Should You Use Zicam?

I’m an allergy patient. When I get a cold, it’s like adding an insult to injury. The congestion is awful.  If I don’t take care of it quickly, it quite often goes into a secondary infection.  It’s best to avoid getting colds altogehter, and for the most part I seldom get them.

As a wellness person, I know that much of the cold remedies are questionable, and most never really worked for me.  I kept seeing Zicam, and was very intrigued because it contained zinc and seemed like a good natural alternative.  The price tag (over $10) kept me from buying it.  Right now I’m using a neti-pot, or nasal irrigation when I get a cold or am exposed to alot of dust.  It works quite well. In addition I take quite a lot of garlic, Vita-C (TM), Nutriferon (TM), Formula I (TM) and Alfalfa (TM).

Guest Blogger today is Dr. Richard Brouse.  Dr. Brouse is a chiropractic physician, biochemist, certified clinical nutritionist, teacher, author and lecturer on health preservation and disease prevention. you can find his site at: http://www.healthedcorp.com/

Zicam manufactures a form of zinc gluconate + gylcerine lozenge supposedly said to treat colds.  An other product with the same ingredients include Cold Ez. Zicam has had a number of lawsuits due to alleged damage to olfactory sensory nerves.

In September 2003, Zicam faced lawsuits from users who claimed that the product negatively affected their sense of smell, and sometimes taste. However, Zicam advocates assert that instructions on the container clearly indicate proper use, which will allow users to avoid these problems. In January 2006, 340 lawsuits were settled for $12 million.^[9] In early 2004, at the height of the controversy, Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., the maker of Zicam, claimed that only a small number of people had experienced problems and that anosmia (loss of smell) can, amongst others, also be caused by the common cold itself. Matrixx also claimed that zinc gluconate dissolves into zinc ions and gluconate, and that both are naturally occurring compounds which are found in all human tissues. They also claim that Zicam is a buffered gel which is formulated to have a neutral pH. The plaintiffs countered Matrixx, claiming that many of the patients had experienced a strong and very painful burning sensation when they used the product, indicating damage to the nasal tissue. No part of the settlement targeted the product’s removal from sale, and the nasal gel continues to be available at drug stores throughout the USA. The two creators of Zicam have come under scrutiny. Robert Steven Davidson received his PhD from an unaccredited university which has since closed while Charles B. Hensley has been cited by the US Food and Drug Administration for selling unapproved drugs over the Internet.^[10]

· 9 zicam.vanosteen.com

· 10 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013001255.html Retrieved on 2008-02-27

My advice over a product like zinc gluconate is to take Vivix, Nutriferon, avoid sweets, evaluate your zinc status by laboratory testing and get enough rest.  This works for my patients.

Dr. Richard Brouse Health Education Corporation

My doctor said it was impossible for me to be virtually symptom free with 35 different allergies. I was no longer on allergy shots, didn’t need my prescription decongestants, nor antihistamines, nor various steroid based creams, and I was breathing through my nose (if you are very congested from allergies, you know that allergic people don’t take breathing for granted) for the first time ever in my life. He said it was only a placebo effect.

So I fired him.

I have been free from any maintenance medication for my allergies since 1996.  I have been free from the eczema symptoms the plagued me from my childhood, since 1996.  Of course, I cannot make any claims for you, nor promise any cure.  But there are things that you can do that are natural and safe, and can make a tremendous difference in how your feel.

I also cannot make any specific recommendations for you, especially not online.  I can offer some tips and suggestions.  If you want personalized help, please contact me.  You can take the complete wellness profiler.

Supplementation is often done independently of your health care provider, because most don’t work with supplements.  It is wise to check with your healthcare provider, physician and/or pharmacist before beginning any kind of wellness program.  Open communication is important. Never discontinue any medication without the express consent of your physician.

In order to begin to help your allergic symptoms, it’s important to understand what allergies really are.  Allergies are not merely an over-reaction on the part of your immune system.  Allergies are a “confused” reaction, and a mis-regulated one.  Your immune system is interpreting tree pollen for example, as a dangerous intruder (bacterial or viral) , not as harmless tree pollen.  It marshalls its forces to attack, and the checks and balances in your immune system that would normally properly distinguish danger from not-danger, shut down.  The histamine production (which causes hives, inflammation and so forth) is now in hyper-dreive without any check.

There are two main types of allergies that I am concerned with: IgE and IgG.  IgE allergies are immediate and some can be life threatening and even fatal.  Avoidance of the allergen is KEY.  IgG allergies (and you must know that many allergists do not consider IgG allergies as allergies but as intolerances) are more difficult to detect, because the reaction can be delayed as much as 72 hours after exposure.  IgG allergies are often found through blood tests such as the ELISA or the RAST test.  Your physician or healthcare provider must order these tests for you.