MARIA: WELCOME BACK.
A HEALTH WARNING TO TELL YOU
ABOUT.
FOODS THAT USE ACTIVATED
CHARCOAL MAY HAVE A DARKER SIDE.
JOINING ME NOW IS DR. B
MIKHAILVARSHAVSKI.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN IT AND TELL US
WHERE THE DANGER IS?
>> I THINK THIS FALLS INTO THE
CATEGORY OF LUDICROUS HEALTH
CLAIMS THAT STEM AS A RESULT OF
HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF
SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND THEN
EXPANDING THAT INTO A MARKETING
PLOY.
THEY'RE PREYING ON PEOPLE'S
INSECURITIES AND WORRIES ABOUT
CONSUMING TOXINS, HAVING TOXINS
WITHIN THEIR BODY.
THEY SAY IF YOU EAT A FOOD
PACKED WITH CHARCOAL, THAT'S
GOING TO BIND TOXINS, PREVENT
YOU FROM GETTING SICK.
NONE OF THE HEALTH CLAIMS ARE
TRUE.
THE BOTTOM LINE, AT BEST, YOU'RE
NOT GOING TO GET SICK FROM
EATING THEM AND AT WORST YOU CAN
GET SICK, IT WILL ABSORB SOME OF
THE VITAMINS AND MINERALS, SO
IT'S A SKIP FOR ME AND I'M GLAD
NEW YORK CITY IS BANNING THIS
BECAUSE IT'S NOT AN APPROVED
FOOD ADDITIVE.
MARIA: WHAT ARE THE ISSUES?
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH ISSUES?
>> THE HEALTH ISSUES, NUMBER
ONE, CHARCOAL CAN CAUSE
CONSTIPATION AND THAT'S NOT A
PROBLEM ANYBODY WANTS.
NUMBER TWO, BECAUSE CHARCOAL
LIKES TO BIND SUBSTANCES, IT CAN
ACTUALLY BIND MEDICATIONS THAT
YOU'RE TAKING THAT YOU NEED TO
BE ACTIVE.
TWO, IT CAN BIND VITAMINS AND
MINERALS THAT YOUR BODY WANTS TO
ABSORB THAT YOU NEED, THAT ARE
ESSENTIAL FOR EVERYDAY LIFE.
THE POSITIVE BENEFITS ARE NOT
THERE.
YOU SHOULD NOT BE JUST CONSUMING
CHARCOAL ON A REGULAR BASIS
UNLESS THERE'S A SPECIFIC
INDICATION.
THE REASON THAT GAINED SO MUCH
TRACTION AND POPULARITY IS
BECAUSE IN EMERGENCY ROOMS AND
SOME SPECIFIC POISON CONTROL
INSTANCES WE DO GIVE ACTIVATED
CHARCOAL.
BUT THIS ISN'T SOMETHING TO BE
USED WILLY-NILLY TO BE THROWN
INTO ICE CREAM AND LATTES
BECAUSE IT LOOKS COOL.
DAGEN: IF I WANT TO DRINK DARK
GRAY WATER I'LL STICK A STRAW IN
A NEW YORK CITY PUDDLE AND QUITE
FRANKLY THAT'S WHAT SOME OF
THESE THINGS TASTE LIKE.
I BOUGHT SOME CHARCOAL WATER.
IF YOU'RE EATING THAT COLOR
FOOD, IT GETS IN YOUR TEETH.
IT'S NASTY LOOKING, NUMBER ONE.
AND THEN TWO, IT DOESN'T TASTE
GOOD.
SO IF YOU WANT TO GET RID OF
TOXINS IN YOUR BODY, GO FOR A 1-
TOXINS IN YOUR BODY, GO FOR A 1I
TOXINS IN YOUR BODY, GO FOR A 1E
TOXINS IN YOUR BODY, GO FOR A 1R
TOXINS IN YOUR BODY, GO FOR A 1N
TOXINS IN YOUR BODY, GO FOR A 1A
TOXINS IN YOUR BODY, GO FOR A 1D
TOXINS IN YOUR BODY, GO FOR A 1S
TOXINS IN YOUR BODY, GO FOR A 1E
TOXINS IN YOUR BODY, GO FOR A 1T
TOXINS IN YOUR BODY, GO FOR A 1.
