Cindy Swanson, CyberSnoop: The Case of the Miracle Substance???

Can hydrogen peroxide cure everything from plugged sinuses to toothache, kill foot fungus and whiten your laundry?

Those are some of the many claims of an e-mail that’s currently making the rounds…and the answer isn’t a clear-cut “yes” or “no.” Peroxide actually IS beneficial in many instances, and it’s definitely a helpful bottle to keep in your medicine cabinet. But some of the claims about peroxide are unproven, and it’s NOT a good idea to ingest it orally.

The e-mail starts out like this:

“I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little ole bottle of 3 per cent peroxide you can get for under $1.00 at any drug store.” Some versions of the e-mail go on to pit peroxide against bleach.

Both snopes.com and truthorfiction.com tell us that the e-mails are a mixture of fact and fiction. For example, the e-mail touts peroxide as a mouthwash---but according to truthorfiction.com it should only be used in that capacity on a limited basis, and I quote:

“The FDA has approved 3% solutions of hydrogen peroxide for use as a mouthwash. Most sources said to use it only for a short time, however, such as part of a treatment of a mouth infection. A report from Well-Connected (written or edited by physicians at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital) recommended against extended use, saying that overuse may actually damage cells and soften tooth surfaces. We were not able to find any authoritative information about hydrogen peroxide and canker sores."

How about using peroxide to clean your kitchen counters or rinse off your wooden cutting boards? That’s absolutely true…The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved hydrogen peroxide as a sanitizer.

You can also use it as a vegetable wash to kill bacteria...and cleaning with hydrogen peroxide will be helpful if your house becomes a biohazard
after being invaded by toxic mold, such as those with water damage.

As for helping foot fungus, getting rid of skin infections or sinus infections, those are disputed and just haven’t been proven.

Bottom line: hydrogen peroxide can help with many things and probably won’t hurt with others. But most experts agree that you should NOT ingest it orally or have it injected into your system.

Clearing up another internet rumor, this is Cindy Swanson, CyberSnoop...reminding you to check it out BEFORE you hit that SEND button!