Get Your Poison Educational Materials Just in Time for Poison Prevention Week 2015!

National Poison Prevention Week falls during the third full week of March which marks a great time to get educated on preventing poisons. Congress established National Poison Prevention Week in 1961 to help raise awareness, reduce unintentional poisonings and promote poison prevention.

A poison is considered any substance, including medications, which can be harmful to your body if too much is ingested, inhaled, injected or absorbed through the skin. An accidental poisoning occurs when a person unintentionally takes too much of a substance and does not mean to cause harm.

The Texas Poison Center Network (TPCN) wants to help spread awareness and remind the community to contact a poison center in the event of a possible poisoning. Throughout the third week of March, educators all over the country will be holding educational activities to help promote awareness about poison control services.

The TPCN provides educational materials for ordering and you can do it directly from their website so here’s your chance to get educated!

If you are located in Texas, please visit www.poisoncontrol.org where you can order poison prevention pamphlets such as:

•           Poison Prevention Guide

•           Poison Safety Tips for Baby’s First Year

•           Bites and Stings

•           Poisonous Plants

•           Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

In the event that you or someone with you has been poisoned, first remain calm. Then call the toll-free Poison Help line immediately at 1-800-222-1222 and get connected to your local poison center. Peace of mind and help when you need it is just a phone call away.

The Dangers of Unregulated Herbal Supplements

If you have been watching the news, you have seen the many stories covering recent herbal supplement findings. These findings include well-known herbal products that do not contain the herbs they claim to include and, alarmingly, some of these supplements contain wheat when they state that they are gluten-free. Many of these store-brand supplements are sold in national retail stores such as Target, Walgreens, GNC, and Walmart.  

Consumers should be aware that herbal supplements are not subject to the same standards for safety as medications here in the U.S.  That means that they are not regulated by the FDA or any other regulatory entity for that matter. If you choose to take herbal supplements, please be cautious.

One example of a misleading supplement is a store-brand ginkgo biloba tablet that might not actually contain what is listed on the label.   Instead that supplement could contain wheat, mustard, radish, and/or other ingredients that would not be considered of herbal nature that are not listed on the label. This information was brought to light when the New York State attorney’s office conducted an investigation into some store-brand supplements.

If you have taken an herbal supplement and had an adverse reaction or are simply concerned about the ingredients, please do not hesitate to contact the Texas Poison Center Network at 1-800-222-1222.