SICK!!!! Ugh!

[Lactivist]

Absolutely! GMO - humans have been doing this through selective breeding forever. Sweet corn strawberries, & many more are all GMO.  Oh, so are all of our pets.

[kola]

Absolutely! GMO - humans have been doing this through selective breeding forever. Sweet corn strawberries, & many more are all GMO.  Oh, so are all of our pets.

~sigh~   

[hwrnhetcxyc]

Hope you feel better soon, friend.

thank you, Hollywood 

thanks for everybody who well wished. also thanks to people who gave advice. I am not exactly feeling better tonight, but for some reason my spirits are way up. 

You're welcome. I don't have any advice for you but I have enjoyed reading the advice of others.

[dalebert]

I want some of those fluorescent fish they created as pets. There's nothing to be concerned about. They make them sterile so they won't reproduce and evolve in nuclear Godzilla monsters, or maybe they make them all female. You know, like in Jurassic Park.

[kola]

ZICAM
works wonders for cold and flu. 
http://www.zicam.com/

no thanks on the zicam.

http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/935

A $12 million settlement with some 300 plaintiffs in a class action has not stopped claims being made against Zicam and its manufacturer, Matrix Corp. In fact, one attorney we spoke with indicated that the number of cases involving the over-the-counter (OTC) nasal spray is steadily mounting.

As we previously reported, in the late 1930s, intranasal zinc sulfate solutions were used to prevent polio. The products were removed from the market because they proved unsuccessful and due to that some users suffered a loss of smell.


Since that time, a number of medical researchers have claimed there is a link between products containing zinc and possible nerve damage.

Neurotoxins act specifically on nerve cells (neurons) usually by interacting with membrane proteins and ion channels.

Environmental neurotoxins are known as exogenous and include gases (carbon monoxide), metals (mercury, lead, zinc), liquids (ethanol) and a multitude of solids. When exogenous toxins are taken in, the effect on neurons is largely dependent on dosage and duration.


Of course, since the senses of smell and taste (like the other senses) rely on a sophisticated network of neurological processes, any neurotoxin has the potential to interfere with or even damage or destroy them.

It is because of these facts that there a serious controversy over the safety of OTC zinc-based, homeopathic medications like Zicam that claim to shorten the duration of the common cold.

The maker, marketer, and seller of Zicam (R) Cold remedy nasal gel, Zicam, LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of Matrixx Initiatives, Inc.  an OTC drug developer, manufacturer, and marketer) has steadfastly defended its product as being safe.

Only last year, in a press release, Matrixx claimed that any reports alleging anosmia (loss of smell) associated with Zicam(R) Cold Remedy zinc products “are completely unfounded and misleading.”

Matrixx asserted that any research linking nasal products containing zinc to the onset o f anosmia were erroneous because the compound found in the 1930s products was concentrated zinc sulfate as opposed to the zinc gluconate found in Zicam. Zinc sulfate “is a mineral salt that reacts with water to produce a strong acid (sulfuric acid) and zinc oxide,” while “zinc gluconate is a weak organic salt that dissolves to form positively charged zinc ions and negatively charged gluconate â€" a naturally occurring, non-toxic compound found in all human tissue.”

The FDA does not test cold remedies containing soluble zinc for safety or efficacy and, thus, it was not until late 2004 that the agency only began to take notice that there might be a serious risk posed by the products.

By that time, however, researchers at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Taste and Smell clinic had already documented the loss of smell among Zicam users for over a year. In addition, a number of lawsuits had been commenced around the U.S. alleging anosmia as an injury that could occur with as little as one application of the Zicam nasal gel.

The problem had also been presented for discussion at the September 2003 meeting of the American Rhinologic Society. Clearly, there was much more to this than the simple denial issued by Matrixx.

A lawsuit has been commenced by a major plaintiffs’ personal injury firm against Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. Zicam, LLC, and Botanical Laboratories, Inc., on behalf of a woman who claims to have lost her senses of smell and taste after using Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gel.

The lawsuit, now pending in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana in Shreveport, Louisiana, was brought by Parker & Waichman, a New York based firm that is heavily involved in pharmaceutical litigation throughout the country.

