Activated Charcoal Should Be Used With Caution

beachbum

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Hi All,

I on occasion gwt migraines and know h ow they feel. Well for the second time using AC I experienced the weirdest headache. It can be a combo of using aspirin that causes bruising and nosebleeds that I stopped about 3 days prior to taking AC. Well the AC causes extreme slow transit time, and then woke up with pain in my neck muscles up into my head with a headache not as bad as migraine but close. My joints hurt and felt swollen and my glands felt swollen too. I thought I pulled my neck muscles but I have done that and lasted for a while.

There are more side effects that sound not so nice, see link below.

So I googled side effects and found this
Activated Charcoal: Bottom Line Monograph

  • Activated charcoal may also cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (lung problems that prevent oxygen intake), airway and lung inflammation, aspiration (breathing in a foreign object or substance), black stools, charcoal deposits in lymph nodes or tumors (in people with cancer), constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, a feeling of fullness in the stomach, headache, nausea, stomach blockage, and vomiting.
 
J

James IV

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Did you drink enough liquid with it? AC will pull the liquid out of your digestive system. That can cause constipation.This will be exacerbated if you are magnesium deficient.
 
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Tarmander

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I am curious which source they got those side effects from. They definitely seem scary, but I have been taking it forever and it seems fine. Without knowing where they are getting those from, you don't know if it's credible. There are researchers and pharma companies that believe NO is good for your lungs, and actually prescribe inhaling it as treatment. Looking at what charcoal does and its ability to lower serotonin and some of its other properties...well maybe one of these crazy kooks put 2 and 2 together and thought charcoal could cause some things that it cannot.
 

snowboard111

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Anything can be dangerous...

I've been taking AC for quite a while from Health Natura and it's done wonder for my digestion. Up to 4 to 6 tbsp and never had any problems.
AC can lower blood sugar and result in headache.
 

Queequeg

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I switched from powdered to a granulated AC after I heard Ray talk about persorption of starch molecules. They make there way past the lining of the intestines and end up trapped in the capillaries. I think he said systemic enzymesw will eventually break down the starch but I dont know if that would be the case with AC.
 
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beachbum

beachbum

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Everyone reacts differently to everything, if you read other threads on here that other people took AC, well just one that I read got the rash, swelling, and some other things. It is possible to be allergic/sensitive to it. Maybe it was stirring up the endotoxins along with sucking me dry of nutrients and yes lowering my blood sugar and so on. So for me its going to be off my list. When I remember to make the dang carrot salad I will enjoy that instead.
 

aquaman

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I switched from powdered to a granulated AC after I heard Ray talk about persorption of starch molecules. They make there way past the lining of the intestines and end up trapped in the capillaries. I think he said systemic enzymesw will eventually break down the starch but I dont know if that would be the case with AC.

I also worry that the powdered can lead to persorption.
 

theLaw

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I had the same problem with very slow transit time until I switched to taking it before bed.........not one problem since then (3Tbsp per night).

One of the issues with taking it during the day is that people might try to eat on top of the slow digestion, which can cause all kinds of problems.

Also might be a good idea to take Taurine throughout the day to increase Glycogen storage, so that you don't have a blood sugar drop at night. It appears some people try to "fill the tank" right before bed, which is much more difficult if you are already depleted.:cool:
 

Pointless

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  • Activated charcoal may also cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (lung problems that prevent oxygen intake), airway and lung inflammation, aspiration (breathing in a foreign object or substance), black stools, charcoal deposits in lymph nodes or tumors (in people with cancer), constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, a feeling of fullness in the stomach, headache, nausea, stomach blockage, and vomiting.

Let's analyze these side effects

"acute respiratory distress syndrome (lung problems that prevent oxygen intake), airway and lung inflammation, aspiration (breathing in a foreign object or substance)" - this is probably caused by putting a spoonful of dry charcoal into one's mouth and then pouring water in or trying to eat it whole. This is a no-brainer here, but people have probably done this which is why it is listed as a "side effect."

"black stools" - there's nothing wrong with this, just letting people know what will happen so they don't think they have an ulcer or something

"charcoal deposits in lymph nodes or tumors (in people with cancer)" - tumors seems far-fetched, but possible side effect here

"constipation, diarrhea, dizziness" - almost any supplement can cause digestive or allergic problems, so this is just something to watch out for. It should be noted that people taking AC in a medically-supervised setting are often POISONED so digestive problems could be a false correlation.

"a feeling of fullness in the stomach" - probably drawing water or other fluids to itself

"headache, nausea, stomach blockage, and vomiting" - possible side effect but just something to avoid if you don't tolerate it.

Really I don't see too many valid side effects here. Just make sure it's mixed in a copious amount of juice or water so that it gets through you alright. It's a known life-extending supplement so personally I wouldn't fret over tumors TBH.
 
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Seems things are only dangerous after something bad happens around here
 
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beachbum

beachbum

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I had the same problem with very slow transit time until I switched to taking it before bed.........not one problem since then (3Tbsp per night).

One of the issues with taking it during the day is that people might try to eat on top of the slow digestion, which can cause all kinds of problems.

Also might be a good idea to take Taurine throughout the day to increase Glycogen storage, so that you don't have a blood sugar drop at night. It appears some people try to "fill the tank" right before bed, which is much more difficult if you are already depleted.:cool:
Good points..hmmm Okay I might think about it again..mightl..lol As for the taurine that is good to take at night because I have trouble with blood sugar drop in the middle of sleep
 
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beachbum

beachbum

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I didn't say it was dangerous, I said use with caution, but it can be dangerous for someone. I also wasn't talking about tumors. I just posted this to show others that give a dang about what could happen and yes it could happen to someone even if you think its not a plausible side effect. So just use caution with anything, that is all I am saying. Stay safe all.:happy:
 

Jennifer

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I agree that it can potentially cause issues for those sensitive to it for whatever reason and this doesn't mean to imply it's unsafe. In my case, it exasperated my rash, caused blistering around my mouth area and splitting/oozing in the corners of my nose, but I was dealing with major gastritis from consuming dairy at the time and what I've since learned was chronic toxic mold exposure from the home I grew up in so my gut was already super sensitive prior to using it. I found myself still expelling AC even after having consumed it 3 nights prior so I don't think my slow digestion helped, either. After I switched diets and my gut healed up, I no longer experienced any negatives from it. It has helped in acute situations of diarrhea (my mum) and the occasional sloshing gut I get if I've eaten something that doesn't agree with me. Oh, that and it makes an excellent tooth whitener. :D
 

Queequeg

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At the risk of annoying everyone I will say this once more as I really think that powdered AC taken over the long term is very dangerous. "charcoal deposits in lymph nodes or tumors (in people with cancer)" is from persorption. It makes sense to me that the longer you take powdered AC the more black gunk you will have in your lymph and small blood vessels. If you use it you I would recommend switching to the granulated form.

Ray has warned about the problems of persoprtion many times and has so specifically with respect to AC.

"I’m not confident of the purity and proper particle size of the charcoal products that are available, so I think bamboo shoot and carrots, along with cascara sagrada as needed, are the safest way to keep endotoxin and estrogen under control." RP

“Tiny particles of insoluble materials — clay, starch, soot, bacteria — are all potential sources of serious inflammatory reactions, and the ultra-small particles are potentially ultra-numerous and harder to avoid.” RP
THE PHENOMENON OF PERSORPTION: PERSORPTION, DISSEMINATION, AND ELIMINATION OF MICROPARTICLES – Functional Performance Systems (FPS)
 

ddjd

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Why does charcoal make me so tired? Which stress hormone is it reducing?
 
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