Sunday, July 17, 2011

Activated Charcoal and Body Odor


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                                  What is Activated Charcoal?
              Activated charcoal is  a remedy that is commonly used for the  detoxification of food poisoning or exposure from toxic material. The use of this remedy has been  dated back to the  1500 B.C.  and during that time  it was used  to treat flatulence, indigestion,  and vomiting. Currently, Activated Charcoal is now  used to help poisonous bites, kidney/liver dialysis, water purification, pink eye, cancer, and the list goes on. But for this post, I am focusing on  its  capability to prevent bad breath and body odor by  binding the bad bacteria and toxins  that can cause illness.


                       How does Activated Charcoal stop body odor?
       AC has the ability to adsorb toxic odors because it has been put through a process where the charcoal is heated and steamed  to about 1000 o degrees. This process makes the particles of the AC very porous, which results in the activated charcoal  having a sponge-like effect that can trap gases and odors. By adsorbing these toxic agents, activated charcoal prevents these toxins from entering the bloodstream, therefore preventing toxicity or odor. Ordinary charcoal does have similar abilities in binding toxic material, but it is very limited to AC's capability and using the charcoal that is normally used for grilling is highly unrecommended.

                 
                                 Activated Charcoal  side effects
            Now with all the positive things that it is able to do, activated charcoal does have some side effects like constipation if you keep using it for a long period of time. And you will definitely see your bowel movements start to become darker because of AC's black color. Other side effects that are rare in most cases is vomiting, diarrhea, allergic reactions, and nausea.


                           Guidelines for Activated Charcoal
  • Do not take AC with medications or food because they will be adsorbed 
  • If you take it in powder form, add 1-2 tablespoons in a pint of water and stir it
  • Whatever form you take it in, it is recommended to take it 2-3 times a day
  • To avoid the hindrance of its effectiveness, take it 1-2 hours before or after every meal or medicine

                                               My final verdict
From my experience, AC has worked a little for keeping my body odor down. I have only tried it once so I don't have too much experience with it. There are  a lot of different AC products that you can use other than taking tablets like AC soap and shampoo or AC socks and even underwear! So if you are looking for a product that prevents odorous  gases that are uncontrollably leaking out of your body, then  I would suggest you to try giving Activated charcoal a shot



         Here's a video that will show  you how activated charcoal works in the body


Here's another video explaining the health benefit of using Activated Charcoal. The video is a little bit corny, but it's still informative
Medical Uses of Activated Charcoal from Faydra Jones on Vimeo.


                                             Online Shopping:
You can  pretty much buy Activated Charcoal at your nearest Organic grocery store or Vitamin/Supplement shop. But, if you can't find it anywhere in your vicinity then you can  buy online from these sources

            


       




If you have any experience about trying activated charcoal please comment!