a nurse in Singapore- she said it was the safest anti-diarheal and it was a common medication there.
They came OTC flattened , like pills, just a bit bigger than normal.

How do you get them here, and where.

The AC I saw at the store was in a gelatin pill form- Country Life. There are other brands but, this is the one I saw.

You can get them at a health food store, Whole Foods, or one lady said to check out a regular drug store like CVS or Walgreens but, she wasn't sure which one she saw them at.


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## annran (Jan 26, 2008)

THanks, will do.

Dunno about the gelatin pill- the one I got was just pressed charcoal, I think the directions were to dilute in 1 glass water and drink.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

not in the slightest! I didn't see another reply and I was thinking you misunderstood me. In my understanding it doesn't strip nutrients, but it will prevent uptake of nutrients if you take it along with a food...it essentially will render anything else you eat at the same time null and void. The thing with living clay is that it is negatively charged and will bind to toxins to escort them out. It also has a ton of trace minerals so it will replenish the body and give it nutrients to fortify itself in times of illness. It also has about a thousand uses and I would never be without it! Great in illness, with bug bites, infections, wounds, as skincare and for reversing cavities and remineralizing teeth. For me if I'm going to buy something I want it to multi-task and living clay does....in spades.


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## quietserena (Apr 24, 2006)

So what exactly is living clay? Azomite? Bentonite?








Jojo F. Being sick this pregnant.. not great. I'm fighting something off myself. Sooo do not want the pukey/poopey thing (as my DH calls it).


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

I like pascalite which is a calcium bentonite (as opposed to a sodium bentonite.)


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## WuWei (Oct 16, 2005)

Still clueless here.









So, it sounds like you all have an understanding that the AC alters the symptoms of a GI virus?? My understanding is that it absorbs or binds with vitamins, minerals, medications. So, how does this anti-viral effect happen exactly?

And what does clay do? No idea about this detox stuff.







:

Btw, what does the amalgam fillings have to do with it?







:

Thanks, Pat


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## nalo (Oct 25, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firefaery* 
I like pascalite which is a calcium bentonite (as opposed to a sodium bentonite.)

Okay, so I'm on the Living Clay Co. website and TOTALLY diggin' this stuff. I am going to order the starter kit I think - seriously good deal, with the additional 25% off. So FF - if I were to choose one type of clay to have on hand at all times would you recommend the powder or liquid? The powder seems a bit more versatile - for taking internally and making into a paste. Is that correct in your opinion? I also just realized that you specified a certain brand - pascalite. Do you know the differences between that and what is found on the Living Clay Co. site? TIA.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

I'm not speaking to AC...but the way that the clay works is to bind the toxins that are by-products of the body's attempt to self right and escort them out reducing the overall load on the liver.

Most toxins are cationic. They are positively charged. Clay is an anion meaning that it is negatively charged and therefore will attract the cations like a magnet and draw them out. This is why clay is so effective in detoxification and in drawing poisons and such (there are thousands of incidences where clay was used in snake bites, spider bites, bee stings and the like....it is cheap and easy to use.)

I will see about getting friend to chime in here. She was stung by a bee at the park and is very allergic to bees. I gave her homeopathic ledum and mixed clay and liquid oxygen and put it on the sting. I told her to leave it for about 10 minutes and then wash it off. She never reacted and the site didnt' even have a visible swelling. Apparently it was miraculous. I've never seen her react before, but I'll take her word for it! She was certainly fine with this treatment.

So back to the OT...I don't use it in illness to boost immunity, I use it to help the body shed toxins more rapidly and more comfortably. I have no idea about the amalgam fillings. In my understanding clay would only help!

http://www.aboutclay.com/info/Articl...avy_metals.htm


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DoulaMary* 
Okay, so I'm on the Living Clay Co. website and TOTALLY diggin' this stuff. I am going to order the starter kit I think - seriously good deal, with the additional 25% off. So FF - if I were to choose one type of clay to have on hand at all times would you recommend the powder or liquid? The powder seems a bit more versatile - for taking internally and making into a paste. Is that correct in your opinion? I also just realized that you specified a certain brand - pascalite. Do you know the differences between that and what is found on the Living Clay Co. site? TIA.

Always go for the powder. You can make a liquid if you need it! Pascalite is from a specific region in Wyoming. Living clay is from California I believe. I doubt there's a huge difference.

ETA: pascalite is less expensive


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## Jojo F. (Apr 7, 2007)

About the fillings- taking the charcoal would help in the detoxing from the amalgam fillings and is said to be like chelating. Since I am pregnant I thought it might help to mention that I do not have any of the fillings, so it poses no threat.

firefaery- thank you sooo much for talking about living clay! Now if I could just have your brain


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

hmmm, I've read that clay will bind to metals, but only to carry them out....I don't know that it actually mobilizes them. Well, that's neither here nor there since you don't have any fillings!


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