Quick Hit: Botox is dangerous. (Shocking, I know)
In announcing new labeling info for the drug, Health Canada said that "the toxin in Botox products may spread to distant parts of the body, with potentially fatal consequences."
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Who would have ever thought that injecting paralyzing TOXINS into your body would be bad for you?
Really, people. Who ever thought this was a good idea?
Seriously right next to your brain/skull no less. I never understood it.
I grew up owning and showing horses, and I will never forget the year there was a botulism outbreak in my area. Several of our friends lost beloved pets, and although one lovely mare recovered by the skin of her teeth, she was never the same. Between that memory and learning the mechanism of action for this toxin as a grad student in micro, I have always been convinced that anyone who would deliberately put this toxin in their body (and their face, of all places!) is either ignorant or nuts.
Get out of town!
When I taught high school science (Earth & Biology) - at some point, we would talk about toxins and I would always point out where the term "Botox" came from...they had no clue, it's "Botox" - there are commercials for it & "all the celebrities" use it - it has to be safe.
If I was still a teacher, I would totally use this, and as I passed it out, start with something along the lines of "Really? Who would have EVER thought that injecting a toxin into your body to paralyze muscles would have no consequence?!" Which is why I'm not a teacher any longer. :)
Sorry - not paralyze, but relax muscles. Please don't think I'm a TOTAL moron. I got too caught up in it. My bad. :)
Hi there fellow Feministers,
I felt the need to pipe up on this issue. Botox was originally designed to treat chronic pain. Having been designed and approved as a way to manage chronic pain without debilitating drugs, Botox seemed to some people, myself included, to be an important treatment option.
While I agree that, on the face of it, injecting a toxin into one's body should indicate some level of risk, the amount of sarcasm and self-congratulatory "I told you so" in the comments to this post are rude and ignore the fact that for a lot of people, Botox treatments improve quality of life.
I wonder whether the people who posted here would take the same facetious positions if they were faced with the option of popping drugs that make you sleepy and otherwise harm you, or of having Botox injections every 9 months to live pain-free?
Having had a few medicinal Botox treatments, I'm worried about the health effects. Perhaps a more useful dialogue would be to stop this self-congratulatory "I have never had it done, ergo, I am smarter than you" and to focus on how drug testing and availability can endanger the public if not done correctly.
That is very interesting MelGhislanzoni. I had no idea Botox was used as a treatment option for pain management. What pain category is it intended for? Mild, moderate, severe?
It turns out my wife knew and had told me before. I just forgot. I have memory problems when experiencing high levels of pain.
My wife and I are currently disabled due to spinal injuries and we are forced to rely on a range of medications in order to function effectively.
It is not that I think Botox would help us, our problems are more nerve related rather than muscle based for the most part. Although I do suffer from strong muscle spasms that can cause me to collapse.
We are just curious since pain management is a rather important subject for us. It is often difficult to find much information regarding pain management. Most places do not even have support groups.
Miles,
A good place to start might be googling for chronic pain management clinics/doctors. I'm not a doctor so hesitate to provide any further advice than to say that for moderate to sometimes intense pain, Botox has been a big help.
Cheers and good luck,
M
People are probably referring to the popular cosmetic application of Botox, not the less common therapeutic application. I don't think that anyone (at least I hope that no one but) save an opponent of accessible healthcare or a staunch animal rights activist would decry other's medical needs.