I’ve gotten a lot of emails and messages from IBIH readers asking for updates on my recent issues with food intolerances. First I want to say thank you so much for your concern and well wishes – it really means a lot to me. I’m so excited to let you know that I can now EAT ALL OF THE THINGS!!!!! Which is both good and bad! ha ha!
I went from being able to eat and drink almost nothing without having a reaction, to now being able to eat and drink pretty much anything. I credit this amazing change to the diatomaceous earth I started taking almost 2 weeks ago. In my desperation to find answers to my sudden onset of intolerance to everything, and in getting no answers from the doctors I tried, I did a ton of research online. I tried all sorts of supplements and enzymes in case it was a Histamine Intolerance and saw no improvement.
Mr. Hungry was also doing research and asked me about parasites, because he read that they could cause a sudden onset of food and chemical intolerances. In our research about that, we found diatomaceous earth (DE) which was supposed to kill parasites with no chemicals or herbs, so it was unlikely that I would have a reaction to it. Since DE was also purported to flush out viral, fungal and bacterial pathogens, heavy metals (especially mercury since I have a few amalgam fillings), yeast (Candida) and pesticide residues (we live in an agricultural area and they spray year round here), I thought it was worth trying since all of those things can also contribute to sudden intolerances.
I ordered the Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade ONLY) online and started taking just a teaspoon a day (mixed into water) on an empty stomach, and worked up to a tablespoon a day within a week.
I don’t know how quickly it actually worked, but my last reaction was on a Sunday evening (it was a bad one) and I started taking the DE the next morning and haven’t had a reaction since. I started testing foods in small amounts that Thursday, and nothing produced a reaction. By this past Sunday I was eating everything, and even drank a beer with no issues.
I deliberately pushed the envelope with sugar, gluten, and high sulfite foods like canned tomatoes and aged cheese, just waiting for a reaction to come out of nowhere and it never did (though I felt bloated and awful from eating all that junk). I still can’t believe it! Now that I can eat anything, I’m going back to my low carb/gluten free way of eating (with the occasional splurge) before I gain all the weight back that I lost since January! I’m also very excited to be back in the kitchen and cooking for the blog again. I have lots of recipes on my list to share with you guys soon, and I’m so looking forward to that!
While I can’t be 100% sure that it was the DE that fixed my problem, in my gut I feel strongly that it was no coincidence that my issues went away when I started taking it. I don’t know if it was parasites, or pathogens, or yeast, or built up toxins that were causing my intolerances – maybe it was a combination of things, but I can tell you that in the first week of taking it I saw some very disturbing things getting “flushed” out. That’s all I’m going to say about it, and no I did not take pictures, but I feel a lot better knowing that stuff is gone – whether it was causing my food intolerances or not!
Diatomaceous Earth isn’t just for parasites and all of the other stuff I mentioned, though that alone is more than enough reason for me to keep taking it! There are many, many other health benefits that come from taking DE – including lowering blood pressure and cholesterol! DE is also made up of mostly silica which is crucial for the production of collagen which improves skin tone and the health of your joints and tendons – not to mention gorgeous hair and nails!
I read so many testimonials about DE improving people’s arthritis and joint pain that I told my mother in law about it and she started taking it too. Mr. Hungry is also a believer and has been taking it for over a week, and I’ll be starting our son on it in small doses soon. DE is also used for livestock and pets to control worms and parasites. All of our cats will be starting the DE as well, since that is likely ground zero for a lot of potential parasites that the rest of our family might come in contact with.
There are so many uses for DE that I can’t possibly write about all of them here so I’m going to give you a few great links on it’s many uses, how to use it, where to get it, etc.
FAQ & other DE uses – for pets, livestock, gardens, bedbugs, etc.
Diatomaceous Earth Testimonials 1
Diatomaceous Earth Testimonials 2
Sources to purchase DE online (you can also find it at some health food stores to avoid shipping charges):
To take the DE, stir one tablespoon (you can work up to that amount if you’d like) into about 4 ounces of water. Be very careful not to inhale the dust from it when stirring. Once it’s fully incorporated, drink it down quickly and chase with some more water or your drink of choice. It’s best taken on an empty stomach in the morning or evening before bed (or both if you’re hard core!)
Drink lots of water throughout the day or you may get “bound up” as they say. You may experience some mild stomach discomfort and strange sensations in your abdomen in the first few days (things dying?!?!? Ewww!) which Mr. Hungry and I both did.
