Vicks VapoRub Harmful to Kids

Cold ointments may spell serious breathing problems for children

As far as home remedies go, it's right up there with chicken noodle soup. But parents who use Vicks VapoRub to help their children get over a cold may, in some instances, do more harm than good.

A new study published today in the journal Chest warns that putting the mentholated ointment under or in a child's nostrils can prompt mucus production and cause serious breathing problems.

"I think it will surprise some folks because it is used this way," said Bruce Rubin, professor and vice-chairman for research in the pediatrics department at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina and lead author of the study.

Although health professionals and product manufacturers have long known that using Vicks VapoRub and similar generic products on children can present risks, many parents may not be getting that message, Dr. Rubin said.

"I think most people aren't aware of [the risks] and I think most people don't read the warning label," he said.

The label on Vicks VapoRub, for instance, advises parents to consult a physician before using the product on children under age 2. A warning also states that the product shouldn't be rubbed in the nostril.

But the study said many parents or caregivers may miss, or even ignore, this warning, not realizing the harmful effects the product can have on very young children.

Dr. Rubin and his colleagues embarked on the study after taking care of an 18-month-old girl who was brought to the hospital with severe breathing problems. Doctors couldn't figure out what had caused the girl, who was suffering from a cold and hadn't been given any medication, to suddenly experience "severe respiratory distress."

After asking the child's grandparents to think of anything they may have done before she began to have trouble breathing, her grandmother said she had put Vicks under her nostrils less than an hour before.

After the child recovered, doctors at the hospital began to routinely ask about the use of mentholated ointments and found several cases were similar.

Researchers then began a study using ferrets, which have a similar airway to humans, to determine what could be causing the problem among young children. They found that Vicks VapoRub causes an increase in mucus, which can lead to serious problems among children. A child's airway is tightened and narrowed by a virus, and thus a significant increase in mucus can lead to serious breathing difficulties like those noted by Dr. Rubin and his colleagues.

That's not to say mentholated ointments don't provide relief. In adults, they deliver a cool sensation that tricks the brain into thinking airflow is increasing. In reality, the preparations don't act as a decongestant or help a person to breathe better. But they do make a person feel like they can breathe better, helping them feel more comfortable as they fight a cold.

The warning about the menthol-based ointment is particularly timely, considering health officials are moving to restrict the use of over-the-counter medications in children.

Last month, Health Canada warned that cough and cold medications shouldn't be given to children under 6 because there isn't enough information to prove they're effective. These medications were linked to some health problems among children in Canada in recent years, including five deaths.

It's possible the new restrictions on cold medications may prompt some parents to look more closely at alternative or home remedies to help their children. If that's the case, parents must understand that over-the-counter remedies that are used safely in adults could cause serious problems in kids.

"You need to be aware that unless these are studied in children, there might be unrecognized risks," Dr. Rubin said.

A Canadian pediatrician agreed that parents should be wary of giving children over-the-counter cold remedies, even if they're considered to be natural.

"A lot of the natural products on the market have not been tested," said Danielle Grenier, medical affairs director at the Canadian Paediatric Society. "Even if it's a natural product, it still has ingredients. We know that it can have side effects."

The best advice she has for parents is to rely on the simplest solutions to help your child through a cold: plenty of warm liquids and a lot of rest.

"They're still the best," Dr. Grenier said.

Source: TheGlobeandMail.ca

Frozen Fish Recall

CFIA Recalls Frozen Fish Due To Toxin Concern

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has pulled a product off the shelves and issued a warning after two people fell ill after eating possibly contaminated frozen fish.

The brand is called School of Fish and the product is frozen Leatherjacket. It shouldn't be eaten because it may contain a toxin known as ciguatera.

Ciguatera is a marine biotoxin that accumulates in fish and causes an illness in humans called ciguatera poisoning.

Even worse, contaminated fish may not look or smell spoiled, and the toxin is not destroyed by cooking.

'Frozen Leatherjacket' was produced in China and imported by Frobisher International Enterprise Ltd. The company has started a voluntary recall which CFIA is monitoring.

The product was distributed in British Columbia and Ontario. It was sold in packages of various weights bearing Production Code HI04 and one of the following size and UPC combinations:

a) Size 100/200 and UPC 8 74718 00074 0

b) Size 200/400 and UPC 8 74718 00073 3

There have been two reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

Symptoms of ciguatera poisoning include

• gastroenteritis (vomiting, cramps, diarrhea)
• itching of the skin
• central nervous system dysfunction, which often includes hot and cold inversion

If you have any questions, call Frobisher 604-523-8108 or CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8am to 8pm Eastern time, Monday to Friday).

