Monday, February 16, 2009

Vicks Not for Infants

news you may not know

Rated R - Retriscted Use

We often think of infants as simply being "little people." But, especially when it comes to medical issues, that's simply not the case. Sure, they can whine and cry with the best of us. Though, truth be told, dads may be the true winners in that category. So, when it comes to treating your infant's illnesses, you have to be especially careful.

A new study from Wake Forest highlights the hazards of using common cold remedies on infants. In this case the culprit is Vicks VapoRub. Though extremely effective, and particularly soothing when one has a cold, it appears that Vicks is not a remedy for infants under two.

“The ingredients in Vicks can be irritants, causing the body to produce more mucus to protect the airway,” said Bruce K. Rubin, M.D., lead author of the study and a professor in the department of pediatrics at Brenner Children’s Hospital, part of Wake Forest Baptist. “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.”

Though infants will continue to whine and cry just like mom and dad, they really shouldn't be treated in the same fashion. And, it's not just Vicks about which we need to be concerned. Special care needs to be taken with any adult remedy when it's administered to a child.

So, let the kids be kids, and tell dad the whining won't get him anywhere.

To read more about this study, see this from Reuters. To learn more about protecting your child from medication errors, see this from The Institute for Safe Medication Practices.

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