People are drinking hydrogen peroxide, alternative 'health' trend

Doctors are warning about an alternative health trend, saying it could kill you.

Hydrogen Peroxide is in a lot of people's medicine cabinets, often used at home for disinfecting scrapes and cuts or used for cleaning. However, some people are intentionally drinking it, thinking it's a natural cure or a cleansing agent. Doctors say there is no scientific proof behind the trend and it's deadly.

Hydrogen peroxide therapy is what the trend is being called on some websites. There are claims drinking it can help with sinus infections, food allergies, headaches, the flu, and a variety of other common illnesses.

It's not the typical household 3-5% that people are drinking. It's a stronger, more concentrated form, 35% labeled food grade. The sites say to put a couple drops in a glass of water, and drink it.

Don Martin with FM Ambulance says they haven’t experienced people in the area doing this, and hopes no one tries it. "Even on the lower stuff if you're drinking it, it's very toxic. It will perforate your esophagus down or your stomach, it will basically deteriorate it, and it's gone, and you can't get it back. Once it's gone, it's gone, it's a very horrible death that you're going to face."

Lexi Matthews with FM Integrative Health says she would never recommend it to anyone. "Natural, you know in our minds means, like oh natural, are like spinach, or broccoli, but natural doesn't mean harmless. A really good example of that is that our bodies are made up of mostly of water, but a certain amount of water can actually be fatal. Although it's the best thing for us, if we tip the scales and go the other way, you know you can actually die from it, so you have to be careful with natural products."

Even the websites selling this highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide warn that drinking it isn't FDA approved, and doctors say there's no scientific proof it helps anything.

According to the poison control center, children who swallow small amounts of the household hydrogen peroxide on accident are usually okay. Typically it causes an upset stomach and vomiting.

However, a large amount or higher concentration are very dangerous whether you drink it on accident or on purpose. If you drink peroxide call the poison control center or 911.