The vast majority of babies are given Tylenol (acetaminophen) within the first six months of life. It is the go to medicine for modern parents whenever discomfort, fever, or headaches strikes even very young children and its use is frequently encouraged by many pediatricians.
Now, a major peer-reviewed study of over 20,000 children suggests that giving this popular medicine even as infrequently as once per year could have a permanent, life-threatening health effect.
Researchers at the University of A Coruna in Spain asked the parents of 10,371 children ages 6-7 and 10,372 adolescents aged 13-14 whether their children had asthma and how often they had been given acetaminophen within the previous year and when they were babies.
The children in the younger age group who had received the medicine only once per year were at 70% greater risk for asthma while those receiving Tylenol once a month or more were shockingly 540% more likely to have asthma.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed European Journal of Public Health, also found that children who had even a single dose of Tylenol before their first birthday had a 60% risk of developing asthma.
In the older age group of 13 and 14 year-olds, asthma was 40 percent more likely if they had taken acetaminophen within the previous 12 months. The young teenagers were 250% more at risk if they took it once a month.
The researchers speculated that Tylenol, called paracetamol in the UK, may reduce a potent antioxidant called glutathione in the lungs and blood, which results in damage to the lung tissue. Glutathione is produced by the body (it is a combination of three amino acids: cysteine, glycine and glutamine) and is referred to as the “mother” of all antioxidants by Dr. Mark Hyman MD.
While Tylenol use is strongly associated with a significant increase in asthma and the effect is greater the more often the drug is taken, no causal link is yet established via randomized-controlled trials. Does this mean the results of this large study should be dismissed and parents should continue favoring use of the popular over the counter medication for fever and pain?
Not so fast. It would certainly be the wise and cautious approach for parents to investigate alternatives to Tylenol while additional follow-up research is performed. Asthma rates have been on the increase for decades at the same time Tylenol use became more widespread.
The potential link cannot and should not be ignored. Examination of 20,000 children establishing such a strong associative risk must be taken seriously and the dismissal of the research by some doctors is irresponsible given the seriousness and life altering outcome of an asthma diagnosis. “All the asthma symptoms analysed increased significantly with paracetamol consumption,” the researchers wrote.
Autoimmune Illness MUCH Higher in Children Who Use Tylenol
The associative link is even stronger when one considers that other autoimmune disease is also more prevalent with Tylenol use making the probability of inverse causation far less likely. Inverse causation would mean that children with asthma are simply more likely to pick up coughs and colds that require painkillers. For example, the Spanish study also concluded that the prevalence of eczema in children increased dramatically the more frequently Tylenol was used. In addition, scientists in New Zealand found in 2010 that Tylenol use before the age of 15 months was associated with a higher risk of children having allergies at the age of six.
Also in 2010, another large study of 11,000 children conducted by the Imperial College of London demonstrated that taking Tylenol in the first six months of life was associated with a higher prevalence of asthma and wheezing. Prior to that in 2009, researchers at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute in Canada found a higher risk of asthma for both adults and children via a meta-analysis of existing research.
Should savvy and health conscious parents wait awhile until the likely causative relationship is established? Definitely not! With such repetitive and significant associative links firmly established, taking that Children’s Tylenol and chucking it in the trash would be a really constructive action step.
There is absolutely no reason to use this product when raising children anyway. I’ve personally never owned a bottle of Children’s Tylenol let alone used it anytime in the past 15 years since my first child was born. There are plenty of other nontoxic options for dealing with fevers and pain in your young ones!
Another constructive action step? Finding a quality local pasture based farm and having your children drink unpasteurized grassfed milk. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology reported in August 2011 that children who drank raw milk had a 41% reduced chance of developing asthma. These same children had a nearly 50% reduction in hay fever as well even when other relevant factors were considered.
References
Babies given Calpol just once a month ‘are five times as likely to develop asthma’
The Mother of All Antioxidants
It’s Too Soon to Blame Paracetemol for Rising Childhood Asthma Rates
Exposure to Paracetemol and Asthma Symptoms
The effects of early and late paracetamol exposure on asthma and atopy: a birth cohort Prenatal and infant acetaminophen exposure, antioxidant gene polymorphisms, and childhood asthma
More Information
How to Naturally Relieve a Headache
If someone else said this, I’m sorry for repeating… I unfortunately didn’t have time to read all the comments…
Couldn’t tylenol use just be linked to those autoimmune diseases or asthma just because parents are more likely to give Tylenol to kids who are sick often? poor nutrition… weak immunity… not enough fat more likely to get sick often and/or have asthma… and so tylenol is given? so not that tylenol causes it, but if they’re unhealthy kids in general they’re likely to be given tylenol and healthy kids aren’t… and not likely to develop those diseases either…
This is discussed in the article and the researchers said that the inverse causation you suggest is not likely as other autoimmune disorders like eczema and allergies also increase the more frequently Tylenol is used.
