title: A dangerous folk therapy.
abstract: Folk therapy (often simply old wives' tales put into practice) is usually innocuous and may be effective for some patients because of either its content or its placebo effect. However, some household medications may be deadly. Reported is the use of Azarcon for "empacho" among Hispanic families. Azarcon has been linked to cases of severe lead poisoning. Screening among children for increased erythrocyte protoporphyrin and blood lead is recommended.
mesh_terms: D002400:Cathartics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional
chemical_list: D002400:Cathartics