I was on my way to start my dream life in Dubai when my skin started falling off. This is the very common reaction that caused it - and why doctors are missing it
But instead of bringing relief, the move became a medical nightmare, leaving her bedridden and eventually hospitalised with a potentially life-threatening skin condition.
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Daily Mail
a minute ago
- Daily Mail
I took a very common supplement because it was supposed to help me... my world has been turned upside down and I know I'm not alone
A young Australian has claimed a B6 supplement has left him with pain and cognitive issues, as a law firm launches a class action investigation against Blackmores. Melbourne man Dominic Noonan-O'Keeffe, 33, began taking two supplements partly on the advice of health podcasters in May 2023. Over the course of several months of using the company's Blackmores Super Magnesium+ and Ashwagandha+, he developed a range of symptoms associated with overexposure to vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is a nutrient naturally found in meats and plants, but has been added to off-the-shelf supplement ranges for its properties aiding metabolism. Overconsumption of vitamin B6 can be toxic, though there is no consensus on the threshold for safe usage. Mr Noonan-O'Keeffe's symptoms began as fatigue, nerve pain, migraines, and visual disturbances. Nine months later, his stepsister asked if he was taking B6 supplements, as a colleague of hers had recently suffered B6 toxicity. 'It was a lightbulb moment,' Mr Noonan-O'Keeffe told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'I stopped all of my supplements straight away, got a blood test, and within a week, I had a diagnosis of B6 toxicity.' He later discovered the Magnesium+ he had been taking contained approximately 29 times the recommended daily intake of vitamin B6. The Frankston man still suffers numbness in his fingers, nerve pain in his neck, and reduced cognitive ability. 'I'm hoping I'm at the tail end of a big flare-up, and this is the start of recovery, even though we know the recovery prospects are pretty unknown,' Mr Noonan-O'Keeffe said. Injury law firm Polaris Lawyers has been pursuing a class action investigation against the wellness giant since May. They are acting on behalf of anyone who has suffered injuries after taking their supplements. Polaris principal Nick Mann said more than 300 people had enquired about joining the suit. Their respondents claimed to have suffered after taking B6 supplements, exclusively and in combination with other supplements. Elli Carew, 64, said she had been inadvertently taking the vitamin through other supplements for several years, with B6 toxicity now interfering with the treatment of her Parkinson's disease. Penny Thompson, 61, said her B6 toxicity first presented as numbness in her hands and feet, before she suffered from paralysed vocal cords. The vocal injury, affecting her ability to eat and speak, cost her her role as a TAFE teacher, before she developed other injuries like headaches, gut pain, and numbness. Mr Mann said the reports were 'alarming'. 'It's alarming to walk down the vitamin aisle of any chemist in Australia and see vitamin supplements containing levels of B6 which are far above the recommended daily intake,' he said. 'Consumers of supplements have a right to be confident that the product they purchase will be safe for their use. 'The fact that potentially harmful supplements have been approved for sale by the regulator does not alter the legal obligations of manufacturers to ensure that the products are safe for consumers.' In a decision posted in June, the TGA announced it would consider ordering supplements containing more than 50mg of vitamin B6 to be stored behind pharmacy counters. Such a change would not come into effect until February 2027. A Blackmores spokesman told Daily Mail Australia the company was committed to the 'highest standards of product quality and consumer safety'. 'All our products, including those containing vitamin B6, are developed in strict accordance with the regulatory requirements of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA),' he said. 'This includes compliance with maximum permitted daily doses and the inclusion of mandated warning statements. 'We acknowledge the interim decision issued by the TGA and we will ensure full compliance with its final determination.'