It’s also possible to have a Herxheimer Reaction, which is a normal part of detoxing, during which you may experience flu-like symptoms for a few days. This is a result of the toxins being released from the parasites, fungus, viruses, bacteria or other pathogens being killed off. Our family already had a bad cold the week we started taking it so it’s hard to say if we experienced that or not. But if you do, stay the course – it’s a good thing!
If you have food intolerances that randomly just popped up like I did (or even if you’ve had them for awhile), don’t just accept that they are simply there for life like most allergists will tell you. Try the DE – it’s cheap and has many other health benefits so you have nothing to lose! I can’t say enough how glad I am that I found and ordered this amazing product! I’m a believer for life!
If you’ve used DE before with great results (or not) we’d love to hear from you! And if you haven’t yet, but are inspired to research it and try it out for yourself, please do let me know about your experiences with it! I feel like I want to bag it up and hand it out to everyone I know! Hmmm…maybe there is a DE giveaway in the near future – I’ll get on that! ;)
UPDATE 2: I received an email from Larry Smith, the President of Earthworks, who wanted to clear up the misconception about any dangers of inhaling food grade diatomaceous earth – here’s what he wrote: “This is a misunderstanding about food grade DE. There are 2 kinds of DE—food grade and filter grade (used in swimming pool and other filters) Only the filter grade is dangerous to breathe. The “dangerous” part of DE is the amount of crystalline silica that is in it. Filter grade is 65% crystalline silica while food grade is less than 1/10 of 1%! The world health org. has said that diatomaceous earth is safe to breathe as long as the crystalline content is under 2%. Food grade is 20X lower than even that level!!”
So no need to be concerned about any danger associated with using DE for pets, bedding, consumption or anything else – as long as it’s FOOD GRADE! Thanks so much for clearing that up Larry!!! It’s a huge relief to know that I don’t have to worry about that anymore!
Necessary internet disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor do I have any medical training – I’m just sharing what worked for me. Use this product at your own risk. Also, this is not a sponsored or for profit post, and I have no affiliation with any of the companies that produce this product.
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Sheena says
Do you have any idea what the youngest age is you can give DE to? I have young children that I often worry about in regards to parasites. We have two dogs and so do my parents and I wonder if they sometimes catch things from them.
Thanks!!
Sheena says
I can’t find this info anywhere, so if anyone knows, please chime in.
Dale says
Hi Sheena, I don’t know how old your kids are; but you can go to earthworkshealth.com and look on the testimonials there. Several people are talking about giving it to there kids from ages 5 and up. But I would use my on best judgement on how much to give them. i hope this helps.
Dale says
Hi everybody I am new to this site but I would like to tell you about something else that may help with your problems. It’s called 35% food grade Hydrogen Peroxide. I am an E.F.T. practitioner and I have always been into natural healings. The 35% food grade Hydrogen Peroxide has helped a lot of people that I have told about it with things like normalizing high blood pressure, diabetes, fibromalgia and a whole list of other things. There is a great book on it called The One Minute Cure to Virtually all Diseases by Madison Cavanaugh. Check it out for yourselves. Heres to your health.
Sincerly Dale
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Dale – I’d never heard of this and I’m definitely going to look into it!!!
Dale says
Your welcome Mellissa. I have my 83 year old mother on it and she had high blood pressure she went to her doctor the other day for her blood work and her doctor was completely amazed by her bloodwork he said everything was fantastic. She is no longer having to take her blood pressure medicine.
Beau says
I just ordered this product and I’ll let you know how it works for me. Thanks for providing all of this wonderful information!
Lisa says
Hi Mellissa,
No offense taken. Yes, I’m sure it is food grade, it’s from earthworks which is supplied by Perma-Guard.
It is actually not that uncommon a reaction. There are many people on various sites who have reported the same type of reaction. (I’ve read of several.) If you have parasites, they do not go down easily and anxiety, depression even, irritability, among physical reactions are not uncommon.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I get mine from earthworks too Lisa! I did have all kinds of weird symptoms when I started too, but since I was already having all the things you described before I started the DE, it actually helped me get rid of those. But it makes sense that everyone would react differently too. I hope you’re feeling better!
Lisa says
Does anyone have any information on the effects on the kidneys?
Lauren: I think it could be the DE. I had a reaction the first time I took it, only 1/2 tsp. A few hours later I had very bad anxiety, felt pressure in my lungs, headache, dizzy, weak legs. I also do A LOT of detox and have never really had a detox reaction except with this stuff. There is a part of me that wonders about the toxicity levels of it because of that.
Nonetheless, I continued with a lower dose, taking less more often throughout the day. Seemed to be okay. This morning, 2 weeks after starting it, had another weird reaction. Weird feeling in front part of my head, anxiety, weakness in legs.
