Making Activated Charcoal Part of Your Routine
Activated charcoal differs from the charcoal you might find in your outdoor grill or on burned pieces of food. It’s manufactured to be extremely absorbent, making it effective at removing toxins from the body by preventing them from being absorbed by the stomach. These toxins bind to the activated charcoal and removed from the body during its natural elimination process.
What is Activated Charcoal?
Activated charcoal is a powdered material that’s made of extremely absorbent activated carbon. Its absorbency comes from tiny holes that are present in the charcoal. Today, activated charcoal — which you might also hear being referred to as activated carbon — is becoming increasingly popular for a number of uses. Read on to learn more about the benefits of adding activated charcoal to your daily routine and easy ways to do so.
How to Incorporate Activated Charcoal into Your Daily Life
Activated charcoal is nothing new to the medical field. It has been used by hospital emergency rooms and other medically-supervised locations as a method of treating overdoses and poisonings for centuries. It effectively removes the toxins from a person’s body, allowing them to recover from the incident if treatment is started in time.
Today, the popularity of activated charcoal is increasing as a natural remedy for various everyday issues. Many products and supplements contain activated charcoal as a main ingredient. Below you’ll find ways in which activated carbon can act as a natural alternative to some of today’s other treatment options.
1. Filter Water with Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal has long been used by residents in developing countries as a method of cleaning water. It’s also been used in large-scale commercial operations such as municipal water treatment facilities. Today, this technology is commonly used at home — whether it’s a method used throughout the entire house or via countertop or pitcher filters. At-home water filtration products use carbon cartridges to purify the water of many toxins and chemicals. Studies show that filtration systems containing carbon produce much cleaner water than those without it.
2. Activated Charcoal Can Provide Gastrointestinal Relief
Given its successful history with poisonings and overdoses, it makes sense that activated charcoal can also be used to relieve the most troublesome gastrointestinal issues, like diarrhea, gas and bloating. When used for diarrhea, activated charcoal traps the condition-causing bacteria and drugs in its pores, preventing the bacteria from being absorbed by the body. When compared to common over-the-counter medications used to treat diarrhea, activated charcoal has far fewer side effects.
There have also been studies which show activated charcoal’s positive benefits for people who suffer from intestinal gas. A 2017 study followed participants who took 140 mg of activated charcoal for 10 days, and they reported a reduction in abdominal pain as well as no side effects.
3. Activated Charcoal Can Whiten Your Teeth
Activated charcoal is becoming increasingly popular as a natural alternative to traditional toothpaste for those who prefer other options. In addition to teeth whitening, toothpaste with activated charcoal can also remove toxins from the mouth and act as an anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial agent. While more research is needed, scientists have indicated that brushing your teeth with activated charcoal power can improve your overall oral health.
When activated charcoal isn’t enough to alleviate your symptoms, visit your local MedPost Urgent Care for a consultation with a healthcare professional.