Amber necklace

[[File:Amber beads from Indonesia.jpg||thumb|right||165px|A beautiful choking hazard.]]{{altmed}}
'''Amber necklaces''' worn by infants and toddlers is a form of parenting [[woo]]. Some parents believe that amber worn on the skin can prevent colic, fussiness, and other issues in infants and toddlers. Typically, it is worn as a "choker" style necklace around the [[child]], or sometimes as a bracelet or anklet.

While there's nothing wrong with appreciating pretty jewelry, amber has no healing properties, and beaded jewelry poses a choking hazard to young children. At least one child has died as a result.

==False claims==
The purported mechanism is that amber contains succinic acid, which acts as an analgesic, and that the warmth of the skin releases the succinic acid into the skin. However, this is ludicrous. While there is succinic acid in amber, it is trapped inside and will not rub into the skin. Amber is famous for being inert — changing very little over millions of years, which is why one can find perfectly preserved ancient organisms in amber.<ref>{{wpa|Amber}}</ref> Although succinic acid is sometimes used as a food additive for flavor modification,<ref>{{wpa|succinic acid}}</ref> it has limited, if any, analgesic properties.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20160324104318/http://eprints.qut.edu.au/91879</ref> If you want to constantly low-dose medicate your child, why not make them a handmade necklace out of paracetamol pills instead?

Besides analgesia, many other unsubstantiated claims exist for succinic acid, including effects on the nervous system, cellular respiration, cold prevention, arthritis, and "[[cleanse]]r".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180322031541/https://www.balticwonder.com/blogs/news/succinic-acid-medical-uses The Many Medical Uses for Succinic Acid]. ''Baltic Wonder''. Archived from [https://www.balticwonder.com/blogs/news/succinic-acid-medical-uses the original].</ref>

==Risks==
Beaded necklaces of any kind present both strangulation and choking hazards. In 2016, a child in Florida died after an amber teething necklace strangled him in his sleep.<ref>[http://abc7.com/news/boys-strangling-death-at-fontana-daycare-sparks-investigation/1549338/ Boy's strangling death at Fontana daycare sparks investigation], ABC7, 11 Oct 2016</ref> His mother sued Etsy for misrepresenting the clasp, advertised as undoing itself if pulled too tight.<ref>[https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2019/05/06/etsy-lawsuit-child-strangled-teething-necklace Exclusive: Mother Sues Etsy After Child Was Fatally Strangled By Teething Necklace]</ref><ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/US/commerce-site-etsy-sued-mom-son-strangled-teething/story?id=62874531 ABC News: E-commerce site Etsy sued by mom whose son was strangled to death by teething necklace]</ref>

'''Children under 5 should not wear beaded necklaces or bracelets.'''<ref>[https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/11/amber-teething-necklaces-pose-choking-hazard/ Amber Teething Necklaces Pose Choking Hazard] by Roni Jacobson (October 11, 2013, 10:14 am) ''The New York Times''.</ref><ref>[https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/teething-tooth-care/Pages/Amber-Teething-Necklaces.aspx Amber Teething Necklaces: A Caution for Parents] from the American Academy of Pediatrics</ref>

In December 2018, FDA issued a warning against the use of teething necklaces.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20181220213155/https://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm628900.htm</ref>

==Benefits==
*[[Placebo]]… for the parent. 
*Amber necklace salespeople get to make a cheap, dishonest living.
*…and that's about all.

==See also==
*[[Ionised jewellery]]

==External links==
*[https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/amber-waves-of-woo/ Amber Waves of Woo] by John Snyder (April 11, 2014) ''Science-Based Medicine''
*[https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/teething-tooth-care/Pages/Amber-Teething-Necklaces.aspx Amber Teething Necklaces: A Caution for Parents] from the American Academy of Pediatrics
*[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22925538 Infants wearing teething necklaces]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{stub|woo}}

[[Category:Parenting]]

Categories: Parenting