Find out more about ciguatera - click here.

Source: CityNews.ca

Workout Water Benefits

Source: Women's Health Dec 2008

Pain Patch Overdose Risk - Health Canada Update

Manufacturers changing dosing instruction of pain patch

Several manufacturers of a patch containing a chronic pain drug are changing dosing instructions to address potential overdose risks.

The five manufacturers of Fentanyl Transdermal Systems and Health Canada said the patches contain a high concentration of the long-acting narcotic fentanyl.

Last February, 25 mcg/hr Duragesic patches sold by Janssen-Ortho Inc. and 25 mcg/hr Ran Fentanyl Transdermal System Patches sold by Ranbaxy Laboratories were voluntarily recalled for overdose risks.

The patches treat persistent, moderate to severe chronic pain in people already taking narcotic pain relievers.

Fentanyl can cause serious and life-threatening breathing problems if too much is taken, Health Canada warned Wednesday.

The new dose conversion guidelines are to be used to convert adult patients from their current oral or injection therapy to the fentanyl transdermal patch, says an advisory to health-care professionals.

People using the patches without any problems should not stop or decrease their dosage without talking to their doctors.

The notice applies to:

• Duragesic ® (Fentanyl Transdermal Systems).
• CO Fentanyl.
• Novo-Fentanyl.
• RAN-Fentanyl Transdermal Systems.
• Ratio-Fentanyl Transdermal System.

Patients using fentanyl patches should seek emergency medical help immediately if they:

• Have trouble breathing, or have slow or shallow breathing.
• Have a slow heartbeat.
• Have severe sleepiness.
• Have cold, clammy skin.
• Feel faint, dizzy, confused or cannot think, walk, or talk normally.
• Have a seizure.
• Have hallucinations.

Any serious or unexpected adverse reactions in patients receiving fentanyl transdermal systems should be reported to the manufacturers or Health Canada.

Source: CBC.ca

Quit Smoking Drug Safety Notice - Health Canada Update

Health Canada says it is in the process of strengthening safety information on the labels of the smoking-cessation product Champix.

In a statement Tuesday, it said it's working with the drugmaker Pfizer to update prescribing information after reports of serious psychiatric symptoms associated with the use of Champix.

Health Canada says label changes that increase awareness of the risk will be passed along to consumers and medical professionals when they are finalized.

Champix can be an effective tool for quitting smoking, it says, but there have been reports in some patients of unusual feelings of agitation, depressed mood, hostility, changes in behaviour, or impulsive or disturbing thoughts such as thoughts of self-harm or harm to others.

Health Canada says people taking the drug and their families are reminded to be aware of any unusual thoughts, feelings or behaviours, especially those related to depression, aggression or self-harm.

It isn't clear whether Champix is the cause of these psychiatric symptoms, but patients should stop the drug immediately if there are such concerns.

And patients should avoid driving or operating machinery until they're sure that Champix doesn't have an adverse effect on them, Health Canada said.

In issuing its reminder Tuesday, the federal agency noted that it's a time of year when many smokers are attempting to kick the habit.

In Montreal, Pfizer spokesman Christian Marcoux said that Champix is "safe and very efficacious" and that some symptoms are actually caused by the act of quitting smoking.

"Any individual attempting to quit smoking should be monitored and work with their physician because smoking cessation will generate or exacerbate such symptoms, with or without medication," he said.

He said the simple fact of quitting smoking will trigger behavioural changes.

"Smoking is a very nasty addiction and it's quite a challenge to work on that addiction," he said.
Source: CBC.ca, Health Canada

Beware FDA Changes to Guidelines

Change in FDA's ethical guidelines for clinical trials troubling: Lancet

The Lancet medical journal is reporting that the United States Food and Drug Administration is abandoning the Declaration of Helsinki as an ethical foundation for international clinical trials.

The declaration was drafted in 1964 by the World Medical Association to provide binding ethical standards for medical research involving humans.

Many basic patients' rights are enshrined in the declaration. Sections of it also govern business and environmental practices of the researchers.

The FDA is instead adopting the International Conference on Harmonization's Guideline for Good Clinical Practice (GCP), which allows less stringent ethical standards for overseas research.

In a commentary published in the Jan. 3 issue of the Lancet, medical research experts Jonathan Kimmelman of McGill University, Charles Weijer of the University of Western Ontario and Eric Meslin of the University of Indiana call the move "troubling."