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
The health minister, the pub and the disappearing plaque
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked for a plaque celebrating her attendance at the reopening of a pub in her constituency to be removed as she felt it was inappropriate given her role as minister for health. Carroll MacNeill, a Fine Gael TD for Dun Laoghaire, attended an event celebrating the reopening of the Queens in Dalkey, south Co Dublin, on Saturday, July 12. Photographs showed a clearly elated Carroll MacNeill unveiling the plaque alongside her fellow constituency TDs Barry Ward, of Fine Gael, and Cormac Devlin, of Fianna Fail. However, the plaque, which said the pub was 'officially reopened by the minister for health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill', has now been removed on request by the minister. A spokeswoman for Carroll MacNeill said: 'The minister attended an event for the reopening of a local food and beverage business in her constituency. 'Ahead of attending the event she was not aware there would be a plaque unveiling at it. She subsequently asked the business to remove the plaque, not wanting to take away from the event on the evening, which was a community celebration.' It is understood that Carroll MacNeill did not ask for the plaque to be removed until a few days after the event. The pub, which is now under the ownership of Doherty Hospitality, has been a favoured haunt of celebrities such as Bono and Bruce Springsteen. In a video post uploaded to the Queens Dalkey Instagram page, Carroll MacNeill is also seen cutting a red ribbon at the event. 'With the sun shining, the garden packed and the drinks flowing we were honoured to have councillor Jim Gildea, cathaoirleach of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown county council, and minister for health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill officially open this exciting new chapter for a beloved local landmark,' the post's caption read. The Queens declined to comment on Carroll MacNeill's request for the plaque to be removed. The plaque was gone when The Sunday Times visited the pub last Thursday evening. Separately, the minister has been warned against deferring legislation to compel the drinks industry to include health warning labels on its products. Sheila Gilheany, chief executive of Alcohol Action Ireland, the national charity, urged Carroll MacNeill to stick to the timeline for introducing the new alcohol labelling by May next year, despite suggestions that the government intends to delay the legislation until 2029. 'We assume that at cabinet she will vigorously defend her own department's long-stated policy against the recent attacks on it by some of her own party colleagues, who have taken the mantle of the health-harming alcohol industry,' Gilheany said. She added that deferring alcohol labelling laws would mean that Carroll MacNeill was allowing the alcohol industry to set health policy. 'Presumably she would not allow the tobacco industry to do likewise. It is worth noting that alcohol swallows up 11 per cent of her department's budget and likely costs Ireland twice as much as tobacco in terms of impacts to health, justice, loss of workplace productivity and harm to others,' Gilheany said. On Wednesday last week Carroll MacNeill was asked by Sinéad Gibney, the Social Democrats TD, when the legislation would be implemented. Gibney cited recent statements by Simon Harris, the tanaiste, about pausing the rules. Carroll MacNeill replied. 'The minister for health made the Public Health (Alcohol) (Labelling) Regulations 2023 and commenced section 12 of the act on May 18, 2023. The law will come into operation on May 22, 2026.' Last month Harris indicated that the timing of the labelling legislation would need to be reconsidered because of uncertainty for businesses in the international trade environment. 'We are very proud of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act, but we will make a decision in the coming weeks on the timing of the labels. I personally believe a deferral will be required,' Harris told the Dail. Alcohol Action Ireland said last week that the decision on alcohol labelling ultimately taken by Micheál Martin, the taoiseach, would have a lasting impact on his legacy. The legislation would make Ireland the first country in the world to introduce such rules. 'He [Martin] is rightly held in the highest regard nationally and internationally thanks to his leadership around Ireland's smoking regulations and he knows all too well the power of industry lobbying, having faced down the tobacco industry,' Gilheany said. She added that deferring the legislation would be a 'betrayal of Ireland's health and democratic processes'. 'The eyes of the world are on him again and Alcohol Action Ireland is strongly urging the taoiseach to do the right thing and resist industry lobbying once more and proceed as planned with alcohol labelling's introduction in May 2026,' Gilheany said.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Lipstick and fake nails can increase risk of getting asthma in adulthood, study finds
Regularly wearing make-up may increase the risk of developing asthma in adulthood, a study has found. Research has shown a potential link between those who use products such as lipstick, eyeshadow and mascara and an increase in late-onset cases of the chronic respiratory condition, which affects around 5.4 million people in the UK. Women who used false nails, cuticle cream, blush and lipstick had a 47 per cent higher risk of being diagnosed with asthma, the study based on nearly 40,000 people found. Just using blush and lipstick five times a week or more increased the risk by 18 per cent. The researchers, from the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, said the association did not prove the products caused the uptick in risk but did suggest common chemicals in make-up could have an effect. Some are thought to weaken the immune system, while others – such as polyfluoroalkyl substances (known as PFAs), parabens, phthalates and phenols may interfere with the body's hormones. 'Our findings reinforce the need for regulation of personal care products and their components,' the researchers said. The study, published in the journal Environment International, used data gathered over 12 years, which was based on the use of 41 different beauty products. At the end of the research period, 1,774 of the women – around 4 per cent – had been diagnosed with adult-onset asthma. Symptoms of the condition include coughing, wheezing, tightness in the chest and shortness of breath. Overall, using the products was associated with a 19 per cent increased risk of asthma. Frequent use corresponded to a 22 per cent increase risk. Previous studies have found that exposure to chemicals contained in beauty products during early pregnancy correlates with an increased risk of the baby going on to develop asthma in childhood. But little research has been conducted on the potential risk to adults. 'Understanding the biological pathways through which EDCs (endocrine-disrupting chemicals) in PCPs (personal care products) may increase the risk of asthma is important for understanding disease development,' the researchers said. 'If our findings are confirmed in other large-scale multi-ethnic prospective studies, they support PCPs as a potentially targetable lifestyle factor to reduce the burden of adult-onset asthma among women.' Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and innovation at Asthma + Lung UK, said: 'We know that women get worse asthma than men and are more likely to be admitted to hospital, but it's not clear why although we believe female hormones play a part. 'More research is needed into this area so we can understand how to keep women well.'
