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On June 16 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) FedEx'd a warning letter to Matrixx Initiatives, Inc concerning a new homeopathic hazard. The FDA rarely concerns itself with homeopathic over-the counter products, but this case involved a heavily promoted and very widely used class of cold remedies. Read More
New market for Zicam
How about marketing it as a permanent weight loss remedy? I've often thought that if I just lost my sense of smell (as has happened during a nasty cold), I wouldn't over-eat or eat foods that are bad for me. Eating would lose all pleasure and just be for health purposes. Not a bad idea really . . .
Did You Know?
A loss of smell is frequently linked to a loss of sexual interest. Be careful what you ask for...you may get it.
Lack of smell is no joy
Of relevance to recent posted comments, it is worth noting that the medical term for complete loss of smell is anosmia. This has an ironic alliteration with anhedonia, the psychiatric descriptor for an inability to take enjoyment from life’s pleasures. Indeed, William James metaphorically subsumed under anhedonia “lack of taste and zest and spring.”
Zicam
Zicam is not really a homeopathic product. Everyone seems to be confused and in error about this. The Zinc gluconate is at a 2x potency which is almost a material dose of Zinc gluconate. It is like sniffing the zinc up your nose. 2x means that the zinc gluconate has had 9 drops added to it, shaken. Then one drop of that has had a further 9 drops added and shaken. It has only been potentised twice and at 1 to 9 (i.e. the decimal potency, rather than the centesimal potency - 1 to 100 normally used for homeopathic preparations).
So yes, people were sniffing zinc gluconate in a fairly undiluted form which would possibly cause harm.
Normally homeopathic products are at least a 6x potency. Bach flower essences (i.e. Rescue Remedy, etc.) are all 5x potencies but they are made from flower essences and so fairly harmless.
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