Your Post Holiday Dinner Cure

As we enter the holiday season, you'll probably find yourself eating foods you normally stay away from. And that's fine- as they say, now's the time to eat, drink, and be merry!

But, the side effects of eating and drinking may prevent you from feeling all too merry. Luckily, activated charcoal could be the answer to preventing your post-holiday-dinner hangover and stomach ache.

What is activated charcoal?

Activated charcoal isn’t your typical charcoal used to light your grill. Activated charcoal is a fine black powder made from bone char, coal, olive pits, sawdust, or coconut shells. The charcoal becomes activated when it is processed at a very high temperature. This changes the internal structure by reducing the size of the pores while also increasing the charcoal’s surface area. The end result is a form of charcoal that is much more useful for the human body.

This more porous form can easily trap toxins and chemicals in the body, which will prevent their absorption. Activated charcoal also has a negative electrical charge, which will attract positively charged toxins and gases. And, because charcoal cannot be absorbed by the body, it will easily transport the toxins out of your body through feces.

Activated charcoal has long been used for a variety of medical uses. Because of its toxin-binding abilities, it is frequently used in cases of poisoning or toxin exposure. Activated charcoal can also be used as a poison or drug overdose antidote, as it will bind to a wide variety of drugs. For example, activated charcoal is used to treat overdoses of many prescription drugs as well as over-the-counter medications like aspirin, acetaminophen, and some sedatives.

Benefits of taking activated charcoal:

Incorporating activated charcoal into your supplement routine can cause benefits throughout your entire body. This is because by binding to toxins, activated charcoal acts as a natural detoxifier, assisting your body in the detoxification process. Some of the proven benefits of taking activated charcoal include:

• Promote kidney function: Because activated charcoal will reduce the number of toxins the kidneys have to filter, it can help to promote kidney function.

• Reduce cholesterol levels: Activated charcoal can bind to both cholesterol and cholesterol-containing bile acids in the gut. This will stop the body from absorbing them.

• Reduce gas: Several studies have demonstrated that activated charcoal can help to reduce gas production following a particularly gassy meal. It may also help to reduce the odor of gas.

• Hangover prevention: When taken while drinking alcohol, activated charcoal has been found to reduce blood alcohol levels. This will also help to ease the side effects of a hangover the next day.

• Diarrhea prevention: Some studies have found that activated charcoal can be a useful treatment for diarrhea. This is because activated charcoal may be able to prevent the diarrhea-causing bacteria from being absorbed into the body.

What kind of activated charcoal should I take?

While it may seem tempting to run to CVS and buy a bottle of activated charcoal, you’d likely be wasting your money. This is because, as we all know, over-the-counter supplements often do not contain the promised ingredients and are not subject to the same FDA standards as pharmaceuticals. The only way to know you’re getting activated charcoal in its purest form is by taking a medical-grade supplement.

Dr. Johnson recommends G.I. Detox to her patients. This supplement is actually a combination of activated charcoal, zeolite clay, aloe, and other ingredients proven to support healthy digestion. The combination of activated charcoal, zeolite clay, and aloe reap numerous benefits, such as:

• Promotes healthy detox and full-body cleansing

• Supports clearance of mold metabolites

• Can reduce bloating and gas

• Promotes mental clarity

• Helps to clean up biofilm components

• Boosts a comfortable cleansing experience

G.I. Detox is also created with only professional-grade ingredients and is made without corn, dairy, soy, animal products, dairy, artificial flavoring, or coloring.

To learn more about how to incorporate activated charcoal or G.I. Detox into your daily routine, click here to contact us. Or, call 276-235-3205 to schedule your complimentary 15-minute discovery call!

The Johnson Center for Health services patients in-person in our Blacksburg and Virginia Beach locations. We also offer telemedicine for residents of Virginia and North Carolina!