zincum gluconicum

[hgc]

Does anyone know about zincum gluconicum (Zicam)? I have friends who take it. It says it's homeopathic, but it's only diluted 2X.

See Zicam.com FAQ (http://www.zicam.com/site/products/faq_c.html#faq2)

Check out this hilarious answer to "How Zicam works" in the FAQ:

ZICAM® Cold Remedy acts at the source - the nasal cavity. The nasal cavity is the main site of the cold virus' entry into the body. Unlike most cold remedies, ZICAM® Cold Remedy is applied directly to the nasal surface.
Not much about how it works.

Anyway, I found another site that says more about how it works:

Zicam seller (http://www.zicam-priceinfo.com/zicamart4.cfm) -- says it's from zicam.com.

The common cold is generally caused by an estimated two hundred viruses known as rhinoviruses (rhino means nose). These viruses may enter the body through the nose, mouth or eyes, with the infection cycle beginning in the nasal cavity. Inside the nasal cavity, the virus infects the body by binding to cells that line the nasal passageway. As the virus infects more and more nasal cells, the body's immune system becomes overwhelmed. This leads to a full-blown cold.

Unlike other cold remedies that suppress or mask cold symptoms, ZICAM™was designed to treat the duration and severity of the cold. ZICAM™ uses a patent-pending gel matrix to apply ionic zinc directly to the nasal cavity. Research suggests that ionic zinc fills the grooves on the rhinovirus, thereby blocking the virus's ability to bind with the cells lining the nasal cavity, preventing or interrupting the infection cycle.
That sounds like a real mechanism, if it's true ("research suggests"), not like "like cures like."

Are they just putting the word "homeopathic" on the box to get more suckers to buy it? Afterall, who's to regulate what can and can't be called homeopathic?

Anyway, I'd appreciate it if anyone has intelligence on this, as I've already brayed loudly that it's a load of zinc.

[CurtC]

Are they just putting the word "homeopathic" on the box to get more suckers to buy it? Afterall, who's to regulate what can and can't be called homeopathic?Close, but not quite. If they just released it as an over-the-counter product, they would not be able to make any claims about what it might be used for or whether it's effective. They would have to depend on word-of-mouth.

Or they could take the other path and submit it for approval to the FDA, but that takes years of trials to prove that it's safe and effective.

No, the Zicam folks took the other (read: low) road. There is a committee in the US that decides what is called homeopathic. Somehow the Zicam folks were able to show that this Zinc product caused cold-like reactions in healthy people. They must have put huge quantities in someone's nose and when it came dripping out, said "Look, he has a runny nose!" Then the committee (the HPCUS I think) accepted it as a homeopathic substance, therefore not regulated by the FDA, and they can claim any crazy thing they want.

That said, they did do a study which seemed to indicate that the product shortened the duration of colds. Interesting if not convincing evidence. I'm not sure whether the stuff actually works, but I won't buy it because of their unethical marketing.

[hgc]

Thanks, Curt. I found lot's of references in google to a study indicating its effetiveness, but who knows? One study may or may not reflect reality. Many more studies (properly protocoled) could one day show it to be real.

but I won't buy it because of their unethical marketing.
which by the way includes a crazy high price.

[CurtC]

Another reference:

Do Zinc lozenges cure the common cold? (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a980206.html)
This is about lozenges instead of a nasal gel, and predates the more recent study. AFAIK there is only one study done after this article, though.