What’s up with Zicam?
The FDA has issued a warning about a nasal spray called Zicam after numerous users reported a permanent loss of their sense of smell and taste. My first thought is: how did this stuff get approved by the FDA to begin with? The answer is: the FDA didn’t approve it because Zicam is supposedly a homeopathic remedy. While the FDA doesn’t approve such things, they do have the authority to issue warnings once a problem is discovered. Typical of mainstream media coverage on alternative medicine is this report from ABC News. They say Zicam is homeopathic but they never explain what it is or that there is controversy over its efficacy. A better report can be found at the Wall Street Journal, and Snopes.com has a pretty good summary (status: Undetermined). Now I’m confused. As you may know, homeopathic remedies involve taking an active ingredient (which may or may not actually cure what it’s intended to cure) and progressively dilute it with water until the active ingredient exists in parts per
