Activated
Charcoal for Babies
Just like adults, babies get sick
too. It seems unfair that these fragile vulnerable infants have to face a
world
full of so many enemy agents so soon in life. For babies born in
hospitals and
babies born at home there are a host of unseen but very lethal organisms
lurking about ready to infect their little bodies. Whether it be a
hospital
borne infection or something a breast feeding mother ate at her last
meal,
babies are not equipped to deal well with their new environment. Below,
beginning with infant colic, we look at a few common childhood
conditions that
often respond well to charcoal.
Colic
One condition sometimes associated
with diarrhea in newborn babies is colic. Colic in babies may stem from a
combination
of factors, but the result is always the same - a very unhappy baby and
very
tired parents. Activated charcoal is a simple natural home remedy that
quickly
calms colic and gas in infants, which is a great relief to parents.
It is not uncommon for newborn
babies to go through periods when they appear abnormally irritable or
seemingly
cry for no reason. Common symptoms of colic include:
- vigorous inconsolable crying for long periods
- a daily pattern of crying, often after meal times, and
usually ending as abruptly as they begin
- signs of gas discomfort and abdominal bloating
- a hard, distended stomach, with knees pulled to the
chest, clenched fists, flailing arms and legs, and an arched back
- frequent sleeplessness, irritability and fussiness.
Baby colic is most common in the
first few weeks to four months of life and seldom persists past six
months of
age. The "Rule of Threes" says, a baby that cries for three or more
hours per day, at least three times per week, within a three month
period is
most likely suffering from colic. About 25% of babies worldwide meet the
official criteria for colic.
What causes babies to become
colicky? There appear to be several contributing factors that, when
occurring
in combination, are likely to result in colic pain and discomfort:
- Because the baby’s immature digestive system is just
learning to function, the normal rhythmic movement of food is
undeveloped.
As well the normal bacterial flora that aids in digestion is
lacking.
Thankfully, within six months, most infants outgrow these
handicaps.
- Certain foods eaten by nursing mothers may contain
chemicals or allergens that can trigger colic discomfort and
digestive
upset. When nursing, trace elements from gas producing foods may be
passed
via breast milk to the baby and cause gas and bloating.
- Babies often swallow air while feeding or during
strenuous crying, which increases gas and bloating.
- Since an infant’s nervous system is also so immature,
they can quickly become “stressed” with sights and sounds.
Generally, the
more activity (errands, visitors, TV, phones, etc.) in the baby's
day, the
higher the incidence of irritability and colic.
Keeping the home life quiet and
simple and the foods simple, with few varieties at the same meal, will
go a
long way in avoiding the distress on everyone of a colicky baby. But
should the
need arise; activated charcoal powder is a wonderfully simple home
remedy that
can bring relief to all. Colic Calm is
one simple remedy that will not only calm colic in a an unhappy baby but
goes a
long way to restore calm to an entire home!
Testimonies
"My son Alonzo is now 2 months
and his colic started 2 weeks after he was born. There were many long
nights
with very little sleep. It was exhausting, but now that I have
purchased
Colic Calm, my baby boy is a very happy baby. I get plenty of rest with
no more
long hours of fussiness. I will tell everyone that I know about Colic
Calm and
recommend them to order it. Thank You!!!"
Norma O. Phoenix, AZ
"I just received my shipment of
Colic Calm for my great grand son. He's almost 3 months old and Colic
Calm is a
life saver. He has had a rough start in life to begin with. He had some
health
problems at birth but is doing ok in that area right now. He had colic
very bad
and my granddaughter was at her wits end and didn't know what to try.
Her
doctor was of no help at all. He just told her to live with it and
eventually it would go away. Easy for him to say. He wasn't the one up
all
night with him. I would just like to say a big THANK YOU. This product
is worth
its weight in gold, and then some. Thanks again!!!!!"
Patricia T. Saginaw, MI
"Our baby Emma seems to be
doing much better. Actually, only a few days after using the Colic Calm,
she
seemed to not show any more signs of colic. The only time she is really
fussy
now is if I eat spicy food that doesn't agree with her. Thank you for
your
help."