The suit alleges that in December 2003, the plaintiff began using Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gel to relieve her cold symptoms. After using the product as directed, however, she began to experience a loss of her sense of smell and her sense of taste and has never regained these senses completely.  She has been diagnosed as having a permanent partial loss of the senses of smell and taste.

The loss of the senses of smell and taste can have very serious consequences aside from the obvious loss of the enjoyment and pleasure associated with the exercise of those senses.

Danger areas documented by studies of people suffering from the loss of these senses include: cooking related accidents; exposure to undetected fires, smoke, or gas leaks; eating spoiled foods or toxic substances; and other situations where either of the senses is a primary method of detection of sensory information.

In addition, the loss of these senses can cause collateral damages such as to anyone engaged in a profession where smell or taste is a critical requirement (chef; taste tester; cosmetics and perfume industry; wine, beer, or spirits industry)

In addition to alleging the dangerous nature of the zinc-based gel itself, the lawsuit claims the product label, promotional materials, and advertisements used in conjunction with the sale of Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel did not provide sufficient warning and instructions about the risks and adverse side affects associated with the use of the product.

Thus, while the settlement may have resolved some of the claims involving Zicam, the litigation only promises to expand and become far more expensive for the manufacturers of the OTC cold remedy.   

----------------------------


January 19, 2006--Matrixx Initiatives reached a settlement with 340 persons who lost their sense of smell after using Zicam. These cases resolved for $11.9 million plus $100,000 in costs.

Zicam has been associated with the onset of a condition known as anosmia, which leaves the user with a potentially permanent loss of smell and taste. These side effects typically are irreversible. The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently is collecting and evaluating reports of severe reactions to Zicam.

Zicam is a popular non-prescription zinc nasal spray. Its manufacturer markets it as a medication to shorten the duration of the common cold.

ABC's Channel 7 in Denver, Colorado brought media attention to the potential side effects of Zicam when it reported on a station employee who lost her sense of smell after using Zicam to treat a cold. The employee was diagnosed with anosmia, resulting in the permanent loss of her sense of smell. 

-----------

Matrixx Initiatives Settles 340 Zicam Lawsuits 
January 19, 2006—Matrixx Initiatives has reached a settlement with 340 persons who lost their sense of smell after using Zicam. These cases resolved for $11.9 million plus $100,000 in costs.

If you have lost your sense of smell after using Zicam, please contact us immediately. Because the law limits the amount of time an injured person has to file a lawsuit, it is important you promptly contact an attorney experienced in the Zicam litigation to investigate your case.


Zicam Lawsuit 
Zicam is a popular non-prescription zinc nasal spray. Its manufacturer markets it as a medication to shorten the duration of the common cold.

Zicam has been associated with the onset of a condition known as anosmia, which leaves the user with a potentially permanent loss of smell and taste. These side effects typically are irreversible. The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently is collecting and evaluating reports of severe reactions to Zicam.


Media Report Links Zicam and Loss of Smell
ABC7 in Denver, Colorado first brought public attention to the potential side effects of Zicam when it reported on a station employee who lost her sense of smell after using Zicam to treat a cold. The employee was diagnosed with anosmia, a condition that likely will result in the permanent loss of her sense of smell.

The station received an outpouring of user feedback following its report. ABC7 reported that within a week of running the story, they already had received 80 reports from people injured by zinc nasal spray. Most of those experiencing serious side effects had used Zicam. The others had used Cold Eeze.


Matrixx Initiatives Refuses to Warn Patients About Potential Zicam Risks 
Zicam Manufacturer Describes Reports of Anosmia as "Completely Unfounded" 
In spite of widespread reports of potential problems with the medication, the manufacturer of Zicam refuses to warn users about the possible dangers of the drug. Matrixx Initiatives, the manufacturer of Zicam, reported on their web site that the medication is "safe" in spite of an admission that they had not conducted any studies on the loss of smell.

The manufacturer of Zicam went even further when it released a notice on February 6, 2004 "reaffirming" the safety of Zicam. The manufacturer claimed:

Reports alleging anosmia—or loss of smell—in a small number of patients using zinc gluconate intranasal gels for the treatment of the common cold are completely unfounded and misleading.

