Posted on 06/16/2009 1:40:35 PM PDT by JoeProBono
Consumers should stop using Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gel and related products because they can permanently damage the sense of smell, federal health regulators said Tuesday.
The over-the-counter products contain zinc, an ingredient scientists say may damage nerves in the nose needed for smell. The other products affected by the Food and Drug Administration's announcement are adult and kid-size Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs.
The FDA says about 130 consumers have reported a loss of smell after using Matrixx Initiatives' Zicam products since 1999. Shares of the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company plunged to a 52-week low after the FDA announcement, losing more than half their value.
"Loss of the sense of smell is potentially life threatening and may be permanent," said Dr. Charles Lee. "People without the sense of smell may not be able to detect life dangerous situations, such as gas leaks or something burning in the house."
The FDA said Zicam Cold Remedy was never formally approved because it is part of a small group of remedies that are not required to undergo federal review before launching. Known as homeopathic products, the formulations often contain herbs, minerals and flowers.
Show the proof. I bet this is a matter of 0’s stooges trying to cut into Rush’s advertising dollars. It won’t work.
It is a Homeopathic medication! It may be a waste of money since to be a homeopathic medication the active ingrediant is diluted to 1/10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 (10 to the 60th power). At 10 to the 24th power (Avagadro’s constant) the solution has a 60% probability of containing one molecule of original material if one mole of the original substance was used.
This is HUGH.
I have used the “melts” half-a-dozen times and they have worked every time. I have recommended these to a few people and every one of them who used it reported that it worked as well. I have never used the spray or the swabs so don’t know about them but my wife has used the swabs and still possesses a sense of smell.
No. If it were diluted as per homeopathic medicine it wouldn’t (ever) work and there wouldn’t be the olfactory side effects. The zinc is labeled as 1x and 2x in the product I have.
Hasn’t bothered me. I use it regularly, and I still smell...
Seriously, I’d love to know the methodology of this. I’ve been using the stuff when needed, and I’ve had good results. nothing wrong with my sniffer, either.
I personaaly would not use it because there is evidence that Zinc Oxides can reduce sense of smell. This is common where galvinizing metal with zinc is done. And I have had it happen to me when I tried to weld a piece of metal that I did not get all the zinc coating off of.
I have never used the product, but heard some time back from two different friends that they suspected this was happening to them. They were using the stuff a LOT.
0’s stooges will waste no opportunity - but lets not jump to conclusions.
Scary about the welding incident.
I probably would not use the product, given what is known about the risks, except that I have used it many times before with no side effects.
But it makes you wonder if there could be a cumulative problem.
Even though zinc is an essential requirement for good health, excess zinc can be harmful. Excessive absorption of zinc suppresses copper and iron absorption.[144] The free zinc ion in solution is highly toxic to plants, invertebrates, and even vertebrate fish.[156] The Free Ion Activity Model is well-established in the literature, and shows that just micromolar amounts of the free ion kills some organisms. A recent example showed 6 micromolar killing 93% of all Daphnia in water.[157]
The free zinc ion is a powerful Lewis acid up to the point of being corrosive. Stomach acid contains hydrochloric acid, in which metallic zinc dissolves readily to give corrosive zinc chloride. Swallowing a post-1982 American one cent piece (97.5% zinc) can cause damage to the stomach lining due to the high solubility of the zinc ion in the acidic stomach.[158]
There is evidence of induced copper deficiency at low intakes of 100–300 mg Zn/d; a recent trial had higher hospitalizations among elderly men taking 80 mg/day.[159] The USDA RDA is 15 mg Zn/d. Even lower levels, closer to the RDA, may interfere with the utilization of copper and iron or to adversely affect cholesterol.[144] Levels of zinc in excess of 500 ppm in soil interferes with the ability of plants to absorb other essential metals, such as iron and manganese.[80] There is also a condition called the zinc shakes or “zinc chills” that can be induced by the inhalation of freshly formed zinc oxide formed during the welding of galvanized materials.[107]
The FDA is homeopathicphobic. They’d rather serve Big Pharma and defund one of Rush’s sponsors and hit his credibility.
The excuse that “it could be life threatening because you might have a house fire and not smell the smoke” is a stretch.
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