Last year the news came out that some people think a nasal spray called Zicam permanently destroyed their sense of smell. A study at the University of Colorado supports these claims.
Dr. Miriam Linschoten is part of a team at the University of Colorado Taste and Smell clinic that has identified the problem and recently published its findings, after a review by other experts in the field, in the prestigious American Journal of Rhinology, which addresses issues involving the nose.
"We felt it was important to let other workers in the field know that zinc gluconate could have this effect on the sense of smell," said Linschoten.
Based on its research, the CU team believes consumers should be wary of using the intranasal spray.
"We believe that zinc ions, when you put them directly on the olfactory epithelium — the part of the nose, the tissue in the nose that contains the receptor cells for smelling — that you run the risk of destroying those cells," said Linschoten.
I love Zicam. I think it really does cure colds, and my sense of smell seems fine. I'm afraid this stuff is going to be pulled off the market. I wonder what the shelf life of Zicam is, because I'm thinking of buying a life time supply (4 colds a year x 40 more years to live = 160 treatments. Each box has about 3 treatments, so I'd need to buy about 55 boxes). Better yet, maybe someone will come up with a homebrew recipe so I can make my own. Link