I really really wish there was more research proving this was “safe”. I am taking it to get rid of parasites as herbs don’t seem to do it and I have noticed some nasty things being released with this stuff but I can’t help wonder about the toxicity.
One thing I noticed is that since taking it I have dark circles under my eyes and they are puffy…. I always think of kidneys when I see that but I haven’t had any pain in that area and as far as I know my kidneys are healthy. But that is weird.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Please don’t take offense to this question but are you absolutely SURE your were taking food grade DE and not the other stuff? I only ask because if it isn’t food grade it can make you REALLY sick! Otherwise I’m stumped – I’ve never heard of anyone having a reaction like yours from taking it but if I were you I’d avoid it from now on just to be safe!
Lauren says
Hi there, great post! I just started on DE for parasites. It’s been a handful of years of endless new food allergies and intolerances, chronic inflammation in the form of sudden development of asthma and nasal polyps, occasional joint and muscle pain, etc. I feel so hypersensitive. And like you, Melissa, I suspect a histamine intolerance as well as other food chemical intolerances like salycilates asI tend to be my most hypersensitive when chemicals from foods build up when I’m not careful. But none of that would be a problem if it weren’t for leaky gut. And a leading culprit in leaky gut is of course parasites.
DE seemed like the most safe option for me and my state of hypersensitivity. Oregano oil suddenly started giving me severe heart palpitations a few months ago, coconut oil suddenly started giving me diarrhea- so I’ve been afraid to mess around with new tinctures and treatments. All of my reading on DE sounded like there was a low incidence of side effects and most listed were detox related. I could handle that, I thought.
I’m on day 2 of 1/2 tsp with intentions of building up to 1 TBSP. A few hours after my morning dose, I got a sudden bout of heart palpitations and dizziness. It was short lasting, maybe 20 minutes, and it didn’t increase my respiration or anything, but it was uncomfortable. It doesn’t seem like I’m taking enough to be experiencing any kind of die-off. I know that palpitations themselves can be an indication of parasites, but usually when I’ve had them it’s been in response to specific foods and not hours after I’ve consumed something. Has this happened with anyone else?
I’ve thought, maybe the buggers are getting a little freaked out and are acting up. I hear they can be clever that way, synthesizing hormones for their own benefit of keeping their living environments comfortable.
What do you think?
Kris says
Hum. Could it be fear? I’m about to start DE and have had digestive issues for a couple of years. After trying dozens of remedies and only getting worse or restricting my diet more than I’m prepared to accept, I personally experience anxiety around the whole topic. When I try something new, I know (even with meditation) there must be some residual stress of high hopes and past disappointments. Just a thought.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I definitely experience this too Kris – I’m terrified of trying anything new for fear that it will cause a reaction. Then I think it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because my own anxiety causes me to start freaking out. It’s a vicious cycle.
Lauren says
Thanks for the comment Kris! That could definitely be a contributing factor, for sure. Something I’ll have to work with to not let the stress get the best of me. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Anything is possible Lauren! It could also be that the heart palpitations are caused by low blood sugar or lack of magnesium or potassium so make sure you are getting enough of that as well! And in addition it could be just anxiety which I occasionally have when I try something new in anticipation of having a reaction. I would be shocked if 1/2 tsp would do anything at all to you so it’s VERY unlikely that it’s causing your palpitations, BUT that being said, if you are taking it and continue to feel weird then you should stop. Keep me posted!
Sharon martorana says
Really enjoyed reading all the posts, evidently I’m not drinking enough water, I feel like I am, but feeling constipated, been doing coffee enemas for a few month.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Drinking a LOT of water is really key when you’re taking DE – otherwise you will definitely have some issues in the bathroom!
Kris says
Thanks for this post. I just discovered your site and will check out more. My digestion started giving me trouble over two years ago. I’m truly hoping the DE (which I ordered today) helps to get me back on the yummy food train ;-)
Joani says
I am on day 4 of starting DE. Tomorrow, I will start with 1 teaspoon for four days and up it from there. I’ve noticed some headache in the back of my head but are manageable. I’m hoping this will take care of my continued heartburn and diarrhea. I am a polio survivor and have aches and pains and hope that this will help with those.
Ginny says
How about DE killing of the good bacteria in our bodies. Do you have any information/concerns about that.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I read somewhere that it’s not a concern, but I can’t remember where. I’ll look into it and post a link when I find it!
Kris says
Here’s a link to a request for studies on this very topic: http://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=39049