Warning against using Vaseline in your nostrils
Q: Forty years ago, my doctor told me to use Vaseline petroleum jelly in my nose. It keeps my nose comfortable and prevents nosebleeds.
I tried Ayr Nasal Gel but found it less effective, so I went back to the Vaseline. You just put a small amount on a cotton swab and coat the inside of your nose. It doesn’t take much.
A: Many people use Vaseline or other petrolatum products to moisturize their nostrils, just as you do. One reader commented: “I have used Vaseline many times as a remedy for dry sinuses. Vicks VapoRub is good as a substitute. I have never had any adverse effects from the use of petroleum-based products.”
We recommend against using petroleum jelly in the nostrils. The trouble is that when you breathe in tiny particles of the petroleum product, they enter the lungs and can cause a pneumonialike reaction. Such lipoid pneumonia is considered rare, but it can cause significant shortness of breath (Chest, March 1994).
A case report of a young woman who used Vicks VapoRub around, not in, her nostrils for a year demonstrates that the consequences can be serious (Respiratory Medicine Case Reports, July 8, 2017). She had cough, fever and shortness of breath. Her abnormal chest X-ray led to a CT scan of the chest that demonstrated widespread pockets of lung inflammation.
Q: In a recent article, a person said that having a scan with iodine led to signs of hyperthyroidism. A thyroid doctor found antithyroid antibodies in the patient’s blood. You replied that some people react to iodine exposure by developing thyroid problems.
I have been considering using decolorized (white) iodine on my fingernails, which are weak and brittle. Applying iodine to the fingernails every day for a week and then once weekly after that is supposed to strengthen the nails.
Now I wonder if that is safe. Although my thyroid levels have always been normal, there are thyroid problems in my family.
A: We have heard from a number of readers that decolorized iodine can be helpful against nail fungus. It does have antifungal activity. We do not know whether it could strengthen nails that are brittle, though.
It is unlikely that putting iodine on your nails will affect your thyroid gland. The dose of iodine used in contrast material during a medical scan is huge, more than 30 times the minimum daily allowance for this mineral (JAMA OtolaryngologyHead & Neck Surgery, May 2013). Nails do not absorb minerals very well.
Q: I’ve suffered from neuropathy in my feet for a couple of years. It mostly caused numbness, not pain, but recently it became very painful.
A friend recommended a supplement for healthy feet and nerves. When I take it, the pain disappears and the numbness is reduced. Have you ever heard of this?
A: The supplement you refer to contains many B vitamins along with zinc, chromium, alpha lipoic acid, Boswellia extract and benfotiamine. Boswellia has anti-inflammatory activity, but we suspect that alpha lipoic acid and benfotiamine may be the key ingredients for treating neuropathy. Both compounds have been used for diabetic neuropathy (Minerva Medica, October 2017).
The usual dose for benfotiamine is 300 mg twice a day. Alpha lipoic acid, as well as vitamin B complex, L-acetylcarnitine, vitamin E and Coenzyme Q10, may ease the pain of peripheral neuropathy (Current Drug Metabolism, May 2018). All of these compounds are considered relatively safe.