The authors urge the incoming U.S. administration of president-elect Barack Obama to stick to the original declaration pending a review of the implications for American research overseas should the new guidelines be adopted.

"The FDA regulates the largest drug market in the world, and we worry that its replacement of the Declaration of Helsinki with a less morally authoritative document may cause others to follow suit, thereby undermining international ethical standards for research," they write.

In October 2008, the FDA formally stopped requiring that foreign clinical studies supporting applications for drug licensing comply with the declaration.

The authors point out several important requirements that the declaration contains but the GCP lacks, including:

* Investigators must disclose funding, sponsors and other potential conflicts of interest to both research ethics committees and study participants.
* Study design must be disclosed publicly (e.g., in clinical trial registries).
* Research, notably that in developing countries, must benefit and be responsive to health needs of populations in which it is done.

Source:CBC.ca

Diet Tips that Work

The Top Four Diets That Really Work

Friday January 2, 2009

CityNews.ca Staff

If your plan for the New Year involves a new you from head to toe, losing weight may be at the top of your "to do" list.

Many people choose the first day of 2009 as the day they cut out salty snacks, scale back on soft drinks and vow to eat more vegetables.

But slow changes are preferable to a radical diet overhaul - for one, note experts, it's easier to stick to small goals.

Registered dietician Julie Daniluk even has a helpful pun to keep her clients on target.

"You need to decide within yourself that you're going to do a live-it and not a die-it."

Swapping your regular Coke for diet, for example, is simpler to achieve than going to the gym every morning, drinking only a smoothie for breakfast and completely cutting out after-dinner chips.

Marco Coffa, a successful dieter who lost 90lbs in nine months, found that an approach filled with small steps led to a dramatic change.

"I just woke up one morning and I said, you know what? I'm tired of being fat."

That tiny thought led to a major shift in what he eats.

"Now I eat a lot of protein, a lot of fibre, and just stay away from the junk."

If you're really committed, Health Specialist Laura DiBatttista found the top four diets that really work:

Volumetrics:

Simply put, eat soup first.

"High amounts of veggies and fruit are going to fill you up," explains Daniluk.

"That's really what it's all about.

Energy-density is another name for figuring out how many calories are in a given weight (serving size) of food. The lower the energy-density, the more you can have. The basic rule of thumb of Volumetrics: eat a low-cal soup or salad before you start eating. Starting with a low-density food helps you stay satisfied long after you finished eating your main course.

10,000 Step:

Make exercise an integral part of your life, not just something you do at the gym.

"If we can combine diet with exercise, we're going to have a permanent win," she outlines.

Walking 10,000 paces every day is easier than it sounds: Grab a pedometer and start counting how many steps you're taking when you park farther from the door, get off the subway a stop early, or take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Eat Dinner For Breakfast:

Get the bulk of you calories in the morning so you can burn them off all day. It prevents you from loading up at noon or right before you go to bed.

"You'll be left with this incredibly happy, fulfilled sensation instead of feeling flat from a bowl of cereal."

Weight Watchers:

It's lasted this long for a reason: Devotees swear it works. The plan involves weekly meetings and weigh-ins for motivation and behavioral support for diet and exercise changes. Weight Watchers relies on its users using a book of recipes provided by the company. In an investigation, Consumer Reports found the recipes appetizing and easy to prepare.

---

Six Strategies For Success

1. Make a commitment
Permanent weight loss takes time and effort. It requires focus and a lifelong commitment. Make sure that you're ready to make permanent changes and that you do so for the right reasons.

2. Get emotional support
Only you can help yourself lose weight by taking responsibility for your own behavior. But that doesn't mean that you have to do everything alone. Seek support when needed from your partner, family and friends.

3. Set a realistic goal
When you're considering what to expect from your new eating and exercise plan, be realistic. Healthy weight loss occurs slowly and steadily. Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week.

4. Enjoy healthier foods
Adopting a new eating style that promotes weight loss must include lowering your total calorie intake. But decreasing calories need not mean giving up taste, satisfaction or even ease of meal preparation.

5. Get active, stay active.
Dieting alone can help you lose weight. Cutting 500 calories from your daily diet can help you lose about a pound a week: 3,500 calories equals 1 pound (0.5 kilogram) of fat. But add a 45- to 60-minute brisk walk four days a week, and you can double your rate of weight loss.

6. Change your lifestyle.
It's not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even several months. You have to include these behaviors in your lifestyle. To do that, you have to change the behaviors that helped make you overweight in the first place. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating habits and daily routine.

Information courtesy the Mayo Clinic.