People who Partake in Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth?

[Kaarlo76]

My neighbor say that diatomaceous earth make his Asil more angry.

 

[Marie2020]

I was reading up about using food grade diatomaceous earth for chickens and saw that people actually ingest it also for health benefits. There were a wide range of opinions on adding it to chicken feed or liberally applying it to chickens and in there coops/nests so I'm not sold on it just yet for my chickens other than adding it to the dust bath dirt area.
Now, I am curious to know if any of you out there use it yourself for personal health or nutritional reasons? What has it done to improve any conditions or the benefits you get from taking it? There were so many mixed reviews now my wondering mind wants to know!

I don't use DE, I use something similar called food grade benonite clay, and dust my chickens with it as well as dust their flooring areas

 

[KarynVA]

I saw this article about DE a while back and that was the point at which I realized most of the hype about DE I see on the internet is completely and entirely BUNK. I feel really bad for people like the author of this article, being taken in by this scam. It's really sad, and scary.

I mean, she even recommends to use it as TOOTHPASTE!

 

[CindyinSD]

I don't use DE, I use something similar called food grade benonite clay, and dust my chickens with it as well as dust their flooring areas

I have bentonite in my glaze mixing supplies (for pottery). Because of the small particle size of all glaze components, I use a respirator to avoid silicosis. If pure, I don't think it's toxic (but all these things are mined minerals and will contain at least traces of other components). I wouldn't use it, except to seal a pond or thicken a glaze.

 

[Marie2020]

I have bentonite in my glaze mixing supplies (for pottery). Because of the small particle size of all glaze components, I use a respirator to avoid silicosis. If pure, I don't think it's toxic (but all these things are mined minerals and will contain at least traces of other components). I wouldn't use it, except to seal a pond or thicken a glaze.

Thank you for your point of view.
I am aware about the breathing side of things and take good care. This has work tremendously well for my chickens and my dog, when it's aborbed absorbed correctly it's worked well as a wormer for him for the past ten plus years

 

[Geckolady]

I read about the supposed health benefits of DE, then went down to the health food store to buy some. The sales clerk put on gloves and the type of mask you see painters or exterminators wear before handling it. She said that her employer makes them do that because it will cause lung cancer, and told me how to handle it to keep it from going airborne so I could use it. I carefully used it for about a month and saw no health benefits. I still have a big jar full, but will not be using it around chickens, since they would stir up the dust.

Love it--she dresses up like an exterminator to handle the stuff, then tells me not to worry, just use it properly.

 

[dbtcowgirl]

I frequently eat a wide variety of dirt and minerals but it's just because I live on farm due to being a clumsy human fall down a lot. I'm still alive but I doubt there are any health benefits

 

[Mmanist]

I think my old college roommate used to snort it up his nose. does that count?

I have no idea why someone would want to put that up their nostril. Isn't DE made out of fossilized organisms? Why on earth would someone snort a fossil?

The only thing I use DE in is plaster. For fixing bigger holes in my drywall lol

 

[WindingRoad]

It's perhaps benign, as long as it's pure, but DE is a mined mineral and as such very difficult to control contaminants that are naturally occurring minerals in the same mining area. I don't know what minerals might be expected to commonly accompany DE, but humans don't really benefit much from eating inorganic minerals. That's why we eat plants and animals, not pulverized rocks.

I did put some in my coop in a dust bath and regretted it. It didn't take long for everything to become covered in a film of gray dust. I have a big bag. Anyone nearby who wants it can have it.

Do you know calcium supplements are made with crushed rock. Also, research (AKA) baker's lung. Interesting, there are articles there from the Mayo Clinic, WebMD etc.

 

[Marie2020]

I read about the supposed health benefits of DE, then went down to the health food store to buy some. The sales clerk put on gloves and the type of mask you see painters or exterminators wear before handling it. She said that her employer makes them do that because it will cause lung cancer, and told me how to handle it to keep it from going airborne so I could use it. I carefully used it for about a month and saw no health benefits. I still have a big jar full, but will not be using it around chickens, since they would stir up the dust.

Love it--she dresses up like an exterminator to handle the stuff, then tells me not to worry, just use it properly.

If its food grade I use it as a face mask to draw out the toxins. I've heard the fine powder causes breathing problems but only in this thread have heard cancer before. It has been used in face power eye and eye shadow for many years. I've made a little bit of mascara with this and activated charcoal. I rarely use eye makeup but it's ok when I'm really tired and have to go out