Doctor Warns About Putting Vicks On Kids

[The Straight Story]

Doctor Warns About Putting Vicks On Kids

VapoRub Can Harm Breathing, Report Says

Putting menthol products such as Vicks VapoRub on children to ease their colds may cause breathing problems, according to a report from Wake Forest University.

Dr. Bruce K. Rubin said rather than clearing congestion or easing a cough, it can stimulate mucus production and inflame airways.

"Infants and young children have airways that are much narrower than those of adults, so any increase in mucus or inflammation can narrow them more severely," he said.

Rubin said that while many people like to use Vicks to treat colds, there is not much data to show that it works. He said it can also cause inflammation in the eyes, mental status changes, lung inflammation, liver damage, constriction of airways and allergic reactions.

http://www.clickorlando.com/health/18469181/detail.html#-

[hlthe2b]

1. Interesting, since parents and grandparents have been doing for

years... Perhaps there is an issue in those with asthma, but I've not seen any data to support his assertion. As he says: "Rubin said that while many people like to use Vicks to treat colds, there is not much data to show that it works. He said it can also cause inflammation in the eyes, mental status changes, lung inflammation, liver damage, constriction of airways and allergic reactions." Conversely, it would nice if he cited some actual data that showing it to be generally harmful. :shrug:

[The Straight Story]

2. My solution, smoke while you have vicks on you

While dining at the olive garden and breast feeding :rofl:

[hlthe2b]

3. may as well cover all the bases...

;)

[whistler162]

16. Why then he wouldn't get his name in the paper

and national exposure!

Data we don't need to bleeping data!

[Donnachaidh]

17. I wonder what super-expensive NEW drug they will be pushing to replace Vicks.

After all, isn't it SOP to resort to fearmongering, in order to help sales of the newer drugs (that might JUST have worse side effects, which are in teeny tiny print, and aren't really mentioned much in the adverts).

My parents used Vicks on both myself and my brother, and I never had any of the problems this guy is talking about. And I was an asthmatic child.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

4. was used on me...my sister

my cousins...never recall a problem and DO recall benefits...anecdotal I know, but it worked for us...

my kids haven't had problems with it either...

sP

[hlthe2b]

5. I'm not so sure this doctor's opinion is more than anecdote, either...

Perhaps in rare cases there may be an issue, but this is a many decades old common practice. If majorly harmful, there really ought to be more than this one doctor's "opinion" to go on...

[The Straight Story]

6. Next thing you know he will be wanting to ban it in bars

Second hand vapor rub kills billions of people a year...

[WI_DEM]

14. same here. I put on vicks as soon as I feel a sore throat coming on and next morning it's gone.

But that's just me.

[eagertolearn]

22. I always had it put all over my chest and at the base of my nose and have never had asthma! n/a

[ProdigalJunkMail]

25. and i have never had smallpox !!!

i credit my mother's use of Vicks Vapo-Rub :-)

anecdotal evidence is always fun...

sP

[GoddessOfGuinness]

28. Same here...

though I've not applied it under the nose, like my mom did. A little on the upper chest and lower thoat helps us breathe better.

[cali]

7. who the heck would put vick's under a young kid's nose?

I did use vick's when my kid was small, but I always just put some in a vaporizer.

[hlthe2b]

8. Rubbing on the chest has long been common practice...

Very very messy, however. ;)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

29. Not as messy as all those nasty boogies though.

:rofl:

[Kalyke]

19. Chest-only and in in vaporizers.

Very tiny portion on the chest, as well.

You also can buy Vicks-included bathing soaps to give baby a Vick-sy bath when they're sick:

[Poiuyt]

9. I thought this thread was going to be about Michael Vick

[AlCzervik]

10. stay away from kleenex with Vick's, i had some and forgot they had vick's and i wiped my eyes.

anyhow my daughter's dr. doesn't like vick's or nyquil.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

30. Nyquil...

:puke:

When I want liquor, I'll drink good whiskey and not some cold "remedy", thank you very much.

