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Smelling salts: Are they good or bad for you?
For hundreds of years, people have used smelling salts to relive someone who has fainted or passed away. Most professional athletes now use smelling salts to help boost performance before a game, weightlift, or workout.
Smelling salts have a long history of use in preserving a person’s senses, according to an article published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Its use dates from ancient Rome.
Keep reading about what smelling salts are, their dangers and uses, for more information.
What are smelling salts?

Smelling salts are an ammonium carbonate and perfume mixture. Diluted ammonia mixed with water and ethanol is more likely to be found in today’s smelling salts, however. Both solutions offer a restorative stimulant.
Doctors will usually use smelling salts to help revive fainting people.
Today, however, athletes seeking performance improvements will sometimes use smelling salts for their stimulating effect.
Ammonia is the calming effect of smelling salts, which irritates the nasal and lung membranes of a person when they sniff it. The result is that the person inhales involuntarily and begins to breathe more quickly which sends more oxygen to the brain.
Are they bad for you?
There are currently few studies suggesting that the use of smelling salts has any major short- or long-term effects on an person, as long as they use them as directed.
Many organizations do, however, raise concerns about smelling salts to increase athletic alertness. There are certain issues, according to UConn Health, that include:
- Some people may use smelling salts to counteract the impact of head trauma, such as concussions, to get back in the game sooner. This can be dangerous to a person’s health.
- Sometimes, when a person initially smells the salts, their head jerks back involuntarily. This may cause additional harm to a person who has a spinal injury. However, one article indicates that this reaction may be a result of having the smelling salt held too close to the person’s nose. This implies that when administered properly, the smelling salts should not cause head jerking during the inhalation.
- The use of smelling salts without a doctor’s guidance may become a growing problem.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns against the dangerous effects of over-exposure to ammonia, in an older statement. Though smelling salts contain ammonia, however, the CDC generally considers that their effects are beneficial and not cause concern.
The CDC also notes that exposure to large amounts of ammonia in cleaning products or other sources is more likely to cause a person’s health problems, like burns and lung irritation.
Smelling salts use
The primary uses of smelling salts are to either:
- revive someone who has passed out or suffered a head injury
- provide a temporary boost of energy
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also allows the use of smelling salts to recover someone who’s fainted, according to studies. There is no evidence to support their use for improved athletic performance however.
A person should hold smelling salts about 10 centimeters (cm) from the nose to use the smelling salts effectively.
Benefits
The use of smelling salts approved by the FDA is for reviving a person who has fainted. However, some athletes believe they’ll be more alert, perform better, and increase their overall strength by using smelling salts.
Recent research on athletes using smelling salts as a performance booster, however, did not note any positive effects from their use. This suggests that smelling salts can have a placebo effect, giving people confidence that their performance is on the increase.
Side effects
There are no known side effects with the use of smelling salts over the long or short term. A person should however avoid overexploiting salts or keeping the smelling salt too close to the nose. Concentrated exposure can harm the membranes of the nasum.
The use of smelling salts as supervised and in small doses does not pose known risks. Those with any existing conditions, however, should talk to a doctor before using smelling salts to make sure that this is safe.
Summary
Typically, people use smelling salts to either rejuvenate someone who has passed away, or help improve athletic performance.
A person using smelling salts runs little risk as long as they follow the directions and do not use smelling salts as a way to re-enter a game or event after suffering an injury.
Before using smelling salts for athletic performance, a person should still talk to their doctor to get an idea of how this can affect their health.
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Rhinophyma: Everything you should know
Rhinophyma is a skin condition that causes the nose to expand. Lumpy, thicker skin and fractured blood vessels are some of the other signs.
Males are far more likely than females to get the condition, which usually occurs between the ages of 50 and 70.
Researchers aren’t sure what causes it, but they do know that acne rosacea, which causes inflammatory pimple breakouts, is a precursor.
When acne rosacea advances to rhinophyma, the skin around the nose swells and the tip of the nose becomes larger. A diagnosis is made based on this distinctive appearance.
In the early stages, medicines are used, but in the latter stages, surgery is required. This is due to the possibility of damaged tissue obstructing the airways. The technique is safe and effective at smoothing or removing rough, thickened patches of skin.
Continue reading to find out more about the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of this condition.
Causes of rhinophyma
Rhinophyma is characterized by an increase in the number of sebaceous glands (oil glands) and underlying connective tissues in the face. According to studies from 2021, the actual cause is still unknown, and various causes could be involved. A variety of disorders affecting the immune system, nerves, and blood arteries are included.
Acne rosacea, a long-term skin condition more common in women, is the prelude to rhinophyma. Rhinophyma develops in a subset of acne rosacea people.
Rhinophyma is more common in men, with a male-to-female ratio ranging from 5:1 to 30:1, and it usually develops in people between the ages of 50 and 70. Scientists believe that male hormones raise the danger because of the higher prevalence in men.
Some people believe that drinking alcohol causes the condition, however studies show that this is not the case. However, both alcohol and caffeine enlarge blood vessels briefly, aggravating rhinophyma.
In its early beginnings
According to evidence, rhinophyma begins as “pre-rosacea,” with face flushing being the only symptom.
The condition progresses to vascular rosacea, which is characterized by enlarged blood vessels and redness. Acne rosacea causes later, resulting in inflammatory outbreaks.
Finally, acne rosacea progresses to late-stage rosacea, which includes rhinophyma.
Symptoms
The first symptom of rosacea is frequently excessive face flushing. If it evolves to rhinophyma, a person may experience the following symptoms:
- thickened skin on the nose and elsewhere on the face
- expansion of the tip of the nose
- a bumpy texture on areas of the face
- enlarged pores
- oily skin
The condition may restrict the airways at this moment. In addition, because the fluid from the sebaceous glands thickens and can contain bacteria, persistent infection is common.
