Viruses abound. Especially if you have several children in the house and they like to share.If one of my kids gets a stomach bug, it will invariably make the rounds of all of us before it's all said and done. But I've decided to fight back!
My favorite weapon against stomach viruses is activated charcoal.
Activated charcoal is pure carbon specially processed to make it highly adsorbent of particles and gases in the body's digestive system. Activated charcoal has often been used since ancient times to cure a variety of ailments including poisoning. Its healing effects have been well documented since as early as 1550 B.C. by the Egyptians.
It is GREAT to have on hand for kids because it can be used if you are concerned your child has overdosed on a chemical cleaner or an over-the-counter medicine. You can even mix it with water to make a paste to apply topically to bug stings or bites. Activated charcoal has even been used effectively in the treatment of snake bites.
It's one of the "right hand warriors" in my health pantry. So, when my four-year-old recently started throwing up and having stomach cramps and diarrhea, I whipped it out and instructed everyone to take some charcoal with their Emergen-C. Paul and I took two a day and the kids each took one.
No one argued with me. I guess they've learned over the years that stomach bugs are no fun!
Since the charcoal is very black and powdery, I camoflauged it as best I could for my two-year-old in some Activia yogurt (Activia is boosted with probiotic). He took it fine. My four-year-old balked a bit, but took it ok a half capsule at a time in the yogurt. It is odorless and tasteless as a capsule.
The quicker you can start activated charcoal once you've been exposed to something or start showing symptoms, the better.
Here's to a year free of stomach bugs!!
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