The fact that other illnesses are also correlated supports the sick kid theory. Kids who are sick tend to have many illnesses, and tend to take Tylenol.
It’s cute how you actually think you know what you’re talking about.
Actually, it’s scary. She’s doling out medical advice to people with genuinely sick children. Magic water will not help your child.
Your comment seems to contradict itself, Pareidolius. On one hand you make is seem like you are pro-drugs, but on the other hand you say that “magic water will not help your child”. Since all Tylenol really is is just magic water, I don’t really understand which side you’re on.
A headache is easily remedied with a weak cup or organic green tea (the caffeine dilates the blood vessels in the head). A warm hot water bottle on an achy ear has always worked well for my kids. Colloidal silver in an achy ear frequently gives quick relief too. Slippery elm tincture for tummy aches. I’ve not ever used tylenol for pain ever in 15 years. It can be done. Mothers did it for thousands of years. Here are fever remedies from Dr. Cowan MD: http://www.westonaprice.org/ask-the-doctor/fevers-in-children
How about remedies for those of us who choose NOT to use homeopathy for religious reasons? Are there any natural pain killers or those that aren’t as bad? Sometimes I’m amazed at the people who say not to use Tylenol and such, and then run to their homeopathic medicines like there’s no other choice…. I want just plain, good, honest herbs or remedies. Thanks!
White Willow Bark… takes a touch longer to kick in but has longer lasting results without the nasty side effects of Tylenol. (I am not a doctor nor an herbalist so please research it before you decide to use it 😉
White willow bark can cause Reye’s syndrome, which can easily cause massive brain/liver damage and kill a child. Neither aspirin nor white willow bark, which are both salicylates, shouldn’t be given to babies or toddlers (or even children under the age of 16).
There is nothing like heavy lifting followed up with really spicy food to stimulate endorphins. I’ve always found a bite of Habanero to be better than any pain killer.
We use Essential oils, the bible says to use the fruit of the tree for food and the leaves for medicine. Using essential oils is mentioned a lot in the bible if you take time to break down the meanings and what is meant by words like ointments…which are actually 83% essential oils. If you are more interested I teach a class called the Healing Oils of the bible via Webinar, just send me a message if you are interested.
Lynn, see the comment just above about the book called Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care.
Just curious – what religious reasons are there not to use homeopathy?
Sarah,
Can you please write an article about how to manage pain relief with your sick child. I understand the “fever is our friend” argument, but when my child has been screaming on and off for one week with the pain of a middle ear infection, despite homeopathic remedies, herbal tinctures, essential oils and homemade chicken soup what is one to do? My 2 year old just got Hand, Foot, Mouth disease and was screaming “owie, owie” non-stop for 3 hours before I caved in and gave him some tylenol. Both of these instances were the second time we gave them the pain relief medicine, but I didn’t know what else to do. When your child is screaming and crying in pain for extended periods of time, what is one to do? Also, is there any action that can be taken afterwards to help “detox” or eliminate the harmful components of the tylenol? It is so hard to be a mama sometimes! We cook all of our meals from scratch and feed our family a nourishing traditions diet with all the NT super foods, but this is not enough go keep sickness and pain at bay. Again, I understand the benefits and purpose of a fever but it is absolutely heart-wrenching for me to see my child in such severe pain that they are crying non-stop. I birthed my second two children at home without any pain medication, but I did not hesitate to take tylenol myself after I had a bulging disc…way more painful than birth and not manageable. Do you know of any options for pain relief that are as effective as tylenol? I would love to find an alternative.