>> I LIKE THAT.
MARIA: YEAH, I DON'T UNDERSTAND
THIS.
I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU.
I DIDN'T REALIZE THIS WAS A
TREND.
THIS SOUNDS CRAZY TO ME,
CHARCOAL.
>> THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS, DR.
MIK, IF YOU BACK ME UP, THERE'S
SO MANY THINGS ON THE INTERNET
THAT CAN GAIN A LOT OF TRACTION,
BECOME FAD DIETS AND PEOPLE SEE
AN INSTAGRAM MODEL AND SAY I'M
GOING TO DO THAT.
THAT CAN REALLY BE DANGEROUS FOR
PEOPLE.
DAGEN: TWO WORDS, FYRE
FESTIVAL, THAT'S WHERE INSTAGRAM
MODELS GET YOU.
>> THIS IS THE CHARCOAL FESTIVAL
AT THIS POINT.
YOU GET INFORMATION OUT THERE
THAT CARRIES A SMIDGEN OF
SCIENTIFIC VALIDITY.
SOMEONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
IT.
THE ALGORITHMS GRAB IT, SHARE IT
WITH EVERYBODY, PEOPLE GET
EXCITED AND IT TAKES SOMEONE
LIKE ME TO JUMP IN AND SAY HOLD
YOUR HORSES, YOU DON'T HAVE TO
TAKE ACTIVATED CHARCOAL COFFEE
TO BE HEALTHY.
DAGEN: HOW DID THE INTERNET
WITH THIS VAST AMOUNT OF
INFORMATION DUMBER?
IT MADE PEOPLE STUPID.
THEY FIND WHAT THEY WANT TO
HEAR, RATHER THAN THE TRUTH ON
THE INTERNET.
>> I THINK WHAT THE INTERNET,
YOU HAVE THREE THINGS HAPPEN.
ONE IS LIKE YOU SAID, IT BECOMES
AN ECHO CHAMBER.
TWO, IT CREATES MORE
DISCONNECTION EVEN THOUGH WE'RE
MORE HYPER CONNECTED THAN WE'VE
EVER BEEN.
THE FINAL THING IS, IT BECOMES A
MISINFORMATION SUPER HIGHWAY.
THE EXTREME VIEWPOINTS GET
PUSHED ONTO EVERYBODY AND PEOPLE
GET EXCITED ABOUT THEM
INCORRECTLY.
MARIA: LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT
POSTPARTUM, THE MOST COMMON
COMPLICATION FROM PREGNANCY AND
CHILDBIRTH ACCORDING TO THE CDC,
THE FDA IS GRANTING APPROVAL TO
HELP TREAT THAT DEPRESSION WITH
SAGE THERAPEUTICS NEW I.V.
INJECTION DRUG.
HOW BIG OF A DEAL IS THIS?
>> I THINK IT'S A VERY BIG DEAL.
WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST MONTH
THAT THE FDA IS TAKING STEPS TO
CREATE MEDICATIONS THAT WILL
TREAT DEPRESSION.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT POSTPARTUM
DEPRESSION, THAT CAN OCCUR
DURING CHILDBIRTH, BEFORE
CHILDBIRTH AND IT'S A SERIOUS
ILLNESS AFFECTING ONE IN NINE
WOMEN WHO GIVE BIRTH.
I SEE PEOPLE STRUGGLE WITH THIS
CONDITION ALL THE TIME.
THIS ISN'T BABY BLUES.
THIS ISN'T JUST SLIGHTLY BEING
UPSET, MILD CASE OF DEPRESSIVE
FEELINGS.
THIS IS A SEVERE ILLNESS THAT
CAN TRULY INHIBIT AND MAKE IT
DIFFICULT FOR A MOTHER TO BOND
WITH HER CHILD, POSSIBLY CAUSE
HARM, AND HAVING A MEDICATION IS
ONE OTHER ALTERNATIVE THAT
DOCTORS CAN USE TO HELP THOSE
PEOPLE.
MARIA: ALL RIGHT.