Asthma and Tylenol - Are You Putting Your Child"s Health at Risk?
With us entering the season of coughs, colds and flu and days with children suffering from high temperatures, we're probably going to reach for a bottle of Tylenol as a solution to this problem.
But are you aware you could be unknowingly putting your child's health and possible making their asthma worse by giving them Tylenol? Tylenol is the brand name for the drug "acetaminophen", which over the past couple of years has been identified in numerous studies as increasing asthma and allergic disorders.
Even last week in a study by the British medical journal Lancet, linked "Paracetamol" (acetaminophen) in Europe to increased development of asthma and eczema in children.
The study found that: The chances of getting asthma increased by a whopping 46% in children 6-7 years of age if they had acetaminophen in their first year of life.
Even medium use (described as given one or more times a year and less than once a month) increased the risk of asthma by 60%.
And finally, high dosages of acetaminophen (where the drug was given more than once per month) increased the chances of an asthma risk by 3 times.
* This study was made up of 200,000 children from more the 30 countries.
While the finding us this study may surprise you its not the first time Tylenol has come under the spotlight.
In the 1980's some bottles of Tylenol contained cyanide which killed seven people in Chicago.
So how does Tylenol increase the risk of asthma? "Glutathione" is an important antioxidant in the body that helps to reduce free radicals in the body and in the lungs.
Acetaminophen, causes problems because it reduces the levels of glutathione in the body.
This allows more free radicals to stay in the lung areas where it causes problems.
While the finding of this study and link between "Tylenol and Asthma" may surprise you its not the first time Tylenol has come under the spotlight.
In the 1980's some bottles of Tylenol contained cyanide which killed seven people in Chicago.
Finally, If you're worried about treating your child temperature's this season, talk to your doctor about your concerns and if he/she can make any recommendations of another medication you could use instead of Tylenol.
But are you aware you could be unknowingly putting your child's health and possible making their asthma worse by giving them Tylenol? Tylenol is the brand name for the drug "acetaminophen", which over the past couple of years has been identified in numerous studies as increasing asthma and allergic disorders.
Even last week in a study by the British medical journal Lancet, linked "Paracetamol" (acetaminophen) in Europe to increased development of asthma and eczema in children.
The study found that: The chances of getting asthma increased by a whopping 46% in children 6-7 years of age if they had acetaminophen in their first year of life.
Even medium use (described as given one or more times a year and less than once a month) increased the risk of asthma by 60%.
And finally, high dosages of acetaminophen (where the drug was given more than once per month) increased the chances of an asthma risk by 3 times.
* This study was made up of 200,000 children from more the 30 countries.
While the finding us this study may surprise you its not the first time Tylenol has come under the spotlight.
In the 1980's some bottles of Tylenol contained cyanide which killed seven people in Chicago.
So how does Tylenol increase the risk of asthma? "Glutathione" is an important antioxidant in the body that helps to reduce free radicals in the body and in the lungs.
Acetaminophen, causes problems because it reduces the levels of glutathione in the body.
This allows more free radicals to stay in the lung areas where it causes problems.
While the finding of this study and link between "Tylenol and Asthma" may surprise you its not the first time Tylenol has come under the spotlight.
In the 1980's some bottles of Tylenol contained cyanide which killed seven people in Chicago.
Finally, If you're worried about treating your child temperature's this season, talk to your doctor about your concerns and if he/she can make any recommendations of another medication you could use instead of Tylenol.
