activated charcoal in children for Herxheimer
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Hi Dr Woeller, Do you have any references for the use of activated charcoal in children for die-off reactions? You recommend it in your handout but I could not find any literature on its use for non-acute ingestions. In particular I am looking for safety studies and dosing in children. I am new to using it and want to know more before I recommend to my patients.
Thank you
Jean KelleyDr. Kelley,
The use of activated charcoal (AC) for die-off goes back many years. In fact, I first learned about it 20+ years ago through different autism related conferences. However, I do not know of any specific study that has been done for die-off reactions. It is one of those remedies that has been seen to be helpful for short-term use as needed if die-off is recognized or suspected, but as far as peer-reviewed literature it is lacking. Unfortunately, this is the case with some things in biomedical or integrative medicine. It does not mean that something being used or advocated for is unsafe, but University’s or other research facilities just have not devoted resources to funding research.Mayo Clinic has a webpage on activated charcoal for poisoning with dosage suggestions – https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/charcoal-activated-oral-route/proper-use/drg-20070087.
One thing to watch out for with AC is constipation. It is not uncommon. An alternative to AC has become GI Detox+ from BioBotanical Research – https://www.nbnus.net/products/606-gi-detox-60-caps/. It tends to be less constipating than AC.
My recommendation with most things in integrative and/or biomedical intervention is proceed at your comfort level. In almost 25 years of practice I have not seen anything significant from an adverse health effect in using dosings of AC or GI Detox+ for die-off. My goal is never to use them permanently, but to have them on hand if die-off reactions are occuring.
Sincerely,
Dr. Woeller
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