Wow, now Vick's Vapo-rub is shown to be harmful!

I was a Vapor Rub junkie and weaned my daughter on it before defecting to Olbas oil. What the heck though. I'm 50 and still here. They always have to find something in everything that's going to kill us. Life's pretty terminal. Maybe we should all be issued with a health warning stamped on our derrieres!

I heard about this on myLot earlier today. It was a different article I read though I think. I never put it under my kids nose, just on their chest. I actually prefer the Cherry Kidz Mentholatum over Vicks. It smells better and it is made just for kids.

same as you, ive used this stuff for years.. on myself and on my kids. the child in that article was 18 months old.. and the parents put the salve in their nose, and are surprised and blame the company for it being "harmful" rather than themselves for being morons. the warning label clearly states yer not sposd to put it in the nose or to use it on children under the age of 2, which is why i was thrilled when they came out with the less potent infants version of the product so my littler ones wouldnt have to suffer as much. if people would actually READ the instructions on products as to how to administer and use things, there would be less incident of negative things happening.

thanks for sharing the information...i used Vicks but only when my child has a cough, i put it on the bottom of his feet and let him wear a socks, it does relieve..well i dont think this can harm too...but still i'll try to be careful..thanks for sharing again.. happy mylotting! God bless!

One of the main ingredients of Vicks is camphor, which is harmful in large quantities. It really depends on how young your children are and how much you use. My mother used to use it on me all the time and I was always fine. I have asthma and if I'm having a bad day where my inhaler isn't working to clear up my lungs I find inhaling Vicks straight from the jar is the only thing that helps me. That being said, it's not necessary to put Vicks on a child's back or chest to clear up the congestion. If you put it on the soles of their feet and then cover the feet with a layer or two of socks it strangely will give you the same effect.

O they can be harmful. I didnt know it could be harmful to breathe in something that is suppose to be helpful. I didnt put any on when I was below 5 years old. I still put it on, because it helps with my coughing and sinuses. It works, but not for babies. Thanks for the tip.

I read that this morning too in msn news. I grew up using Vicks and still use it. I don't think (maybe) that it should be used on the kids who have a chronic respiratory problem or lung problems, and it probably shouldn't be used on infants. The report I read said they were doing the tests on animals, so, who knows how that correctly correlates to real people. We all use it on my grandson at night when he's got a cold, and it's never hurt him. He's 5, and he always says how much better he feels when we use it. We only use it on his chest and back. Just like anything, and everything, else, I think it's more an individual response to the menthol rather than one of those 'it's bad for everyone' deals. Personally, I'm going to continue to use it on myself. Sometimes it provides the only real relief when I have a head or chest cold. Seems like they find something negative in everything anymore.

I have used vicks vapor rub on all my kids and my grandmother used it on me when I was a kid too. It seems like almost every thing is dangerous these days. I tried to look it up on the net and found many blogs and references to the Canada Research council as having said on the radio that they have proved that putting Vicks vapor rub on the feet will stop a persistent cough. I tried to find the Canada Research Council to see what they said. I couldn't find any link to them so went to Snopes to see what they had to say. Apparently the National research council of Canada has never done such a research. So I will continue to use it as prescribed on the jar. I also have put a dab under the kids noses. From now on it will go on the feet along with heavy socks. What was harmless yesterday becomes harmful today and then down the road it becomes harmless again. So what is a person to believe. Do you remember eggs and how bad they were for you and then there was the spinach scare some years ago too. It's hard to know what to believe.

Just because a medicinal product has been around for generations,it still needs to treated with some caution and respect in it's application,and above all,follow the directions! The article mentions the makers say the product shouldn't be used on kids under 2,or put in the nose,and it looks as though one,if not both of those guidelines may have been bent if not broken if it was administered to an 18 month old..

Articles like this really annoy me. I also have been a user of Vick's as a child and now use it on my own children. This article told me nothing I didn't already know, yet it is making a common fact seem very scarey and like some brand new discovery. I'm not sure if you can get it in other countries but here in the Uk is a baby version which is alot milder. Also when they are younger I never put it on their bare skin in case of a reaction. I put it on their pillows, on their bottom layer of clothes (t,shirt/vest) and on a tissue for inhalation. Common sense would say if you have a child that has breathing difficulties you would consult a doctor before using any kind of medicine that involves inhalation of the fumes. This is just another media hype and sensation.

I remembr thoses rub downs too. And the dap on the nose. I also did it for my kids. I never knew we were having distress. Felt more like distress before the vicks.

That is really surprising to me coz I used to use it myself a few years back, of course I'm not a child so I can assume it's safe for me. I haven't used anything on my baby yet because she's never been sick. (Hooray) But when and if she gets sick I'm not gonna take a chance by using Vick's Vapo-rub on her. That's all I need to hear to stay clear of this product. Though I have to admit, that stuff can works miracles. It takes the stuffiness right out. I think that's the only thing that actually works really good for me when I'm stuffy. A few other products I tried would work for a little while but it doesn't last at all, but the Vick's Vapo-rub always worked all night.

Oh please.... every thing can cause problems for a few people. Some people are allergic but to feel like you have harmed your kids? Nonsense. The benefits far outweigh the potential problems.

I see, there is no safe place for us and our kids. I thought it is only in my country but now I have found that it is worldwide. Actually now-a-days business men only want their profit. They never about the bad effect of their business products. They don't care if people are suffering for their product or not.

well i have never put it on anyof my kids noses because i know it burns like well ... but i was told by an older woman that what she often did was put it on her childs feet and then put socks on and they would wake up fine the next morn ;) but did they stop making bay vicks ? i knw i got some samples when i had my last baby ?? I have heard about putting it on your upper lip around you nose and have done it when i was desprate but thats not often lol ( thanks to a doc who gives me cough syrup lol , actaually i rarelly use vicks , i just give my kids thereg cold medicine if it got reallt bad i would take them to the doc ~M~

Ya i have also heard about it a long time ago itself and i have not used it for myself for years because of their harmful effects..i never use any painbalms since being a medical proffesional i myself know the ill effects and my sister has a little daughter who is just 6 months old and my sister tried to rub some vicks where i went and stopped it since these stuffs are to harmful for childrens below three years... Happy Mylotting

wow. I just used this on my daughter yesterday when she was having trouble breathing. I use to use it all the time when I was sick and I remember my grandmother rubbing it on my chest when I was little.

That's sad! I used it, on mine too! But I did catch that they said "not in their nose" I assume maybe people were putting it inside the child's nose instead of just on the upper lip there. But yeah, hard to find a medication that is "good" for your child but if you don't do something, the illness can get worse and cause big problems too! What's a mother to do!?!?

I suspect I was addicted to the sensation when I was very young... LOL

We always used Vicks on the chest and on the nose when we were young and it seemed to help mostly with cough. Now I use Olbas oil for myslef but during the last year I received an email which said that if you apply Vicks on the soles it helps congestion. I never tried that though. Maybe this little girl is allergic to this product like in everything else. I don;t believe that if something isn't good for a person then its not good for everyone. This is same as in other medicines.