1 Tahrcountry Musings: Use of Vicks VapoRub – Be wary

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Use of Vicks VapoRub – Be wary

This blog usually confines itself to wildlife and environmental affairs. But I thought this piece of information about Vicks VapoRub passed on to me by Roger my friend from US is worth a mention here.

According to a study appearing in this month’s issue of Chest, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians Vicks VapoRub has some deleterious effects on infants and young children. Vicks VapoRub may stimulate mucus production and airway inflammation, which can have serious negative effects. The ingredients in Vicks can be irritants, causing the body to produce more mucus to protect the airway. Some of the ingredients in Vicks, particulary menthol, trick the brain into thinking that it is easier to breathe by triggering a cold sensation, Dr. Bruce Rubin from the department of pediatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in Winston Salem, N.C., led the study.

Dr Rubin recommends never putting Vicks in or under the nose of anyone, regardless of age. The best treatments for congestion are saline nasal spray, warm drinks,herbal teas, soups and plenty of rest

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