Posted on 09/13/2023 5:43:14 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A psychiatrist weighs in on how hazardous social media challenges can be
Welcome to Culture Clinic, MedPage Today's collaboration with Northwell Health to offer a healthcare professional's take on the latest viral medical topics.
A Massachusetts teen's death after reportedly consuming a single spicy tortilla chip at the center of a social media challenge is raising alarm.
Though the cause of the 14-year-old's death was not immediately clear, his mother told the New York Timesopens in a new tab or window that one of the last things her son ate was a Paqui brand chip from a coffin-shaped container with a label that read "One Chip Challenge" and "Inside: One Extremely Hot Chip."
Indeed, the website for Paqui has touted the hashtag #OneChipChallenge. However, the company has now pulled the product as officials investigateopens in a new tab or window the boy's death. A notice posted on Paqui's siteopens in a new tab or window reads that the chips have "clear and prominent labeling" warning that the chips are for adults only and not for children, but that there's been "an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings."
"As a result, while the product continues to adhere to food safety standards, out of an abundance of caution, we are actively working with our retailers to remove the product from shelves," the company wrote.
MedPage Today spoke with child and adolescent psychiatrist Scott Krakower, DO, of Northwell Health in Glen Oaks, New York, regarding just how hazardous extreme challenges making the rounds on social media can be.
"We see these things a lot," Krakower told MedPage Today. "Something will happen, and it quickly spreads."
It's "awful" to see stories like this, he said.
As for the rise of the "One Chip Challenge" on social media, Krakower said it's no surprise that young people have come across it, and engaged in it.
Social media content is often filtered by what users have previously interacted with, he noted. So, if a child or adolescent has viewed one extreme challenge online, they're likely to see more.
Further troubling is that the brain's prefrontal cortex is still developing in young people, making it more likely for them to act on impulse, noted Krakower. Accordingly, if a social media challenge appears "sensational" and "fun," kids and teens may be quick to jump on it, he said.
"You don't always think a chip can be dangerous," but an extremely spicy food item can damage an individual's digestive tract, or even cause someone to choke, Krakower said.
Capsaicin is the compound in chili peppers responsible for burning and irritation, and a Cleveland Clinic post on the potential risks of spicy foodsopens in a new tab or window from earlier this year notes that "your body may see capsaicin as a toxin and try to get rid of it." Symptoms may include abdominal pain, burning diarrhea, chest pain, headaches, and violent vomiting. Damage or pain can become so severe that individuals require emergency care.
The chip involved in the "One Chip Challenge" contains the Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers, according to Paqui's website, and a warning label there states the following:
Keep out of reach of children. Intended for adult consumption. Do not eat if you are sensitive to spicy foods, allergic to peppers, night shades or capsaicin, or are pregnant or have any medical conditions. After touching the chip, wash your hands with soap and do not touch your eyes or other sensitive areas. Seek medical assistance should you experience difficultly breathing, fainting or extended nausea.
However, reports indicate that young people have been partaking in the challenge nonetheless.
"I see kids, they want to be a TikTok star," they want to be present and sensational and gain followers and likes, Krakower said.
His work as a child and adolescent psychiatrist often involves addressing concerns regarding addiction to social media. However, said Krakower, "a lot of kids will also tell you they feel [it] has been really positive for them." For instance, they may point to friend groups they never would have had without social media.
"It's a balance between how do we continue to connect with people socially through the internet," he said, while also making sure kids take breaks from social media and stay socially connected in school.
As for the "One Chip Challenge" and others like it, Krakower remains troubled.
All of the factors at play can add up to potentially life-threatening challenges, he said, with an ante that "keeps going up and up, and there's no way to stop."
author['full_name'] Jennifer Henderson joined MedPage Today as an enterprise and investigative writer in Jan. 2021. She has covered the healthcare industry in NYC, life sciences and the business of law, among other areas.
Nope, we sure can’t.
We shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Maybe the kid identified as an adult. Then it would be perfectly alright for him to eat the chip.
Now I want to try it.
Where can I buy one?
North easterners should not eat spicy food.
Stick with porringer.
Never bothered my guts in the slightest. I like it hot enough to make my scalp sweat.
Growing up eating the stuff probably has something to do with it. My wife is the same way, both of us grew up in SoCal so spicy was the norm.
porringer=porridge
/S
Not at all out of the question. Capsaicin is a heart stimulant.
they don’t even know cause of death yet and Paqui folded...
Which end? :)
That’s the part which always amuses me with these challenges (’other end’).
I adore spicy, but I enjoy tasting my food and not suffering the massive discomfort of being incredibly stupid.
Red Savina (Capsicum chinense Jacquin; 500k SHU) is the hottest I enjoy. Great flavor and, ironically, a better flavor enhancer than mere Cayenne (Capsicum annuum; 30k SHU).
Cherry Bomb (Capsicum annuum; 5k SHU) is my favorite pepper. Light heat and exploding in flavor (pun intended).
The issue is that most people forget that hot peppers - and sweet peppers among other vegetables - are part of the Nightshade family.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321883#substitutes
Some people have physical sensitivities to nightshade vegetables for multiple reasons. Compounds include alkaloids (Solamine, a glycoalkaloid poison) and proteins (lectin, a glycoprotein, aka hemagglutinins). Many people mistake sensitivity to wheat for gluten when it’s actually a lectin sensitivity. There are no actual studies on this ‘hot pepper challenge’ nonsense, but I can only imagine that toxic substances like solamine increase correspondingly to the Scoville heat rating, explaining much of the discomfort these idiots experience. It may also have triggered a deadly reaction in this child.
But peppers also have health benefits:
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2019/4705140/
The old axiom holds true: All things in moderation, but I happen to have a high tolerance for the alkaloids in peppers (I know people who can’t even eat bell peppers due to lectin sensitivity, outlined here https://selfhack.com/blog/are-you-lectin-sensitive-using-genes-symptoms-and-blood-tests/).
It’s been on the market for years. The kid was stupid, and American tort law is insane.
Years ago a co worker told me a story about how he won a Chili pepper eating contest that his fraternity had put on. There was some monetary prize. He said the damage he put into the dry wall next to dorm room toilet cost more to repair than his contest winnings.
I’ll agree with half of that assertion, and may I offer a prayer that none of your kids ever make a mistake, notwithstanding the fact that you have a heart of ice.
There had to be something else wrong with that kid, his system couldn’t take it.
I’ve done this challenge. Tastes like crap, but obviously not fatal.
I’ve also done the Death Nut challenge, ver 1, and have ver 2 sitting on my book shelf for the next time I have a party and some idiot starts spouting off that my hot sauces aren’t hot enough.
It isn’t the manufacturers fault if some idiot doesn’t read the warning label.
Then again, it gives sheep something to bleat about. “Save me from myself because I’m too stupid to live without government protecting me” is your standard rallying cry isn’t it?
The kid was a kid and now some politician has a new bit of power they can try to grab while the headlines are still hot.
I did the carolina reaper challenge in the spice shop in Estes Park. Just 1 drop. Sensations for 90 minutes. Had to sign a waiver. My cop niece said “only you would look at something you have to sign a waiver for as a challenge.”
Pretty daring. I gained an early respect for peppers thanks to a vietnamese sister in law. Also thanks to her and years of practice, I can now use sriracha like ketchup. I’m comfortable w/habaneros. Haven’t tried anything hotter.
Yet...
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