diatomaceous earth- how much?

[marigold]

Hi. I really want to deworm my family with diatomaceous earth. I feel pretty comfortable with the idea for myself but the info on kids is sparse and a little contradictory. I've got 5 kids from 12 ( at 60 lbs) to just turning (4 at 30 lbs).
They are all on the smaller side. Some sites recommend 1/2-1 tsp for kids. I was reading the old diatomaceous earth thread and in some places it said 1 tsp and in some places it said 1 T or more? How do I know how much to give them? and when enough is enough. Anyone with some advice would be appreciated. Also if you've a link I could show my dh that would be handy. He is so skeptical of everything non-mainstream that I try.
Thanks so much.

[Katigre]

Is there a specific reason that your whole family needs to be dewormed? Have you been diagnosed with specific parasites?

How did everyone get them? I would be very hesitant to self-treat with DE. The only person I knew who had a parasite was treated by a specific infectious disease doctor (it was acquired from another country).

[ECingMama]

We are going to use it too.

I'd start with 1/4 tsp. I don't see the point of going over 1 tsp.

When we did it years ago, dd and I passed icky things.

[Soliloquy]

I take a tablespoon every day, have for about ten years. When my kids want some they take a teaspoon. But they have also been taking it sporadically for years. It's better to start small. You can always increase. You might want to look into combining it with hydrated clay, like Sonne's #7.

[ECingMama]

Originally Posted by Katigre

Is there a specific reason that your whole family needs to be dewormed? Have you been diagnosed with specific parasites?

How did everyone get them? I would be very hesitant to self-treat with DE. The only person I knew who had a parasite was treated by a specific infectious disease doctor (it was acquired from another country).

ALL drugs have risks. Whatever the doctor treated your friend with had risks.

If she's choosing food-grade DE, she is choosing those risks instead.

The thing I remember from that thread was 90 days of use was essential.

[marigold]

Originally Posted by Katigre

Is there a specific reason that your whole family needs to be dewormed? Have you been diagnosed with specific parasites?

How did everyone get them? I would be very hesitant to self-treat with DE. The only person I knew who had a parasite was treated by a specific infectious disease doctor (it was acquired from another country).

Thank-you, these are good questions. The reason I want to, personally, is I believe I have worms as I regularly experience rectal itchiness at bedtime which is supposed to be a symptom of pinworms. I did a herbal dewormer / cleanse thing in spring and it helped for a while but it has come back. The herbal dewormer was awful (I could hardly choke it down - really strong and bitter) I don't think pinworms require a specific infectious disease doctor, you can buy dewormers at any pharmacy.

I believe that diatomaceous earth (DE) would help because if taken for 90 days it is long enough to let all the worms go through the stage of the cycle where they are in the intestines (as they are not in the intestines at all stages of development).
I want to do the rest of my family (and the cats) because according to my research if one member of the family has worms the rest probably do too. I already deworm the cats every fall, why don't we extend that same treatment to our family.

---------- Post added at 11:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:24 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

I take a tablespoon every day, have for about ten years. When my kids want some they take a teaspoon. But they have also been taking it sporadically for years. It's better to start small. You can always increase. You might want to look into combining it with hydrated clay, like Sonne's #7.

I have Living Clay. The DE thread suggested that the first time taking DE you didn't want to do both at the same time (kind of a too much detox at once idea) Why would you suggest both? I also think that it might be harder to make palatable so that the kids will take it if I did both at the same time. How do your kids take it?

[Soliloquy]

Clay doesn't trigger detox. It absorbs toxins in the gut so you don't experience detox. When parasites die, you could have detox symptoms if they release a lot of their metabolic waste at once. Clay could absorb much of that, getting it out of you faster rather than lingering in your gut. The hydrated clay I use doesn't have a taste, really. It's just an option, though. You can use DE alone. My kids take it in water. They like it.

[2sunshines]

Where do you guys buy food grade DE and do you have any brand recommendations?

[ECingMama]

Originally Posted by 2sunshines

Where do you guys buy food grade DE and do you have any brand recommendations?

I bought mine on amazon.

[marigold]

Originally Posted by 2sunshines

Where do you guys buy food grade DE and do you have any brand recommendations?

I also got mine on amazon. I got one that specified food grade and linked to a website of the company and had instructions for human consumption. Haven't tried it yet planning to start at the start of Nov. so I can't say how it turned out.
It is also available at the local health food store.

[Soliloquy]

Originally Posted by 2sunshines

Where do you guys buy food grade DE and do you have any brand recommendations?

I buy from Earth Works Health. Amazon is good for smaller quanitities. I use it in the bedding for my chickens (stops lice and fleas) so I buy in bigger quantities.

[sprout]

following.


how is it going...now that it is into Novemeber

[marigold]

Well the kids, as of today, are up to the 1 tsp level. I am up to 2 tsp. I have yet to notice any side effects in them or myself. I have been mixing it into apple sauce and giving it to them at breakie. One doesn't like that but will drink it in banana milk. I am at this point reminding them to drink some water with breakfast as well so they don't get constipated. They are not consistent in their hydration. They are not taking any other supplements. I have been taking calcium bentonite clay since the start of September and am continuing that. I take it right before bed at night.

[marigold]

Well, we are coming up on 1 month. The kids are tired of taking DE every morning but other than a little whining we will carry on. Most of them prefer to take their DE in banana milk, dd2 prefers yogurt. I usually just chug mine in a big glass of water. I am up to 1 TBSP morning and evening with my tsp of calcium bentonite clay in the evening as well. I am having to really focus on getting enough fluid. I got a little dehydrated earlier this week and got a little plugged up. The itching down below at bed time has stopped.

[marigold]

Well we have finished 3 months and we are all glad to be done with DE for a while. DD1 has a very visible fringe of hair growth across her forehead that began in November and grew out as we went one. She was very happy that the DE was making her hair grow. I also had bad ends on my hair and had to chop a lot (like over and inch) but could not figure out why it didn't seem to get shorter. We did not have any other visible differences that we noticed. As reported earlier the rectal itching I was experiencing also stopped. Dh did not do the DE with us so who can say how long the benefits will last.