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    It has come to our attention that across the country, on various social media sites, and also a few cases within our school district, students are engaging in risk taking behaviors that could have serious medical consequences. The behaviors involve dares or” challenges” such as the swallowing of a teaspoon of cinnamon without drinking any water, or burning of the skin using a gum wrapper or salt and an ice cube. 

    Though these activities are taking place outside of school, the injuries are often reported to our Health Offices during the school day.

    As social media is the means of communication between today’s teenagers, and due to the lack of filter on what is posted on these sites, there is a lot of information available to our children there that could be very harmful to them if acted on.

    The intense peer pressure that is common in adolescence, combined with the accessibility of all of this type of information, creates a recipe for injury resulting from these “challenges”.

    Attached are several related articles you may find informative. 

    http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/03/09/cinnamon-challenge-sparks-health-concerns/#.T1zwnroykxM.email

     

    http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/can-the-cinnamon-challenge-kill-you.