I hear your frustration and I imagine you will receive some thoughtful, helpful suggestions. Here’s a short list of homeopathic suggestions from one of Joette Calabrese’s newsletters which may be useful:
Rhus tox instead of Tylenol for chicken pox
Belladonna instead of acetaminophen for fevers over 104°
Hypericum instead of Vicodin for dental work
Chamomilla or Belladonna instead of codeine for ear infections
Belladonna instead of Amoxicillin for strep throat
Arnica instead of Ibuprofen for strains, sprains and injuries in general
Coffea instead of Lunesta for insomnia
Aurum instead of Zoloft for mild depression
Staphasagria or Cantharis instead of antibiotics for UTIs
Nux vomica or Arsenicum album instead of Imodium or Xifaxin for diarrhea
Joette also offers products and courses, one specifically titled “How to Raise a Drug Free Family”. She provides detail about how much and when to adminsiter remedies. Not only can they be used for family, but even pets and animals too. Since signing up for this course last year, I have not used one drop of Tylenol or antibitoics for my family, this knowledge is POWER!! 🙂 Here is her website http://joettecalabrese.com/
You will also find a lot of helpful wisdom compiled in the new book called Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care, by Sally Fallon Morell and Thomas Cowan, MD, in particular the chapters on Childhood Illnesses, Strategies for Infectious Disease, Ear Nose & Throat, Remedies for the Illnesses of Childhood, and the appendix with Therapy Instructions.
Because chemicals that occur in nature aren’t “drugs”…!?
Belladonna? Seriously? You think giving kids Deadly Nightshade is better then Tylenol?
I’ve wondered about this one too. So many people recommend Hylands Teething tablets that have Belladonna in them, even though awhile back they had to PULL those tablets off the market because “somehow” they had too much Belladonna in them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of Tylonol either, but there HAS to be a better option than Belladonna.
Wouldn’t you agree that kids who take Tylenol are probably sick kids? And if a kid is sick all the time, they’ll probably take more Tylenol. This looks like a classic correlation isn’t causation study. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t use Tylenol because of the potential extremely serious toxic side effects, and asthma may well be one of them, but saying kids who tend to get sick more often and who’s parents aren’t particularly careful about what they give their kids medicine wise are five times more likely to have asthma isn’t a shocker.
If you read the article you will see that the authors of this study said that what you are suggesting is highly unlikely. Reverse causation is not the issue here. I am quite frankly concerned when folks say “correlation isn’t causation” to important research like this. What it suggests is that correlation is useless and that is simply NOT the case. If correlation was unimportant or should be ignored until randomized trials are conducted, researchers wouldn’t bother doing this type of study in the first place. This type of thinking is an excuse for people to not change their habits and continue to sit on their hands. Smart parents are able to see the writing on the wall and take action before the obvious truth hits them smack in the face. Children grow up too fast and by the time a parent waits for a randomized trial to be announced on the evening news to change their behavior, their child has already been harmed.
If we are to remain unbiased, we can not give too much weight to this study. It isn’t a ‘major study’, it was a questionnaire. There is a possibility that acetaminophen causes asthma, but this was not a clinical trial, so we can not make that claim.
There are lots of good studies out there showing acetaminophen to be highly toxic, linked to liver failure, kidney failure, cancer and immune suppression. Those studies should have been reason enough to not give it to your kids.
Thank you Greg! I don’t know why she feels the need to pull this totally fake “trump” card out to prove that overuse of NSAIDS is bad.
Use the real data on Tylenol and it’s real risks; not a fabrication and over-selling of results that the scientists don’t understand.
So many children die from the over-dosage of acetaminophen! I don’t get why this article is getting action, and it irks me to no end! It’s the same type of junk that we see in the anti-vaccine religion that’s going round.
To imply that there is a causal impact of 540% is worse! Talk about a fallacious use of data and choosing which numbers to report to FORCE a point.
Overuse of any NSAID at any age is bad, but to say that a “meta study” whose conclusion is that the odds-ratio of having asthma or wheezing (which is a COMPLETELY correlative statistic) is a bit higher (and we’re talking BARELY higher) within a group using NSAIDs is bad science. The conclusion in the only real source you cite (from pubmed) is that the results would be consistent with higher risk of asthma, but that further study is needed. Which means: they don’t know, and you shouldn’t claim to.
If you want to urge people not to over medicate, then just write something to that effect, but spurring fear isn’t legit, and it makes me sad to see this with a claim that it’s written by an economist.
I don’t know ANY health-economist out there that’d support this piece.
Also, if you actually look at the abstracts linked to, they don’t even say what she is claiming in this post…
Also, this is a reverse study which doesn’t hold very much weight compared to randomized blind trials. It was a survey that was conducted to ask parents if their kids had asthma and if they did, they asked them how many times in the past year or as babies they gave them tylenol. It is very hard to recall back how often you gave something to a child accurately.