The Vicks/Kleenex thing sounds like it's asking for trouble...especially since watery eyes often accompany colds.

[AlCzervik]

31. nyquil comes in caplets now, but the original green death liquid is still available.

the kleenex thing was awful, my eyes were stinging and watering for a half and hour.

[Greybnk48]

11. What a load of nonsense. I've used it for years, as did my Mom.

I think it's nothing short of a miracle cure for breaking up congestion. It works and it's not a pill or syrup with side-effects.

[ThomWV]

12. I'm 62 years old and they used to slather that shit on me 2-inches thick every time I sneezed

Didn't seem to do much harm.

[The Straight Story]

13. well, that explains some of your posts....

;)

[whistler162]

15. If you hadn't slathered it on you would problably be

76 or 80 by now!

[Kalyke]

18. OK - so what, exactly, are we supposed to do when our very small children have colds.

First, they took all the infant cold meds off the shelves because some parents weren't following the directions and over-medicating their kids.

Now, we have only Vicks and Tylenol for stuffy noses.

Or is this just another method to get us to run to the doctor for a non-treatable illness like a cold to get prescription anti-histamines and other meds that treat only the symptoms?

FWIW, my mother used Vicks on me as a kid. I'm fine. I used it on my older son when he was an infant, he's fine. And, Dr. Rubin, it does work to clear out clogged nasal passages. It works on my whole family and has not caused any of us to have mental changes or inflammation in any part of our body. :eyes:

[Xithras]

24. Umm....Nothing.

There's no cure for the common cold, and fighting relatively harmless viruses like the cold has been linked directly to the health of that childs immune system as they get older. The "cure" is simple: Bed rest, plenty of fluids, and a big box of (preferably medicated) tissues.

Humans have been fighting colds without Vicks, or Tylenol, or much of anything else for tens of thousands of years.

[hedgehog]

32. FWIW, I took my toddler to the doctor for his nagging cough after a cold

because he was too young for the OTC medicines. It was just a cough, and I was very sheepish about bothering the doctor, but the poor kid needed something. It turned out what he needed was a shot of epinephrine followed by prednisone; my son was in the throes of an asthma episode!

What did I know about it? My brothers always had that same cough every winter. That's when my mother got out the Vicks to give them some relief at night! (She used it on me, too. What I remember most is the slimy uckiness of having flannel jammies stick to your Vicks covered chest!;(

My dad used to have that same cough as a kid.That's when his grandma gave him some whiskey.

The point here is that for infants and young children, it is worthwhile to take them to a doctor. Diagnosis and treatments have improved since we were kids.


As for adults, I think some researchers need to learn the benefits of symptomatic relief from a cold even if there is no cure. I'll take a week of a cold on a decongestant and motrin over a week of a cold without every time!

[Oeditpus Rex]

20. Bill Cosby's take:

"My mother thought that Vicks was the last hope for anything, man. I mean, anytime your nose is close to runnin', Jack — smear it on the blankets, on the sheets, slide me into bed like a salami. *Freeww*

"'Here, eat this sandwich.' 'What is it?' 'Peanut butter and Vicks.'"



:D

[xxqqqzme]

21. Yet another dangerous

childhood practice we managed to survive.

[deaniac21]

23. It's unanimous

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/13/AR2009011301089.html

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20090113/vicks-vaporub-misuse-may-hurt-kids

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nasal-decongestant/AN01551

[hlthe2b]

27. Once case study in an asthmatic child and ferret studies showing

increase in mucus production.... How very conclusive... :eyes:

Time to hit the panic button--especially since the child recovered without incident following discontinuation. "Methinks" Wake Forest is desperate for publicity and....grant money....

[deaniac21]

34. Maybe they can find a way to tie it to global warming

:evilgrin:

[LeftofU]

26. Ravers seem to survive Vicks just fine...

they use it so much.

[hedgehog]

33. Reavers?