Dina J. Prescott Valley, AZ
Testimonials
© TJ Enterprises LLC, 2006
"Our son was born full term but
shortly after birth he was diagnosed with a Phneumothorax (hole in the
lung). He was admitted to the NICU where he received treatment for the
condition. He left the NICU and headed home with a clean bill of health
except for some digestion issues which the neonatologists felt would
resolve on
their own.
"After bringing him home we knew something was still wrong as he cried
excessively for hours on end, often all day long. We at first thought
it
was colic. At 4 weeks old he was diagnosed with being allergic to
regular
infant formulas and milk protein. We've tried every formula on the
market
and finally settled on one that "worked" the best for him after all
others were ruled out. When he has particularly bad crying spells and
is
very uncomfortable we bring out the colic calm. Within 5 minutes he
usually improves and is often smiling again. As soon as we administer
it
he quiets as he loves the taste of it! We consulted our pediatrician
and
even the pediatric nutritionist about using Colic Calm and both told us
it was
safe and OK to use. Our son does not have typical colic but we've
quickly
realized what a wonderful product Colic Calm is as it helps alleviate
his
discomfort that the allergic reaction causes him. Thank you Colic Calm
for
a product that really does work and thank you Kimberly for your
top-notch
customer service!"
Adam's Mom, Minnesota
To read more Colic Calm stories go
to More
Testimonies
Infant
Jaundice
Even from birth many
babies fall victim to neonatal
jaundice. Whether
jaundice be because of an inherited factor such as in Erythroblastosis
fetalis,
or because of a sluggish immature liver, many babies turn yellow soon
after
birth instead of a glowing pink. Activated charcoal is a simple natural
remedy for a jaundiced baby.
"When Nathan, our firstborn,
came along, he was somewhat jaundiced. The yellow-orangish appearance of
his
skin and eyes was due to the build up of bilirubin, a bile pigment that
was not
being properly metabolized. For various reasons, the liver sometimes
does not
kick into gear at birth, as it should have with Nathan. Out he went into
the
sun for a daily sunbath. Charcoal has also been credited with lowering
bilirubin levels. But, since babies are only designed to swallow at
birth and
not chew, we mixed some activated charcoal powder in a bottle of water
and let
the particles settle out. We then poured this slurry water off into a
baby
bottle and popped that into his mouth. After a couple of days, and
several
ounces of slurry water later, he was a healthy ruddy pink.
"As he grew, Nathan would now and again show signs of
being a little colicky. We could only smile as he would accept a
charcoal
tablet, and then thoroughly enjoy playing with it in his mouth. By the
next
morning he would be over whatever had caused him discomfort. Later, when
his
brother Enoch came along, charcoal tablets were his first experience
with
“candy”. If only other young parents knew how powerful charcoal can be
as a
first aid."CharcoalRemedies.com
page 27
For jaundiced babies, add one
tablespoon of activated charcoal powder into four ounces of water. This
makes good
slurry that is able to pass through the nipple of a baby bottle. Shake
well
before giving. Or, you can let the charcoal settle out, pour off the
gray water
and give that.
Dr. Agatha Thrash M.D. tells the
following case of neonatal jaundice in a four-day old breast-fed baby:
“The father took the baby to our
laboratory to be tested for its total bilirubin levels. The levels
continued to
climb over the next twenty-four hours and a consulting physician agreed
with
our suspicion of an ABO blood incompatibility. When the bilirubin rose
to 18
mg% the consultant prepared to give an exchange transfusion of blood.
The same hour the mother began
administering as much charcoal as she could get the baby to accept. With
the
baby undressed in her lap, she sat in the sunlight giving over an hour
of
exposure to both front and back (babies can tolerate more sunlight
before
getting a sunburn than can adults).
At the next six-hour bilirubin
check, the level was down to 16.5%, and we knew we had avoided the
hazardous
exchange transfusion. Continuing with this treatment the bilirubin began
to
clear and was down to 4 mg% by the tenth day.”
