Tag Archives: charcoal

Questions & Answers

Gut Healthy Travel Tips

Let’s look at some steps you can take while traveling, which will help prevent GI distress.

1. Plan ahead: Where are you going on your trip? Are you going to go to Zimbabwe? Are you going to go to Antarctica? Are you going to go to New York City? Depending on where you go, the steps you need to take to avoid getting ill may be different—for example, the colder your destination, the lower the risk of certain parasites. Going to Los Angeles is going to be a different scenario than going to parts of Asia or Africa. Of course, no matter what part of the globe you travel to, you could bump into someone from an area of the world experiencing an outbreak. It pays to be vigilant no matter where you go.

2. Be cautious in busy airports and public transportation. You don’t need to be over the top about hygiene, but you do need to on high alert. It’s no different than being on the lookout for pickpockets when traveling. You need to keep your wits about you. For example, the first thing I do when I get off the airplane is head straight to the bathroom and clean my hands thoroughly. You touch so many surfaces when traveling by plane, and these surfaces have been touched by thousands of other people. If you don’t clean your hands thoroughly and have something to eat or touch your eye, it’s easy to transfer bacteria or parasites. The same is true for airport showers. If I have been on a long haul flight and am really tired, I will have a shower, but I use my own tea tree soap that I’ve brought along. Hand washing is probably one of the most important things to do when you travel. That includes after handling money and your passport as well.

3. Get a letter from a healthcare provider explaining that your supplements are necessary: I’ve heard of many occasions where people have had their supplements confiscated and thrown out by airport security. Having a letter like that can go a long way towards saving your bottles of supplements. Also, plan carefully, so you only take the pills that you need immediately in your carry-on case.

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4. Focus on bringing the items that you need based on your destination: For example, when I go to Australia, I bring essential oils that will help repel the flies. If you’re going to Antarctica or a skiing destination, you’ll need to be prepared to combat sunburn. If loose bowels are a risk, taking probiotics with you may be a good idea. Saccharomyces boulardii is very good for traveler’s diarrhea.

5. Be careful with drinking water: Many people get sick from drinking water when they travel to countries that don’t have reliable water safety systems. In some places, unscrupulous people will sell you contaminated water, claiming that it is fresh and clean.

6. Be careful where you eat: I have eaten in some pretty nice restaurants and still ended up sick. Alternatively, I ate street food on one of my first trips to India, and I didn’t have a problem with it. In my opinion, if you’re traveling, the water and food are the two most likely sources of infection.

7. Take useful natural medications with you: Activated charcoal is good to have on hand because it can soak up toxins. Probiotics and B vitamins can also be helpful. I know some people find magnesium supplements useful when traveling by plane. Others use melatonin for jet lag. Lavender oil, tea tree oil, and peppermint oil are also a good addition to your travel pack.

8. Minimize alcohol intake and maximize your intake of fresh, high-quality water. If you’re putting alcohol into your gut, it’s hard for that GI tract to detoxify. If you eat contaminated food, it’s now an open invitation for serious gut problems.

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Questions & Answers

Using Charcoal To Treat Candida

Charcoal has been used for thousands of years, probably since pre-Egyptian times.

Charcoal is the result of burning wood in the absence of oxygen. That process greatly increases the porosity of the material.

Charcoal can hold an incredible amount of stuff due to its porosity. Many people take charcoal as part of a detoxification regime. But, you need to be careful with charcoal, especially if you’re taking medications.

Charcoal needs to be taken well away from food. For example, between meals or at bedtime are appropriate times to take charcoal.

Dosages of charcoal can range up to as high as two grams or more. If charcoal is recommended, our clinic starts people on a low dose. It should be taken with plenty of water.

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Being well hydrated will make such a difference in your life. I run a five-stage filtration system for the house with many different types of filters to take everything out of the water. I like drinking ultra-pure water and getting my minerals from eating good food.

For some people, drinking pure water and then taking charcoal can have a positive response on Candida. Charcoal can reduce the toxic bioload produced by dysbiotic bacteria like SIBO and Candida.

Some clients have reported that charcoal gave them tremendous relief from symptoms of die-off. Other people reported that they had black stools and experienced no benefit from the charcoal.

Some naughty people I know, take charcoal to reduce hangovers because it has an ability also to reduce the level of alcohol byproducts, particularly if taken before bed.

As I mentioned, be careful taking charcoal if you’re on pharmaceuticals. Also, take charcoal well away from any other kind of supplement.

If you want to make the most of the charcoal supplement, eat a high-fiber diet. I like to eat apples and pears, for example, and lots of berries in my diet and avocados. All these foods I grow them myself, so I’m quite lucky that I’ve got access to all these nice fresh, unsprayed produce. When you eat large amounts of fiber, and you have good bowel movements, charcoal is a significant benefit.

There’s no point eating fries, burgers, and a glass of pop and then taking charcoal supplements. I mean, that’s just a dumb thing to do.

Charcoal benefits those who have a good lifestyle and a good diet.

Charcoal is also a handy supplement to take with you while traveling, if you’re worried about getting sick from food or water. Charcoal is sometimes used in emergency rooms for acute detoxification from pharmaceutical drugs.

Charcoal definitely works for some people with Candida and SIBO, although I’m not sure if it is effective against parasites. If you have brain fog and you’ve got blastocystis, for example, it’s certainly worth trying charcoal to see if that reduces the toxic bioload.

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