Amber Teething Necklace

Well, I finally caved and bought something for the baby that I initially thought was just hype. I got Adrian an Amber Teething Necklace.

After the last round of fevers, runny nose, drooling and his sudden transformation into a puppy I have been back and forth about getting one of these. Supposedly, this is a traditional, centuries old, European way of dealing with a baby's teething issues. Here's how one of the many websites describes it :

The skin's warmth releases healing oils from the amber, a resin, which is absorbed into the bloodstream. What does the amber do? It reduces red inflamed cheeks and stimulates the thyroid glands to reduce drooling. Amber is associated with sunlight and warmth and reputed to boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, accelerates the healing of wounds, reduce inflammation of the throat, ear and stomach infections and respiratory disease. There are no tablets, medications or pastes that can compete with this amber teething necklace, the necklace is unique and has amazing results which are all natural.

Well, the necklace arrived yesterday afternoon and co-incidentally, I think Adrian started another round of teething last night. After several rounds of him waking up screaming, I thought that perhaps it was the necklace (which I wound round his ankle) that was bugging him and I took it off. Yes, I paid good money for it to help with the teething and then had no faith and took it off.

I put it back on in the morning and its been on the whole day. He does seem to be drooling less but he hasn't stopped chewing on things. Maybe it takes time to work.

I didn't hear about these when Aaron was teething but if you Google 'traditional teething relief' now, amber teething necklaces are almost the only results you get. Their uses aren't confined to teething babies either. Supposedly, they help with boosting the immune system, reducing inflammation, accelerating wound healing, reducing inflammation of the throat, ear and stomach and assists with respiratory infection. Hmmm.......

Of course, there hasn't been any clinical trials carried out here but there is the wisdom of the ages and some scientific research. I got this from Modern Little Munchkins:

The active ingredient in amber is succinic acid, which was analysed by the pioneer of modern bacteriology, Nobel-prize winner Robert Koch (1886), who confirmed its positive influence. Recent scientific research has confirmed that succinic acid has a very positive influence on the human organism.

In the 1930s and 40s, European biochemists discovered that succinic acid is an amino acid created naturally in every cell of the body capable of aerobic respiration, participating in the citric acid, or Krebs cycle. This is how carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are metabolized into energy. A powerful antioxidant that helps fight toxic free radicals and disruptions of the cardiac rhythm, succinic acid has been shown to stimulate neural system recovery and bolster the immune system. It also helps compensate for energy drain in the body and brain, boosting awareness, concentration and reflexes, and reducing stress.

Interestingly, in Austria, Switzerland and Germany amber bracelets and necklaces are sold in local pharmacies.

So, I guess we'll wait and see if there is any noticeable difference. Bilbo, did you notice them in the pharmacies in Germany?