Several pediatricians recently urged parents to refrain from the traditional folk remedy of applying menthol-based products to the skin of toddlers to assuage abdominal bloating, warning that exposure to the substance could cause nerve damage.
“In Taiwan, whenever young children feel ill, especially with stomach upset, their parents or grandparents often resort to what they believe as the ‘ancestors’ wisdom’ and rub peppermint oil on their belly aiming to alleviate their discomfort,” Evolution of Taiwan Pediatrics Association director-general Huang Jing-long (黃璟隆) told a press conference in Taipei on Thursday morning.
However, Huang said few people are aware of the potentially negative side effects.
Association secretary-general Lee Ping-ing (李秉穎) said menthol-based products are common, but few people are aware of their health risks.
Citing an example, Lee said that in November last year, a five-day-old girl was admitted into hospital after showing signs of jaundice and hemolytic anemia, with her total bilirubin level reaching 42.6mg per deciliter (mg/dL), compared with the normal level of less than 1mg/dL.
“A computed tomography scan of her head showed that she had developed kernicterus, which is bilirubin-induced brain damage caused by excessive jaundice,” Lee said, adding that the baby was later diagnosed with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD deficiency), a genetic disorder.
Lee said that it turned out that the girl’s family, including her breastfeeding mother, often used menthol-containing essential oil and the substance had been absorbed by the baby via breast milk.
“Long-term or excessive exposure to menthol can cause nerve damage even in healthy toddlers, but it can induce hemolytic anemia in and cause potentially fatal complications to those with G6PD deficiency,” Lee said.
He said pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as children under the age of two, should avoid any use of menthol-based products.
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