Sunday, February 2, 2014

Drinking Dirt: Bentonite Clay Detox

Bentonite Clay #Detox
Since it's February, you might expect that I'm going to post about romance or how to knit a scarf or maybe even something football related, but I'm not doing that. We are going in a totally different direction! I'm going to talk about dirt and poop. Woohoo!!! Excited, right?! It's so much better than love and stuff. Ew.

So, I drink dirt. I just love saying that. People never know if I'm serious or if I'm using my "special" sense of humor on them. I'm definitely serious. But it's a special kind of dirt called Bentonite Clay.

Not only is it a great detox, but it's also helped with IBS symptoms.

Why I Drink Dirt
1) It's Natural
Bentonite Clay is one of the most powerful substances Mother Nature has given us.

Have you ever watched those wildlife documentaries and seen the animals shamelessly eating dirt? They are actually eating clay. They instinctually know that clay will help with digestion and elimination of toxins. It's programmed into their behavior and I bet that at one time in history it was our instinct to eat dirt, too. But I bet that some jerk-face decided that it was "uncivilized" to eat dirt and everyone else was like "Yay! Woo!! Civilized people! No dirt!!" so we stopped.

I bet it happened just like that.

2) Detox
This isn't just any dirt. Bentonite clay that can produce a negative electric charge once it's hydrated which helps to pull heavy metals, toxins and radioactive material out of your body and into your poop which then goes into the toilet thus exiting your holy vessel. It's pretty awesome.

However-- this is super important-- don't let your clay come in contact with metal. The negative ions will absorb the ions from the metal and then a) the clay loses some of it's pull b) you are drinking some metals which will bind to the clay and be excreted, but still-- you are ingesting metal. No thank you.

It's similar to eating Wheaties apparently. Watch this YouTube Video. It's about cereal and a magnet and what happens when they collide! It's slightly disturbing so watch at your own risk (especially if you like Wheaties). Also, it's a good reason to go buy some clay.

If that doesn't freak you out, then you can look at this article which shows you 32 surprising sources of toxic heavy metals.

3) Help certain ailments
Clay has been researched through evidence based studies and definitely seems promising, but it hasn't been researched for all it's potential yet. We are seeing more people with different ailments claiming that bentonite clay has helped their symptoms or even recovery from their illness.

Bentonite Clay could be beneficial with health concerns like the following:
  • Supports digestion
  • Supports healthy skin 
  • Help boost up the immune system
  • Cleanse the liver, colon and skin
  • Help provide some trace minerals that humans can sometimes lack in their diets
  • Improves symptoms of dehydration
  • Aids in the absorption of nutrients
  • Helps support healthy gut flora
  • Supports parasite removal from the gut
  • Help to to correct the imbalances in bacteria of the GI tract
People who should NOT take clay:
  • Iron absorption issues -- you may need blood monitoring.
  • High blood pressure
  • Check with your doctor if you are taking prescription medications to make sure it will not interfere with their absorption. ALWAYS take medication and vitamins either 30 minutes before or 2 hours after you ingest clay. 
  • If you have concerns, always check with your doctor. 
Side Effects:
The most common side effect is constipation because the clay pulls water from your colon as it passes through. So drink water. But if adding more water to your diet isn't going to fly, then you can add fiber to the clay to help the poo slide right out. 

You may also experience some detox symptoms when you first begin to use bentonite clay such as the following:
  • Head Pain
  • Nausea
  • Fatigue (Eeoyre) or extreme energy (Tiger)
  • Body aches
  • Nasal or sinus issues
  • Sore throat
  • GI irregularities
  • Cold Sores
  • Skin rashes
  • Sleeping difficulty
  • Increased or decreased sex drive 
  • Flu-like symptoms 
Feel free to take breaks from this detox. In fact, you should take breaks if you start to feel ill. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!!

How to Drink Bentonite Clay?
  • 8 oz water (room temp is best)
  • 1 tsp to 1 TBSP of Bentonite Clay
Either mix the clay in the water with a PLASTIC spoon or add a PLASTIC lid and shake that bad boy up. Remember-- no metal! Your drink will be less clumpy with the violent shaking vs gentle spoon mixing. 

Now you have options:
  • Either let the drink sit for a few minutes to let the clay settle on the bottom or drink it right away. 
  • You can choose to either drink the clay that settles at the bottom of the cup or discard it.
Detox drink
For beginners: drink 1 tsp of clay a day. You may want to take slight breaks for the first few weeks due to detox symptoms-- this is recommended. For example, you can consume bentonite clay for 3-4 days and then take a 2-3 day break and then resume. 

I drink bentonite clay every day for 6 weeks twice a year and then I also drink it as needed if I'm feeling bloated, sluggish, need a good poo, or if I think that I may be getting sick. You can drink a small amount (1-2 tsp) daily for maintenance.

For a major detox, I'll drink it a few times a day for 5 days. 

Redmond ClayMore Info:
Here is some good information about bentonite clay if you're interested in reading about it: Bentonite Clay Info or Natural News or LikeAMustardSeed Blog post (she got me started on this whole clay is awesome clay thing in early 2013).

You can also use bentonite clay for any of the following (recipes in the links):
I use Redmond Trading Company Clay but there's a lot of good clay companies out there-- just do your research before you buy (like making sure they don't use metal when they collect the clay).

I'm doing a week long detox program using herbs so stay tuned to see my post about that!! I'm shameless I know.

If you don't want to buy the powder, you can buy the clay in capsule form: Redmond Clay Daily Detox Vegetarian Capsule, 120 Count

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review, but I did receive the clay for free from Redmond Trading Company and I was instructed to provide an unbiased review (They are pretty confident). Seriously, I would tell you if it was horrible. It's definitely not. I love it!

If you buy any of the products from my recommended Amazon links I will get a very tiny and rather small commission from Amazon (your price stays the same) which I will use to buy more stuff to blog about. True Story. 
Sherri Griffin
Sherri Griffin

Thanks for checking out my blog. I get serious about a few things in life: animals, chemicals, and food. For the rest I can't promise anything so keep the bar low. For more about me check out my "About Me" page! Happy DIYing!

Copyright

©overthrowmartha.com by Sherri Griffin, 2012-present. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sherri Griffin and Overthrow Martha with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Boring Disclaimer

The contents found on Overthrow Martha are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure. If you have concerns, please contact a doctor before altering your health care routine. If you feel as if you are having any adverse side effects please stop using the product immediately and consults a physician.

Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

All affiliate links are used to help keep Overthrow Martha up and running while a portion is donated to charities.

You rock for reading all of that. {pats you on back}