In one astounding study the need for
exchange transfusions in babies with erythroblastosis fetalis was cut by
more
than 90% with the use of charcoal. Erythroblastosis fetalis is a severe
anemia
that develops in an unborn infant because the mother produces antibodies
that
attack the fetus’ red blood cells. The antibodies are usually caused by
Rh
incompatibility between the mother’s blood type and that of the fetus
(that is,
the mother and baby have different blood types).
These babies can be at extreme risk after birth and,
depending on the severity, a blood transfusion may be performed. In one
study
done at Fort Benning, Georgia, activated charcoal, suspended in water,
was
given every two hours. The treatment was continued for 120 hours in
normal
newborns and 168 hours in premature infants or until bilirubin levels
fell.
Charcoal should be begun at four hours of age to produce the maximum
reduction
in elevated bilirubin levels." CharcoalRemedies.com
page
158
Diarrhea
Whether it be because of an
defenseless immune system, an undeveloped digestive system or an
immature
nervous system the most common reaction is diarrhea.
By far the single greatest health threat to babies (seniors and everyone
in between)
is gastrointestinal disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) claims
waterborne gastrointestinal infections cause eighty percent of all
disease
worldwide, and kill more than 50,000 people every day, over 5,000 from
diarrhea
and cholera. In fact diarrhea is one of the most common symptoms
associated
with disease, whether it be the flu, HIV/AIDS, dyptheria, food
poisoning,
parasites or Rotavirus. The body, in no uncertain terms, is telling us
that it
wants to get rid of something that is poisoning us. Once again there is
no
remedy so universal, so economical, so free of adverse side effects, and
so
effective in helping control diarrhea as is activated charcoal - whether
taken
internally or applied externally as a poultice or body bath. Whether for
father,
mother or baby, charcoal works!
Dr. Martha, MD, works as an emergency room physician in a
Kentucky hospital. “I use charcoal routinely for poisonings and drug
overdoses... If I want to give it to little ones for diarrhea, I may mix
it
with mashed bananas. I always have it on hand in the home as an antacid,
or for
any number of common problems.” CharcoalRemedies.com
page 72
When it comes to trying some new
remedy, we all feel better if someone who is well qualified will give it
their
thumbs up. Dr. Mervyn G. Hardinge, MD, Dr. PH, PhD, the founding dean of
the
School of Public Health at Loma Linda University, has broad-based
experience in
the fields of pharmacology, nutrition, and health. Holding degrees from
Harvard
and Stanford, he has authored more than fifty scientific papers in
peer-reviewed journals as well as several books, including the
three-volume
Family Medical Guide. We would expect he is eminently capable of
speaking on
the merits of charcoal. In his most recent book Drugs, Herbs, &
Natural
Remedies, he places charcoal under the heading of “harmless”. Of
its more
common uses, he lists it for relief from gas, as a laxative, for
inflammation
of the bowels, for colic, diarrhea, ulcers and pain. When I called and
talked
to him on the phone he assured me that he has always been a strong
supporter of
simple remedies.
When I asked if he had any memorable charcoal stories he
replied, “Yes. An old but very vivid one comes to mind. While attending a
camp
meeting, our fifteen month-old sons contracted a good case of diarrhea.
He was,
nevertheless, still very active, running around. But as he ran the
contents of
his diaper dribbled out behind him making no little mess for us to clean
up. By
the time we were ready to leave, his bottom was so raw, he would scream
when
his mother tried to change his diapers. Driving through Oklahoma I
stopped at
several pharmacies along the way to see if they had any charcoal, but
none of
them carried it in their store. Finally I stopped in a small village and
was
able to find some charcoal tablets. We ground them up, but then wondered
how we
were going to get a fifteen month-old baby to take it. We decided on
peanut
butter. We mixed it in with the charcoal, and within a short time he was
no
longer bothered when it came time to change his diapers. I have always
encouraged the use of natural remedies and we have used charcoal through
the
years for an assortment of infections. For instance, for a cut on the
hand we
would make a simple poultice and wrap the hand completely.” CharcoalRemedies.com
pg. 163
Many have found they have been able to control the diarrhea if, after
each
loose or watery stool, they give a mixture of one to two large spoonfuls
of
charcoal powder (or 6-12 capsules) in a glass of water. Follow each
glass of
charcoal water with one or two glasses of plain water.