These safety notices issued by Matrixx were made even though the company admitted it had not conducted any studies on loss of smell and in the face of numerous user reports and news stories linking the nasal spray with anosmia.

[mackler]

Absolutely! GMO - humans have been doing this through selective breeding forever. Sweet corn strawberries, & many more are all GMO.  Oh, so are all of our pets.

that's not what I meant, smart-ass.

[Beth221]

Wow! yeah, i don't think i'm dying or anything, scott, but now you've got me worried. I'm checking for tumors. 

Nope. No tumors. just a head cold, and a big baby who doesn't like head colds. 

remember when tom green had a testicle removed, and he was singing a song about rubbing your balls?? 

[Tom Sawyer]

Tom Green was singing about rubbing Caleb's balls?

[Lactivist]

Absolutely! GMO - humans have been doing this through selective breeding forever. Sweet corn strawberries, & many more are all GMO.  Oh, so are all of our pets.

that's not what I meant, smart-ass.

I couldn't resist.  This is a big subject while I was in grad school.  GMO's are being used to increase yield to feed more people, and are being developed to be more pest resistant, which means less pesticides being used.  Most people misunderstand what they are.  How do you think they are going to harm you?

[mackler]

Absolutely! GMO - humans have been doing this through selective breeding forever. Sweet corn strawberries, & many more are all GMO.  Oh, so are all of our pets.

that's not what I meant, smart-ass.

I couldn't resist.  This is a big subject while I was in grad school.  GMO's are being used to increase yield to feed more people, and are being developed to be more pest resistant, which means less pesticides being used.  Most people misunderstand what they are.  How do you think they are going to harm you?

Less pesticide is the reason for GMOs?  That's logical. "Here, use this industrial product so that you don't have to use that other (less profitable) industrial product?"  Actually it's possible to grow food without either.

How do I think GMO veggies might harm me?  By poisoning me.  Some GMOs are engineered to be able to withstand more pesticides--greater amounts of more toxic pesticides that would kill a regular plant.  And some GMOs are engineered so the plant itself generates the pesticidal chemicals.  I'll bet those veggies going into your Jamba-Juice are like little sponges just dripping with concentrated pesticide.

Even without the pesticide factor, GMOs might be poisonous.  Organic veggies have a many-thousand year track record of being healthy, and negative reactions were weeded out of my ancestor's gene pool many generations ago.  GMO veggies might kill a person who eats them for twenty years, but we don't know that since they haven't been around for that long.

Don't let me dissuade you if you want to eat the bioengineered industrial products.  The world needs human guinea pigs and that's noble of you to volunteer.  Be sure to donate your body to science so we can see what happened.  Maybe GMO veggies are harmless.

Anyway, there's more to it than harm.  Eating cockroaches might not harm me, but it's still gross and I don't do it.

[Ron Helwig]

Organic veggies have a many-thousand year track record

Not really. Most veggies have been heavily engineered in the last few hundred years.

Carrots aren't naturally orange. Corn isn't naturally yellow. Broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and other forms of cabbage are all heavily modified. Wheat and most other grains are also vastly different now than they were 1,000 years ago.

The big difference is that now we have the scientific knowledge to manipulate the genes in much more targeted ways, instead of the old scattershot "hope it does something good" methods. Some people are afraid of the ability to manipulate genes scientifically. The same types of people were afraid of machines that could weave cloth. Luddites.

Before you bother reading up on "food science" you really should read up on genetic engineering. Then you might have a clue as to what is BS or not in the food science lit.

[Caleb]

My Bum is on the Swedish - the Swedish

[Beth221]

My Bum is on the Swedish - the Swedish

now, that is funny.

[J’raxis 270145]

Said it before; I'll say it again...

GMO is a technology. GMO is neutral—morally, ethically, danger-wise, and so on. That certain companies are doing incredibly irresponsible things with it—growing pharmaceutical-containing plants with improper containment of the fields, growing "Round-Up–ready" plants, &c.—does not invalidate the technology itself.

[Kat Kanning]

Uh, I hope you're feeling better, Caleb!