Muscle Cream Tied To Teen's Death

[AB]

A New York City medical examiner blamed a 17 year old track star's death on the use of too much anti-inflamatory muscle cream, the kind used to soothe aching legs after excerise. Arielle Newman, a cross-country runner at Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island died after her body absorbed high levels of methyl salicylate, an anti-inflamatory found in sports creams such as Bengay and Icy Hot.



I read this in the paper this morning and thought about all the times my family has used Icy Hot for sore muscles. We've never had a problem with it, except that it kind of burns a little when you rub it in.

[80sTrivia]

That's horrible that a topical analgesic cream could actually cause a death!!! How is that even possible?

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by 80sTrivia

That's horrible that a topical analgesic cream could actually cause a death!!! How is that even possible?

"She either lathered herself with it, or used way too much, or she used a normal amount and an abnormal percentage was absorbed into her body.

[Frischman_Fan]

That's scary. Since I have arthritis I use Icy Hot alot and BenGay. I'm not too sure now.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by VivianVanceFan

That's scary. Since I have arthritis I use Icy Hot alot and BenGay. I'm not too sure now.

If you use it according to the directions then you probably have nothing to worry about. This girl most likely didn't use the product properly and sadly lost her life because of it. The article below states that this is a rare occurrence.

Muscle Cream Caused NYC Teen's Death


NEW YORK (AP) -- A medical examiner blamed a 17-year-old track star's death on the use of too much anti-inflammatory muscle cream, the kind used to soothe aching legs after exercise.

Arielle Newman, a cross-country runner at Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island, died after her body absorbed high levels of methyl salicylate, an anti-inflammatory found in sports creams such as Bengay and Icy Hot, the New York City medical examiner said Friday.

The medical examiner's spokeswoman, Ellen Borakove, said the teen used "topical medication to excess." She said it was the first time that her office had reported a death from using a sports cream.

In addition to spreading the muscle cream on her legs between track meets, Newman was using adhesive pads containing the anti-inflammatory, plus an unspecified third product containing the chemical, Borakove said. The products were used and the chemical absorbed over time, she said.

Newman, who garnered numerous track awards, died April 3. She had gone to a party the night before, then returned home and spent hours talking with her mother.

Methyl salicylate poisoning is unusual, and deaths from high levels of the chemical are rare.

"Chronic use is more dangerous than one-time use," Edward Arsura, chairman of medicine at Richmond University Medical Center, told the Staten Island Advance on Friday. "Exercise and heat can accentuate absorption."

Dr. Ronald Grelsamer, of Mount Sinai Medical Center, said Newman had a very abnormal amount of methyl salicylate in her body.

"She either lathered herself with it, or used way too much, or she used a normal amount and an abnormal percentage was absorbed into her body," he said.

Her mother, Alice Newman, said she still couldn't believe her daughter's death was caused by a sports cream.

"I am scrupulous about my children's health," she told the Advance. "I did not think an over-the-counter product could be unsafe."

Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Bengay, expressed sympathy for the family and reminded consumers about "the importance of reading the label on this and all over-the-counter medicines to ensure safe and proper use," in a statement released Saturday.

The label on Ultra Strength Bengay says the product should be applied no more than three or four times daily and consumers should stop and see a doctor if the condition worsens or symptoms persist for more than a week, spokeswoman Meghan Marschall said.

[Ireneparalegal]

Oh ok, so she was a chronic user of this stuff. If she had been using it for a few days and on top of that using pills for pain relief, than all that being absorbed into your skin ends up into your liver. The purpose of your liver is to purify your blood of toxins and waste.