Did you read the entire report? It was based on one male patient who was reported to suffer allergies, rhinitis, and gastro esophageal reflux disease. The patient was taking Prilosec, Allegra and Flonase. Smell and taste disorders are listed as a potential side effects for Flonase. I'm not sure about the other two drugs, or the interaction between those three drugs taken together. So tell me, Floyd, if the patient did indeed suffer from anosmia, was it due to Prilosec, Allegra, Flonase, Zicam, the common cold, allergies, rhinitis, GERD, or something else? You don't know and either do three individuals who wrote the paper. Their conclusion is highly irresponsible and premature based upon such a cursory review of the data. One would think that they would at least study a large enough sample of the population before concluding anything about side effects. Millions of people have used Zicam Cold Remedy without any reported side effects. A single individual who reportedly was taking three prescription drugs at the same time as Zicam Cold Remedy, and suffered from three medical disorders, any of which could have caused anosmia, and Jafek, Linschoten, and Murrow, recommend that the use of intranasal zinc be discontinued. That sounds a bit suspicious to me. How about you?
What's up with the quote at the bottom of the abstract?
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
— George Santayana (1863- 1952), noted philosopher"
That quote is unprofessional and out of context for a medical research paper, isn't it? |