For very stubborn cases of diarrhea
we recommend an activated
charcoal poultice over the abdomen in place of taking
activated charcoalpowder internally. Read Georgia's
Story for such a case.
Accidental
Poisoning
While food sensitivities or even
food poisoning is a very real and serious problem, one area that is of
special
concern to parents is accidental poisoning of children. A child is
accidentally
poisoned every half hour in the United States. Approximately 1.1 million
cases
of a child under the age of six years swallowing a toxic substance were
reported to poison control centers in 1998. This number is thought to
represent
approximately 25% of all such incidents. Things commonly ingested by
children
less than six years of age include cosmetics, cleaning products,
analgesics and
cold preparations. Data from 1995 through 1998 revealed that
prescription and
over-the-counter medications accounted for 52% of the deaths from
poisoning
during this period. Those substances associated with the greatest risk
of death
were cocaine, anticonvulsants, antidepressants and iron supplements.
Ipecac
Many older readers may remember one home remedy that was endorsed for
many
years was ipecac. Ipecac is an emetic, something that causes a person to
vomit.
The rationale was that if a person had swallowed some poison, then the
sooner
it was vomited up the less would be absorbed into the body. Of course
the very
simplest method is to tickle the back of the throat with one’s finger,
or some
other object, to trigger reflex vomiting. Maybe because some people were
too
squeamish to do that, the product ipecac was promoted as a substitute.
But in
1997 the American Academy of Clinical Toxicologists and the European
Association of Poison Centers and Clinical Toxicologists reviewed the
scientific literature, and issued their new position statement. Among
other
things they recommended:
- Ipecac should not be given routinely for poisoning management.
- Evidence is lacking to demonstrate that ipecac improves
the outcome of poisoned patients and its routine administration in
the
emergency room should be discontinued.
- There is insufficient clinical evidence to support or
exclude ipecac administration soon after poison ingestion.
- Ipecac may delay administration or reduce effectiveness
of charcoal, oral antidotes, and whole bowel irrigation.
The American Board of Applied
Toxicology and the Canadian Association of Poison Control Centers have
since
endorsed these recommendations. Only in 2003 did the Academy of
Pediatrics stop
recommending its use. Suddenly, after decades of aggressive endorsement
by the
medical professions, we now see these warnings associated with ipecac:
“Research has shown that ipecac medication has been improperly
administered by
parents, and has been abused by people with eating disorders such as
bulimia.
Abuse of ipecac can lead to heart problems and even death.” In light of
the
above recommendations and considering the fraction of times ipecac is
used by
parents compared to professionals, it is strange that this new drug
alert
focuses on parental misuse???
Charcoal
In place of ipecac, the efficacy of activated charcoal used in clinical
settings is undisputed. The debate has, however, heated up over its home
application. While there is no question of activated charcoal’s
superiority
over every other known antidote, some suggest it is poorly accepted by
young
children, making the administering of the recommended dose a little
trickier.
While this concern has yet to be demonstrated, there are several studies that clearly show the
majority
of children will accept charcoal. It seems the problems are more with
timid
parents who are unsure of administering any antidote on their own, and
who
would prefer to take their children to an emergency department.
Time is of the essence when it comes
to poisoning. Charcoal is the treatment of choice for poisoning or drug
overdose in children, as well as adults, but it is most effective sooner
rather
than later. Studies done with volunteers suggest that activated charcoal
is
more likely to reduce poison absorption if it is given within one hour
of
ingesting the poison. CharcoalRemedies.com
page
73-74
US Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222 or 911
CANADA - front of phone directory or
911
To find out more how activated
charcoal can help you treat neonatal jaundice, diarrhea, colic,
accidental
poisoning, and other common childhood ailments, simply and naturally,
right in
your home, order the book CharcoalRemedies.com
now.
