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My son was sick with a stomach bug recently and needed rehydration badly. I went to the pharmacy for some Pedialyte and checked the ingredients for Red 40, a synthetic dye, that contains benzene (know for causing cancer). There it was. I must have been naive to think that manufacturers would protect children from toxic dyes like Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6. It made me wonder what other medicines might contain these dyes? My search turned up Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 (all containing benzene) and lots of other dyes in children’s and adult medicines, toothpaste, cough drops, electrolytes, vitamins and mouthwash. Of course most of us know these dyes are in our food, but putting it in our health aids? It seems there is no moral line that companies will not cross to get your money.
And the real question is WHY ARE THESE DYES IN OUR MEDICINES? WHAT PURPOSE DO THEY SERVE?
According to the authors of Immune reactivity to food coloring, “[dyes] are widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries to increase the appeal and acceptability of their products.” The article continues on to say, “The consumption of synthetic food colors, and their ability to bind with body proteins, can have significant immunological consequences.” … the consuming public is largely unaware of the perilous truth behind the deceptive allure of artificial color.” (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25599186)
Given the possible negative consequences of consuming these dyes, I think we would all happily sacrifice having brightly colored ibuprofen, flu/allergy meds and antacids. These dyes have NO ADDED VALUE other than to increase their appeal. Are we so easily manipulated by these manufacturers that we think if our pills, drops, and syrups are beautiful that they will work better? If we stop purchasing medicines with dyes, they will stop producing them.
I decided to narrow my search to Red 40 (a.k.a. Red 40 Lake, FD&C Red no. 40 Aluminum Lake) and found it in the ingredient list of name brands as well as generic brands. Here is a list of just a few medicines with this potentially harmful ingredient in their mainstream brands. The sad thing is that some of these brands do have dye-free versions of their products, but they are more expensive and you have to search for them. If these companies valued the health of their consumers, they would just leave the dyes out.
Short List of Products with Toxic DYES
*Peptol Bismol *Halls
*Emitrol *Ludens
*Anbesol Pain Relief * Tylenol Extra Strength Rapid Release Gelcaps
*Tums Assorted Fruits and Berries *Motrin IB
*Benadryl Allergy Liquid Cherry *Rolaids
*NyQuil *Robitussin DM Max Day and Night Cough Relief
*Pedialyte *Dimetapp Children’s Cold & Cough Syrup
Short List of Dye Free Products
Zyrtec Allergy – 60 Count Bottle https://amzn.to/4b5m18H
Zarbees Cough and Cold Medicines. Value 2 Pack Kids All-in-One Day/Night Cough https://amzn.to/3U8EaLF
Ricola Cough and Throat Drops- Lg bag 115 drops https://amzn.to/3Up0UIP
Claritin – Children’s Dye Free 24 Hr Allergy Relief (Loratadine) https://amzn.to/3w2lx4k
Genexa Brand – Real Medicine Made Clean.
Genexa 3 pack Antacids https://amzn.to/444qOVv
Genexa 60 count Non Drowsy Allergy Care https://amzn.to/3QavR0M
Genexa 100 count Extra Strength Acetaminophen https://amzn.to/4aIuNcX
Genexa 60 count Cold Medicine (adult) https://amzn.to/4d2Hktf
Genexa 60 count Cold Medicine (kids) https://amzn.to/3JqRCpn
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