Dear Reader:

Earlier this week I posted a link on my Facebook page about a new found mixture of honey and cinnamon that is said to help to cure a host of diseases such as arthritis, bladder infections, even heart disease.

Always looking for further proof of claims like these, I found myself investigating the assertions more closely. I talked with some doctors; I talked with a pharmacist. I read several articles and found that, yes, there are some curative qualities associated with honey and cinnamon, but there are some cautions one should take when using or digesting either or both.

One cautionary tale, in particular, is alarming. It’s the story of a teenager from Ypsilanti, Michigan, who was hospitalized with a collapsed lung after taking what is being called, “the cinnamon challenge”.

Doctors are warning that teens and others should refrain from taking the cinnamon challenge as the ingestion of ground cinnamon in the dose suggested in the challenge can cause serious health issues.

The challenge or prank is depicted in a YouTube video and has caught on with teens. It involves daring someone to swallow a spoonful of ground cinnamon in 60 seconds - without water. But the spice is caustic and trying to gulp it down can cause choking, throat irritation, breathing trouble, and even collapsed lungs.

A report in the online publication, Pediatrics, notes that at least 30 teens nationwide needed medical attention after taking the challenge last year.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported that in 2012, there were 222 calls to U.S. poison control centers for situations related to this stunt.

Cinnamon is made from tree bark and contains cellulose fibers that don’t easily break down. Animal research shows that when cinnamon gets into the lungs it can cause scarring.

Dejah Reed, the 16 year old Michigan girl who took the challenge not once, but four times, with the last time causing serious problems for her, still feels the affects of the spoonful of cinnamon she took in February of 2012. She was hospitalized for four days and sent home with an inhaler. She never had any respiratory problems before the challenge, according to her father.

She has created a website where on it she warns other teens not to take the challenge and notes that she now knows that it’s “not cool and it’s dangerous”.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that the report is a call to arms for parents and doctors to be aware of things like the cinnamon challenge and to pay attention to what their kids are viewing online.  

Read more about what the American Academy of Pediatrics says about the cinnamon challenge.

 

Read, learn, enjoy!

Eric Von

Publisher/Editor