Somewhat unrelated...Zicam for colds

[Marguerite53]

So I heard on the radio news this morning that the Washington Post is reporting that 340 people received a settlement ($12 million) from the makers of Zicam. Zicam is a zinc based product claiming to alleviate cold symptoms. The stuff works quite well for me and I am wondering if any of you can shed any light on the questions this news brings up to me.

The claim is that use of the product destroys the sense of smell. I use the gel and am very careful to follow (the somewhat odd) instructions. The product is not supposed to be sniffed into the nostril, but rather placed just inside the nostril opening. Then you press the sides of your nose together for a few seconds to help with absorption, I presume. One wonders if those 340 people can read directions......

So how important is your sense of smell? What, besides the pleasure of eating and warning (fire,etc.) does it do for you? I don't care so much for me, but of course, my kids are just cold magnets in college and the stuff works really well and I've stocked their shelves with it!! I don't really want to tell them to make their own adult choice, because I think it would be rather unusual and unfun to live your adult life without a sense of smell. The fact that the company settled to kind of make the problem go away, never claiming that there was this problem at all, makes me wonder just how much danger there is in this happening.

I guess I should go look for the article. I'm just waking up, sorry. I can smell the coffee...... better go drink some and come back.

Any comments welcome. We all hate colds. This product seemed like such a breakthrough!!

Marguerite

 

[Marguerite53]

mmmmm......coffee......

Link is:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013001240.html?sub=AR


"Zimmerman, a veteran product liability lawyer, and his colleagues have argued that Zicam destroyed delicate smell tissue when the drug's pump bottles drove the viscous gel into the top of the nose with propulsive force. Zinc is used to destroy smell in laboratory animals and can be toxic to the sense of smell in people.

Matrixx said the spray gel, which package instructions say is supposed to be used in the lower part of the nose, does not reach high enough to inflict damage."

Ah. Kind of answered my own questions....

IN UNRELATED NEWS...... speaking of smell...... researchers somewhere have found that dogs can smell the cancer virus!! Isn't that just amazing. They can actually smell the virus on the breath of patients. They are hoping to isolate the way they capture the smell and use that info for earlier detection.

Marguerite

 

[hensylee]

My daughter used it first a few years ago. She suggested I get some but I resisted because I was so skeptical. Finally she just brought some home for me (we each have our own, of course) and whenever a cold is on the horizon that's the first thing I use. It works for me and I will continue using it. I hope this suit doesn't get it off the market, but if so, there will be another one coming along right behind it. Yes the instructions are weird and I had a bit of trouble because one just wants to sniff if there's something strange up your nose. My smeller is not affected at all. If y'all don't like colds or they are dangerous to you, try it. You might find it very helpful.

 

[Karlynn]

My Mom always claimed she lost her sense of smell because of Vicks Vaporub. She'd get a cold and just snort some in her nose! I can see where the use of anything like Zicam or such would not be good on your sense of smell, if you used it a lot. I have used it a few times and never noticed much difference. I know people that swear by it. I prescribe to the theory that taking a good multi-vitamin will help with the amount of colds you get and their severity. My daughter takes one at college and rarely has been sick in 3 years there. My son doesn't follow Mom's instructions and he always has a cold, it seems like. (just talked to him yesterday and he was all snuffly)

 

[momshell7]

I don't know about Zicam but I swear by Vicks Vapor rub for many things. I use it for colds, coughs, headaches, upset stomach, dry skin, muscle aches and probably others that I am not thinking of. I usually only use it at night since not everyone likes the smell. But the smell is one of the things I like most Jeff had a bad cough a while back and I finally convinced him to put some Vicks on at bed time and it actually helped him. He hated to admit I was right!!

I guess if something works you should use it!!


Michelle