A number of years ago, an article appeared in the age newspaper, I believe the author was Julie Robotham.The article carried the heading "Painkiller linked to child liver failure." The article went on to say, the children are suffering from liver failure. After taking paracetamol even at the recommended dose.

Apparently, according to a specialist, Dr Ted O'Loughlin dosing children with paracetamol over several days appeared risky, particularly if they were not eating well.A study of 16 children treated at his hospital for liver failure found eight had no risk factors other than taking paracetamol over several days for colds. Three of the children died. At a conference in Canberra, Dr O'Loughlin told the Gastroenterological Society of Australia. "There is no proof, paracetamol caused liver failure, but we think it is causative." There is a clinical pattern, which should alert medicos. Patients with liver failure from other causes, such as hepatitis, had severe jaundice, but in the paracetamol affected group, levels of jaundice were low.

At the time, a spokesperson for the international drug company SmithKline Beecham, claimed that paracetamol was the safest treatment of pain and fever in children. It's interesting that this drug company should consider a drug readily available over-the-counter, and that has been believed responsible for the death of several children, and there is evidence to indicate this occurs every year on a regular basis, is perfectly safe. If these cases of liver failure had occurred due to the use of a Chinese herb that herb would have been taken off the market long ago.

When  the article was written, the recommended dose of paracetamol was 15 mg per kilogram of child weight every four hours, with up to four doses per day. However, Dr O'Loughlin said "we have seen children go into liver failure after taking only 60 mg per kilo per day."

Given that many children are taking paracetamol for minor problems such as headache or fever of colds and flu or teething problems. It would seem that a much safer way of dealing with these problems would be to apply treatments such as homoeopathy, which has never been found to have a harmful impact or Chinese medicine, which though less palatable, can be equally effective.