I know I am just one case, but I have three boys, two of them on raw milk their whole lives after 18 months of breastmilk, they have all been sick with colds, fevers, my oldest with severe headaches, some seasonal allergy that they all seem to have outgrown by 5-7 years but none have asthma and we have never treated pain or fever with Tylenol or medications, only hot showers, rest and herbs and vitamins. And when I say sick, I mean a cold, or flu or something every 2-3 weeks their first years of school.
Not really. When you say “sick”, what do you mean? Tylenol is a pain reliever and fever reducer – not a sick reliever. Both pain and fever are symptoms, not problems. Tylenol does not fix the problem, it exacerbates it. Fever is a natural process of the body when there’s an infection present. The increased temperature not only provides a hostile environment for bacteria, it also prevents them from reproducing. Additionally it boosts immune function by increasing the rate of white blood cell production, and making interferon more effective. By reducing a fever, the body’s natural fighting mechanisms are greatly reduced, making it more difficult to fight an infection. It’s like taking away ammunition from your army and handing it over to the enemy!
All kids get sick. It’s a part of life. It is the kids that are loaded with medication that tend to get sick more often – meaning, it’s the Tylenol that’s allowing sick kids to get sicker. Kind of the opposite of what you’re suggesting.
This is a correlational study, they gave a questionnaire to parents. They did not physically test to see if in fact they Tylenol was the cause of asthma. If a child’s temperature gets to high they could potentially die. I personally follow my doctor’s advice and until there is a study that is done that physically tests to see if Tylenol is a factor in kids having more health problems and my doctor advises parents to not use it I will continue to use Tylenol. I have given my sons both Tylenol when needed for pain and fever and neither have problems. This study to me is like the one that said vaccines cause autism. Their is no hard evidence that links Tylenol to asthma. A questionnaire is not enough evidence. I for one am not about to risk my sons life based on some bogus correlational study that’s method of study was some stupid questionnaire. When my doctor and the CDC have physical proof that it causes that then yes I will consider changing my opinion on this subject. However, to each their own; everyone is entitled to their opinion on what way is best to raise their child. Although, from the way this article reads this study had some major flaws.
I completely agree with you. This article does not actually prove anything, and in my opinion is an embarrassment. As a health advocate, I am constantly disappointed and upset by articles written by Sarah, as they are amateurish and filled with statements that have no backing. It seems she has her own agenda, and health isn’t it. She really sends the wrong message.
That aside though, I think you should consider researching things before giving them to your kids. Tylenol may or may not cause asthma, but it is far from being healthy. Although medical doctors save lives, a lot of the training in medical schools is based on information from the pharmaceutical companies. Meaning, the information doctors give you about drugs, including the drug’s effectiveness and safety is biased and skewed. Unfortunately, the doctors don’t even know that! It’s like going to a auto mechanic who not only fixes cars, but also sells things. He “prescribes” things for your car (sells them) to make some extra money. It is not in not in his best interest, nor is it the best use of his time to perform studies on these “prescriptions”. He may be a great mechanic and may do an excellent job on your car, but that doesn’t mean the products he vends are trustworthy. So, blindly trusting prescriptions without further research (check for real sources), is really like trusting anything else any other sales person will tell you about his/her product. It’s just kinda silly.
Also consider that the studies you will more easily find are studies funded by pharmaceutical companies. These companies do many different studies before getting the results they want, then they only release those studies that “prove” what they are trying to prove. So instead of relying on drug sales representative (doctors), try thinking for yourself.
As I mentioned before, fever is a natural process of the body when there’s an infection present. The increased temperature not only provides a hostile environment for bacteria, it also prevents them from reproducing. Additionally, it boosts immune function by increasing the rate of white blood cell production, and making interferon more effective. By reducing a fever, the body’s natural fighting mechanisms are greatly reduced, making it more difficult to fight an infection. It’s like taking away ammunition from your army and handing it over to the enemy! In addition to that, Tylenol (especially the kid’s formula) is more than just acetaminophen (the active ingredient). It contains many other chemicals that are toxic – such as artificial sweeteners, flavors and dyes.
If your child’s fever is high enough to be considered dangerous, then there’s something a lot more serious on than just a simple infection. Tylenol won’t help you with that. Take your child to the emergency room ASAP!
