Floyd,
You forgot to post the rest of the story.
Personal Care Items
Zicam
It's cold and flu season, and chances are if you're not sick yet, you will be soon enough, but one product claims to be the solution.
Zicam is a Homeopathic Nasal Gel that is the latest addition to the overcrowded world of over-the-counter cold medications. It works by keeping the cold virus from spreading throughout your body, and confining it where it first gains entrance, in your nose. If this works, the medication claims it can eliminate a cold and its symptoms in just three days, a far cry from the fifteen to twenty days the average cold takes to run its course.
But to test Zicam, I was going to need someone that was sick. In particular, someone that had just gotten sick, since it's most effective when used in the first twenty-four hours of an illness. Eventually, we found Marian Zett, who was willing to give the gel a whirl. To use Zicam, you first prime the pump by injecting the gel into a tissue, and then insert it into both nostrils and give it a pump. Then, you press the nostril closed for about five seconds, and let the gel do its work. Then you repeat this procedure every two to four hours for the next few days.
Marian had few problems with the Zicam initially, but on the third day of treatment she complained of having a headache, and had to stop using Zicam so she could take a painkiller instead. After the headache subsided, she got back on the Zicam, and a day after that, she fell victim to a serious migraine headache which incapacitated her.
At first, we were both concerned that Zicam might have sparked the migraine, which would most certainly be a serious problem. But after speaking to a physician I learned that any nasal medication can cause a migraine since it affects the blood vessels of the nose. Therefore, it was not the Zicam that caused this, but the way it was administered.
Unfortunately, there is no warning on the container indicating that migraine sufferers shouldn't use Zicam. In fact, the only warnings listed are concerning nose, ear, and throat sensitivities. This is one thing that I hope the manufacturers will fix in the future.
Despite these problems, Marian did report a major improvement in her cold after using Zicam. After several days, her cold never got worse, and the symptoms did fade away...until the migraine hit causing her to toss her gel into the trash.
Another Zicam user, Dee Wilson, reported that the Zicam worked wonderfully for him...knocking out his cold in mere days, and eliminating his cough in two nights. He plans on using the product again, and is already recommending it to his friend. At the same time, I spoke to pharmacists that report that doctors are purchasing this product for their families when they get ill.
I think this is a very good product, and one that has real potential to make colds more manageable. It doesn't work on flu, allergies, or infections, but for the common cold, it really does the job. At the same time, it might not be a bad idea to contact your physician prior to using Zicam to make sure that you don't run the risk of developing a migraine, or some other currently unreported side effect. |
