Botulinum Toxin and Botx Injections for Cosmetic Purposes

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It is widely known that a multitude of people use Botox injections for cosmetic purposes without any significant adverse side effects. However, not many Botox patients are aware that what they are injecting into their bodies, botulinum toxin, is one of the most lethal substances known to mankind. This neurotoxin poses a major threat to be used in a bioterrorism attack, killing thousands of people. If it is truly as toxic as scientists claim, then how can botulinum toxin possibly be used in facial injections? This is a very controversial substance that possesses an intriguing mixture of paradoxical uses. Uncovering the puzzle pieces of botulinum toxin’s chemical composition and history, as well as the positive and negative effects it has had on the world, is beneficial to understanding the significance of this substance.
Botulinum toxin has a complex chemical composition and is found in various surprising locations. The toxin is derived from Clostridium botulinum, and according to P.K. and Anjana Nigam, the authors of the Indian Journal of Dermatology, it is “an anaerobic, gram-positive, spore-forming rod commonly found on plants, in soil, water and the intestinal tracts of animals.” H. Bradford Hawley M.D., the editor of Magill’s Medical Guide, states that these bacteria are vastly immune to high temperatures and can persevere through numerous methods used to eradicate it and to get rid of toxins for secure consumption of food and water. Since the bacteria can be found in such a diverse variety of commodities, which all can be ingested by humans, it is critical to find a way to disinfect our soil, meat, and produce against C. botulinum.
Clostridium botulinum can exist in a myriad of different forms. P.K. and Anjan...

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Josko, Deborah. "Botulin Toxin: A Weapon in Terrorism." Clinical Laboratory Science. 01 Jan. 2004: n.p. eLibrary Science. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.

Nigam, P. K. and Anjana Nigam. “Botulinum Toxin.” Indian Journal of Dermatology 55.1 (2010): n.p. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.

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