I would be interested in seeing the questionnaire used. Did the researchers ask the parents about all remedies used and found heavy acetaminophen use or were the parents only asked about acetaminophen use? How many parents surveyed never used acetaminophen yet have children with asthma? These seem like reasonable questions to ask before publishing a study, especially when trying to convince people that all medicine is toxic.
My daughter had severe asthma starting on her second birthday. We even had to have an overnight in the hospital one night. Once we started drinking raw milk, her asthma has completely gone away. There is hope!:O)
How many parents have given their children the double whammy of a vaccination followed by Tylenol to offer “relief,” and what kind of damage has been done to millions this way?
I did. Both before I knew any better and here I am trying to pick up the pieces and figure out how to keep her healthy. FCLO and raw milk have been life savers but they are not a cure all. I do wonder if a glutathione supplement would be helpful after reading this.
exactly Jennifer. We were/are told to give them some Tylenol 1/2 hr. prior to getting the shots to help them feel less pain. I’ve since read that by doing the Tylenol within that window of time also makes the vaccine nearly ineffective…so total waste of everything.
Sarah, I can not get raw milk in my area but I saw an ad for frozen Camel’s milk in the Wise Traditions. Would that still have it’s nutritional value coming to me frozen or raw cow’s milk for that matter if I could get that frozen and shipped as well?
I shipped in frozen raw dairy for years before I was able to get access to it locally. Very little nutritional value is lost when raw dairy is frozen.
I know more about freezing human milk than raw cow’s milk, but I’m assuming the effect is similar: regarding human milk, the nutritional value is not affected substantially by freezing, but the immunological benefits are drastically reduced. And I assume that’s what you’re going for, by using raw cow’s milk. Thought you should know.
Have there been any studies on how to reverse the affects of Tylenol use? My daughter was given Tylenol as an infant (we didn’t know better at the time) and has asthma and allergies. She won’t drink raw milk unless it’s chocolate 🙂 People are always so surprised that she has these issues since she was breast fed until 2.5 yrs and is not vax’d.
Luckily my doctor told me to stop using Tylenol awhile back and we try to avoid Advil unless absolutely necessary.
Chocolate milk with chocolate flavored stevia is delicious!
Chocolatize the half gallon bottle as soon as you get it? Use quality chocolate. It has iron, magnesium and potassium.
Young Living Essential oils work at a cellular level and can change DNA and restore it back to what is correct, so scientifically it should be able to correct genetic diseases as well as other issues from nutritional and tissue and toxin damage. Oils have 3 main properties. Some are high in phenolpropanoids which cleanse receptor sites, Sesquiterpens which delete the bad programing in the cells and then Monoterpens which restore the cell to proper health.
My husband has been a huge allergy and asthma sufferer his whole life and he’s been off inhalers and anti-histamines after using oils. Send me a message on my website if you have any questions!
Wow. I’m amazed at the comments on this as it’s news to me. My 10 year old has had asthma for years, has many allergies and this year was given an epipen for nuts as well as being diagnosed coeliac. He also developed an autoimmune disorder last year which causes inflammation behind his eyes/ cataracts which the doctors now agree is allergy related. I shudder at the thought of all the calpol (paracetamol) we gave him as a baby. I can see the connection now. However, he’s also got a dairy allergy so I’m wondering if anyone knows what might help ?
I’m sorry to hear about your son. I would suggest finding a children’s chiropractor who can check for interference in his nervous system (controls the immune system) that may have built up with chemical, emotional and physical stress. A Naturopath should also be able to help with. All the best!
Research essential oils on google. Don’t be taken in by the Young Living pyramid scheme hype, though.There’s other good quality (possibly even better quality) oils out there that aren’t nearly as expensive. I like Native American Nutritionals, personally. Just be careful about what carrier oil a company uses for their oils; some blends are in nut oils. Unless it says what the carrier is, it might be safer to buy single oils & make your own blends with a carrier safe for your child.
This is just the first link I found for essential oils & asthma http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/aromatherapy/how-to-treat-asthma-with-aromatherapy.htm
Thank you. I’ll check out the sites and a chiropractor. I do see a naturopath and we’ve kept him off methotrexate injections for his eyes through natural means. Im also studying nutrition from a naturopathic perspective and studying NAET. I’m interested in the natural oils you mention now. Thanks again for replying and the information 🙂
Thank heaven for raw milk!