Hydrogen+Peroxide

Chemical makeup: H2O2

Therapeutic use
Hydrogen peroxide is //[|generally recognized as safe]// (GRAS) as an [|antimicrobial agent], an oxidizing agent and for other purposes by the US [|Food and Drug Administration]. Hydrogen peroxide has been used as an [|antiseptic] and anti-bacterial agent for many years due to its oxidizing effect. While its use has decreased in recent years with the popularity of better-smelling and more readily-available over the counter products, it is still used by many hospitals, doctors and dentists in sterilizing, cleaning and treating everything from floors to [|root canal] procedures. "Alternative" uses
 * Hydrogen peroxide can be used as a toothpaste when mixed with correct quantities of baking soda and salt.
 * Hydrogen peroxide and [|benzoyl peroxide] are sometimes used to treat [|acne].
 * Hydrogen peroxide is used as an [|emetic] in veterinary practice.
 * Some people have tried using peroxide as a treatment for cancer. The [|American Cancer Society] states that "there is no scientific evidence that hydrogen peroxide is a safe, effective or useful cancer treatment", and advises cancer patients to "remain in the care of qualified doctors who use proven methods of treatment and approved clinical trials of promising new treatments."
 * Another controversial alternative medical procedure is [|inhalation] of hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of about 1%. Internal use of hydrogen peroxide has a history of causing [|fatal] [|blood disorders], and its recent use as a therapeutic treatment has been linked to several [|deaths]

Decomposition of hydrogen peroxide is a byproduct of harmful elements such as Gamma rays, X-rays, anaerobic (cancerous) cells and one of the potent poisons in the tissue