Slashdot Mirror
FDA Says Homeopathic Cure Can Cause Loss of Smell
Hugh Pickens writes "The FDA has advised consumers to stop using Matrixx Initiatives' Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gel marketed over-the-counter as a cold remedy because it is associated with the loss of sense of smell (anosmia) that may be long-lasting or permanent. The FDA says about 130 consumers have reported a loss of smell after using the homeopathic cure containing zinc, an ingredient scientists say may damage nerves in the nose needed for smell and health officials say they have asked Matrixx executives to turn over more than 800 consumer complaints concerning lost smell that the company has on file. '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 the remedy was never formally approved because it is part of a small group of remedies known as homeopathic products that are not required to undergo federal review before launching. The global market for homeopathic drugs is about $200 million per year, according to the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists. Matrixx has settled hundreds of lawsuits connected with Zicam in recent years, but says it 'will seek a meeting with the FDA to vigorously defend its scientific data, developed during more than 10 years of experience with the products, demonstrating their safety.'"
Seriously, I get a cold, I can't smell anything either. So really, it seems I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't.
It's funny cuz it's true
If I hadn't used so much Zicam Cold Remedy I would say this smells fishy.
my site of misleading and incorrect information!
I would hate to lose the ability to smell my wife's panties.
"My dog has no nose."
"How does he smell?"
"Awful!"
While Zicam also makes zinc-containing oral cold remedies, these are not subject to this warning because the development of anosmia appears to be related to the intranasal application of zinc.
Don't these guys know ANYTHING about homeopathic medicines? The strongest ones don't have any of the 'active ingredient' in them at all, you just take sugar pills and think happy thoughts at them until the sun shines out your ass.
Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
That's smelling impaired you insensitive clod.
just put some of that in the drinking water
Soon you will have no sense of taste.
I have something in common with Stephen Hawking...
husband: honey, i have a cure for those smelly farts i have
wife: thats nice dear, Beano?
husband: no, this is better just one sniff and your cured forever
Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
Wouldn't mind that one bit... would make me want to smoke a joint really bad though.
It's much safer to stick with homeoerotic cures instead.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Life is full of wonderful smells...
Don't these guys know ANYTHING about homeopathic medicines?
Clearly not - they must be homeophobes.
No sense of taste: Zune?
Maybe they can sell Zicam to people who work around hog waste lagoons or people who pump out septic tanks.
Wansu, th' chinese sailor
Fair enough. I will concede that homeopathic products can treat thirst. Also, if applied topically, they can provide temporary relief from dry skin.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
And burn a bowl of incense in the face. Good God. How can you think of spending a moment in a room full of skunks, stoned or not? You would have to give me something stronger. Something that would knock out my sense of smell. I wonder where I can find something like that?
Health Freedom is almost as popular as Freedom itself.
I had a cold. I stayed in bed and ate chocolate for a couple of days, and my cold went away. From this I learned that (a) chocolate is a cure for the common cold and (b) having a cold causes you to gain weight.
I've seen a few alternative medicine companies labeling their snake oil as homeopathic for that purpose. In fact, you could say that they're diluting the term.
"Furthermore, since water will have been in contact with millions of different substances throughout its history, critics point out that any glass of water is therefore an extreme dilution of almost any conceivable substance, and so by drinking water one would, according to homeopathic principles, receive treatment for every imaginable condition."
Alchemist: Be Thou For the People
Yeah, what an idiat.