Charcoal Poultice and Charcoal Drink as Treatment to Leg Ulcers Essay

The use of charcoal as a simple remedy for different health problems is an ancient way of treating many common diseases that afflict humankind dates back in the time of Hippocrates who lived from 460 to 370 B. C. In the late 1800, Ellen G, White spearheaded the use of charcoal in the treatment of different diseases. She said, â€Å"The Lord has given some simple herbs of the field that at times are beneficial; and if every family were educated in how to use these herbs in case of sickness, much suffering might be prevented, and no doctor can be called. One of the most beneficial remedies is pulverized charcoal placed in a bag and used in fomentations. This is a most successful remedy†¦I have prescribed this simple remedy, with perfect success†¦This works like a charm. † The use of charcoal in treating diseases is a product of long years of scientific studies. Charcoal is defined as an amorphous, porous form of carbon made by the destructive distillation of almost any carbonaceous material such as wood, coconut shells animal bones, and corn cobs. The medicinal properties of charcoal are given strong boost by the United States (a book that tells how to prepare and use medicines). Besides giving direction for making charcoal, the Dispensatory lists several problems that can be treated with charcoal. Activated charcoal exerts its effects by absorbing a wide variety of drugs and chemicals. The important work of charcoal powder in the treatment of diseases is to adsorb chemical substances that are harmful to the body, like germs, viruses, toxins, wound secretions, and other products of infections. To adsorb means to take up, hold on, or spread out on the surface of the molecules. Charcoal works like a magnet. Charcoal poultice is made up of charcoal powder mixed with enough water to make into a paste. It is spread into a thin dry cloth with all the sides folded over the charcoal paste and then applied over the affected area of the skin or over the body organ. From thirty minutes to two hours after the application of the charcoal poultice, there is a feeling of itching around the area or a little pricking pain. That is because charcoal sucks what it can absorb from within. The advice is to never remove the poultice. Keep it on because your body is responding positively to the treatment. Pain may be felt from three to seven days. The internal use of charcoal powder is called charcoal drink. Charcoal drink is made of charcoal powder diluted in a glass of drinking water according to dosage for medical purposes. The charcoal drink is tasteless. The taste of the drinking water when mixed with charcoal powder doesn’t change. There is no difference in taste between a glass of clear drinking water and a glass of water with charcoal powder. The only difference is the color. Treatment is a therapy used to remedy a health problem. It is a process or intervention in the design of experiments a method of combating, ameliorating, or preventing a disease, disorder, or injury. Active or curative treatment is designed to cure; palliative treatment is directed to relieve pain and distress; prophylactic treatment is for the prevention of a disease or disorder; causal treatment focuses on the cause of a disorder; conservative treatment avoids radical measures and procedures; empiric treatment uses methods shown to be beneficial by experience; rational treatment is based on a knowledge of a disease process and the action of the measures used. Treatment may be pharmacologic, using drugs; surgical, involving operative procedures; or supportive, building the patient’s strength. It may be specific for the disorder, or symptomatic to relieve symptoms without affecting a cure. Leg ulcers refer to full thickness skin loss on the leg or foot due to any cause. They occur in association with a range of disease processes, most commonly with blood circulation diseases. Leg ulcers may be acute or chronic. Acute ulcers are sometimes defined as those that follow the normal phases of healing; they are expected to show signs of healing in less than 4 weeks and include traumatic and postoperative wounds. Chronic ulcers are those that persist for longer than 4 weeks and are often of complex poorly understood origin. There have been a vast number of case reports of individuals who have benefited most decidedly from external applications of charcoal. Charcoal has been found to adsorb wound secretions, bacteria, and toxins. It appears to keep the bacteria from entering the blood stream. D. PROCEDURE HOW TO PREPARE CHARCOAL POWDER MATERIALS NEEDED: 1. Charcoal from hard wood or coconut shell or bones of clean animals such as cows, carabaos, goats, etc. 2. Coffee grinder or wooden mortar. 3. Fine coffee strainer. PROCEDURE: 1. Pulverize the charcoal by grinding or pounding. 2. Strain the charcoal powder through a fine coffee strainer. 3. Sterilize the charcoal powder in an oven or in a dry covered kettle or frying pan for 15 to 20 minutes. 4. Let cool and store in a dry, clean, covered glass jar or container. HOW TO PREPARE THE CHARCOAL POULTICE MATERIALS NEEDED: 1. Charcoal powder 2. Two pieces of thin cotton cloth or diaper 3. Cellophane or plastic bag 4. Cold or warm water 5. Mixing bowl 6. Mixing spoon and ladle 7. Elastic roller bandage number 4 or a 4-inch-wide cloth 8. Safety pins PROCEDURE: 1. Place the charcoal powder in a mixing bowl. 2. Pour in water gradually. 3. Stir it slowly with a spoon or ladle to make a charcoal paste. Mixture should not be too dry or too wet. 4. Spread a piece of cloth on the table. 5. Spread a ? inch charcoal paste on the center of the cloth. See to it that it’s one or two inches wider than the diseased body part which will be applied on. 6. Fold the four sides of the cloth over the charcoal paste. 7. Turn the covered charcoal pate upside down and drain the excess water by pressing it with a piece of dry cloth. HOW TO APPLY CHARCOAL POULTICE: 1. Apply poultice over the center of the area to be treated. 2. Cover it with a thin cellophane or plastic to keep the heat and moisture intact. 3. Cover with a clean and dry cloth. The cloth must be one or two inches wider than the poultice so the heat cannot escape. 4. Bind tightly with a roller bandage or with a strip of cloth. 5. Leave it overnight or do it three times a day. 6. Dress the patient in the morning. 7. Repeat the treatment until the condition is placed under control or healed. FREQUENCY OF APPLICATION: 1. Overnight7:00 p. m. to 5:00 a. m. 2. Three times a day7:00 a. m. to 11:00 a. m. 1:00 p. m. to 5:00 p. m. 7:00 p. m. to 5:00 a. m. HOW TO PREPARE THE CHARCOAL DRINK MATERIALS NEEDED: 1. Sterilized charcoal powder 2. Two glasses of cold or warm drinking water 3. Spoon 4. Two feeding bottles (for babies) DOSAGE AND PROCEDURE: 1. Dilute the charcoal powder in cold or warm water according to the dosage. four times a day7:00 a. m. 1:00 p. m. 7:00 p. m. 1:00 a. m. †¢Newborn babies a. One teaspoonful of charcoal powder in a glass half-filled with drinking water. †¢Children a. Into a glass of half-filled with drinking water, dilute one heaping tablespoon of charcoal powder. b. Stir the mixture thoroughly. c. Let the charcoal powder settle down in the glass for five minutes before giving it to the child or pouring it into the feeding bottle. †¢Adult and Youth a. In a glass filled with water, dilute two heaping tablespoonfuls of charcoal powder. 2. Let the patient drink all the mixture at one time. Babies and children may be given charcoal drink little by little. 3. Let the patient drink pure water to rinse and throat after each drink. 4. Repeat the treatment three times a day or as indicated until healed. E. REFERENCES: 1. Paypa, Severino S. , M. H. SC. , M. P. H. , 2006, Healing Wonders of Charcoal 2. http://www. time. com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,771082,00. html 3. http://www. emedicinehealth. com/activated_charcoal/page2_em. htm 4. http://www. soyouwanna. com/ways-cure-leg-ulcers-4348. html 5. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Treatment 6. http://medical-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/treatment.