Lead based remedies for empacho: Patterns and consequences

Parents' Beliefs and Practices Regarding Childhood Fever

“…Mollera caida or fallen fontanelle is believed to occur when the breast or bottle is removed too rapidly from an infant's mouth or when the infant is bounced or tossed around. 11,25,26 These findings suggest that clinicians should use culturally sensitive methods 27 to ask Latino parents about folk illness beliefs and practices regarding fever. 11 In these cases, the first provider contact may not be a biomedical health care provider, causing delay in medical evaluation.…”

Savoring the Taste of Home: The Pervasiveness of Lead Poisoning From Ceramic and Its Implications in Transnational Care Packages

“…This includes anemia and gastrointestinal distress, as well as more severe maladies such as early onset dementia, learning disabilities, reproductive abnormalities, high blood pressure, kidney failure, fetal deafness, and erratic and sometimes violent patterns of behavior among children and adolescents (Bellinger and Rappaport 2002; Bressler et al 1999; Gordon et al 2002; Liu et al 2002; Malcoe et al 2002; Pérez 2007; Rahbar et al 2002; Schell and Denham 2003). The human body appears to read lead as calcium allowing lead to pass through the blood system and accumulate in the neural, central nervous and skeletal systems of the body in the same manner as calcium (Baer et al 1989; Bressler et al 1999; Gordon et al 2002; Sowers et al 2002; UN Children's Fund [UNICEF] 1997). It is a heavy metal that seeks iron‐based proteins thereby creating anemia in many children and adults with high blood lead levels (BLLs) of more than 30 μg/dL (30 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood) (Gordon et al 2002:454).…”

“…Because the body reads lead as calcium, it will replace calcium with lead among those that are exposed (Gordon et al 2002:453). Children are even more susceptible to lead toxicity because of their rapid developmental growth and early exposure is now known to remain within the body throughout a person's lifetime (Baer et al 1989; Gordon et al 2002; Landrigan et al 2002; Schell and Denham 2003). Lead is also redistributed into the bloodstream from concentrations contained in bone when the body is traumatized or under stress such as occurs with pregnancy, lactation, and muscle‐bearing physical activity.…”

Pregnancy, Pica, Pottery, and Pb (Lead)

“…These folk remedies have been used predominantly for the treatment of gastrointestinal tract illness (nausea, vomiting, anorexia, diarrhea, etc.) (Baer et al, 1989). In addition, several Mexican candies and their wrappers have been noted to be tainted with lead (L. Fuortes unpublished observations, 1995).…”