Monday, June 23, 2014

Amber Necklace Benefits May Include Helping Your Thyroid

Amber Necklace Benefits May Include Helping Your Thyroid Amber Necklace Benefits


Have you heard about amber necklaces for babies or seen babies and toddlers wearing the pretty gold colored necklaces and wondered about it? If you haven’t, you’ll be surprised to know that thousands of parents praise them saying that they have an almost magical affect on their child that helps with teething pain. What exactly is this alternative treatment, what’s behind it and what are some of the amber necklace benefits for adults? Yes, amber necklaces are not only for babies, adults can wear them too!


I’ll tell you what spurred me into writing about this topic this week. My mother, who is always looking for ways to help improve her thyroid, told me that she found some people on a thread saying that they wear an amber necklace for their thyroid. She asked me what that was, and I was surprised she had never heard of it! I told her that many people talk about the benefits of amber necklaces for teething. She wanted to find out more, so here I am researching as much as I can about amber necklace benefits.


Background and Theory Behind Amber Necklaces


Amber necklaces are very popular with thousands of parents and many say they work wonders for baby’s teething and drooling. Even some celebrities have embraced this trend, showing their little ones wearing the cute necklaces! From what I researched, this is the theory: When amber is worn on the skin as the amber is warmed, it releases succinic acid, a healing oil, into the skin which enters the bloodstream. It stimulates the thyroid which in turn, reduces drooling and helps with pain. Amber is also said to have anti-inflammatory properties, which help reduce inflammation in the body. It also has been said that amber is electromagnetically active and charged with organic energy, producing negative ions to have a positive effect on the body.


The soothing effect of the amber and the release of succinic acid has been said to help many ailments; inflammation of throat, stimulation of thyroid, colic, teething, eczema and it can also improve heart, liver, kidney, intestines, arthritis and more.


History


Amber has been used for centuries to cure ailments. People living near the Baltic Sea used to get the stones on the beach and use them for their “magical powers”. It has been crushed and used as a medicine in ancient times for medication and pain.


What is Amber?


Amber is a natural resin, not a stone. It was fossilized and still contains original compounds. Amber contains succinic acid and this is the substance that is attributed to be responsible for the health benefits. Baltic amber, which is from the Baltic in Europe, has the highest concentration of succinic acid (3 to 8%) the compound that is said to be anti-inflammatory, fights free radicals and helps relieve stress and pain.


What is Succinic Acid and are there any Studies on it?


Succinic acid is a natural substance present in all living creatures. It is used as a food additive and it has also been used as a natural antibiotic for centuries. It is produced in this country and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Beer and wine are just two products that contain succinic acid.


In relation to the amber necklaces, skeptics state that it is impossible for amber to release any succinic acid when only worn on the body as it needs to be heated to nearly 200 degrees before it releases succinic acid.


I found one study from 2013 that has found a connection between succinic acid and reduction of stress in mice. The findings indicated that succinic acid exhibits an anxiolytic-like effect.


What Kind of Necklace is Recommended?


To take advantage of the amber necklace benefits, you should make sure you get authentic Baltic amber. Make sure you get raw amber, not polished. Although some have said the raw may be scratchy to sensitive skin and you may want to try semi raw. Here is one that is a certified authentic Baltic raw amber necklace.


How to Wear the Necklace:


You should try to wear the necklace in the area that you want the most benefit. For example, if you want to improve your thyroid a short necklace would be best and for arthritis, wear a bracelet on your wrist.


For the Thyroid


Although much of the feedback on amber necklaces is for the benefits for children, I did try to find information about other benefits for adults. Regarding alternative remedies for the thyroid, I stumbled across some comments in threads about people using amber necklaces to help boost their thyroid function. One person, who was taking thyroid medication, said she felt it helped her thyroid functioning so much that she had to reduce her medication because of palpitations. Another person talked about her grandmother always wearing the necklace to help her thyroid and that she never wanted to take it off. Maybe there is something to it! Even though, I haven’t been able to find any studies specifically relating to thyroid function, it may be worth a try since some have reported benefits and it has been found to stimulate the thyroid in babies.


Important Safety Note (for babies)


Many skeptics of amber necklaces for babies note that there is a choking/strangling hazard. This is definitely a concern as the beads can break, even if the beads are individually knotted. To combat this parents often make sure the necklace is short and/or do not leave the child unattended while wearing it. Instead of the necklace, some parents use an amber anklet and pull the sock over it. Some parents don’t leave the child unattended and do not have a child sleep while wearing it.


What’s the Verdict on Amber Necklace Benefits?


After reading dozens of threads of positive feedback for amber necklaces, it’s hard not to acknowledge that it may be worthwhile. Although there is limited scientific evidence, you wonder if maybe there is something to this. It may be worth pursuing amber necklaces for other health benefits such as arthritis and possibly thyroid conditions.


Have you notice any amber necklace benefits?


Sources:
http://www.newsinferno.com/amber-teething-necklaces-pose-choking-hazard-in-babies-children
http://scienceornot.net/2012/10/30/amber-necklaces-and-teething-babies


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