The amount of sebaceous glands and connective tissue alterations grow with time, resulting in increasing deformity.
Furthermore, there is a relation to cancer. Basal cell carcinoma affects 3–10% of people with rhinophyma, despite the fact that the condition is initially benign.
Diagnosis
Rhinophyma is often diagnosed with a visual examination due to its distinctive look.
The presence of at least one primary feature and at least one secondary feature is used by doctors to make a diagnosis.
The following are the main characteristics:
- blushing
- persistent redness
- pustules, small pimples containing pus
- papules — small, solid pimples that are usually inflamed but do not produce pus
- broken or dilated blood vessels near the skin’s surface
Secondary features include:
- roughened patches of skin on the face
- swelling
- burning or stinging areas of the skin
- eye symptoms, such as watery eyes or swelling of the eyelids
- marked thickening of skin or excess tissue
- these symptoms elsewhere on the body
Treatment
There are nonsurgical and surgical options available.
Non-surgical options
Certain drugs appear to be beneficial, according to the findings. Topical metronidazole (Metrocream) is one option for reducing skin inflammation by preventing the production of reactive oxygen species.
Isotretinoin, a medicine that shrinks the sebaceous glands and reduces the amount of oil they produce, is another choice. If a person wants surgery, however, they must stop taking this drug.
Surgical intervention
Advanced rhinophyma necessitates surgical removal of the afflicted tissue. A report published in 2020 describes a five-step surgical procedure for rhinophyma that is both safe and effective:
- Dermabrasion: A motorized device resurfaces the skin to facilitate the next steps.
- Dermaplaning: This involves removing affected tissue without directly cutting it. It prepares the skin’s surface for the third step.
- Debulking: The surgeon uses curved scissors to cut away the thickened skin. They also take samples of any areas that may be malignant and send them to a lab for analysis.
- Electrocautery: This involves using heat to destroy the affected tissue.
- Laser use: This final step seals and micro-contours the wound.
Although little data suggests that rhinophyma can recur following surgery, few long-term studies have been conducted.
Conclusion
A person with rhinophyma may suffer significant face flushing in the early stages. Swollen blood vessels and acne-like blemishes occur as the condition worsens.
Later on, the nasal skin thickens and the tip of the nose expands. Doctors diagnose rhinophyma at this point. It appears to be harmless at first, but it has the potential to obstruct airways and raise the risk of skin cancer.
Surgical and drug-based treatments can help, although there is limited evidence that the condition will reoccur after surgery.
Sources
- https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/ocular-rosacea-facts
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7339328/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544373/
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322166
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4426765/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5828925/
- https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/rosacea/what-is/symptoms
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Marijuana: What are the common health benefits?
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Alcohol and migraine: What you need to understand
Many people with migraine find that specific situations trigger their symptoms. Drinking alcohol is a trigger for some people with migraine. Although any type of alcohol can provoke a migraine, people who experience recurrent migraine attacks cite red wine as the most frequent reason.
Research suggests that people with migraine may also suffer comparable symptoms after a hangover. Reducing or eliminating alcohol may reduce the frequency of migraine attacks. It may also help reduce factors that tend to co-occur with drinking, such as dehydration and sleep deprivation.
Keep reading to understand more about the connection between migraine and headache.
Is alcohol capable of causing migraines?

Migraine is a form of neurological disorder. Although hereditary factors impact the chance of developing migraine, environmental triggers can cause episodes or increase their frequency.
Several studies show that alcohol, especially red wine, may cause migraine episodes.
In a 2018 research including 2,197 adults with migraine, 25% of the participants who had discontinued or always avoided drinking did so because alcohol induced migraine symptoms. More than a third of the subjects stated that alcohol had this impact, with roughly 78% indicating red wine as the most prevalent alcohol trigger.
A 2019 research questioned patients with migraine who consumed alcohol. Of the 1,547 individuals, 783 claimed that alcohol was a trigger, while 195 were not sure. People who experienced migraine with alcohol were more likely to suffer migraine with aura and to experience more migraine days and more frequent episodes. They were also more prone to drink vodka.
A predisposition for migraine may also play a role in hangovers, especially hangovers that induce migraine-like headaches. A 2014 study of 692 students, 95 of whom experienced migraine, indicated that individuals with migraine were more likely to suffer migraine-like symptoms during a hangover. However, these people were not more prone to other hangover symptoms.
Alcohol may also create other sorts of headaches. People who get a headache after drinking should not assume that it is a migraine, especially if they have symptoms associated with other forms of headaches. For example, a stress headache may induce pain in the neck or shoulders.
Other alcohol-related headaches
Migraine creates a unique form of headache that incorporates neurological symptoms such as light sensitivity and aura. Other sorts of headaches, including severe headaches, can occur as a result of alcohol intake.
Hangover headache
A headache is a frequent hangover symptom. Alcohol can provoke symptoms in persons with a headache disease, but it can also directly induce headaches.
A 2015 study shows that the inactivity of alcohol dehydrogenase 2, an enzyme that helps break down alcohol, can contribute to hangover headaches. However, the research author also notes that no one factor causes all hangover headaches.
Tension headache
A 2016 study emphasizes that drinking may induce a tension headache, especially if a person simultaneously suffers migraine. The research revealed that 21 percent of persons with migraine indicate that alcohol is a tension headache trigger, compared with just 2 percent of people without migraine.
Cluster headache
Alcohol may provoke cluster headaches. These headaches induce very strong pain that generally predominantly affects the region behind one eye. More than half of individuals who get cluster headaches indicate that alcohol is a trigger.
Dehydration headache
Alcohol increases urine, which can contribute to dehydration. Moreover, persons who drink alcohol may not drink as much water, exacerbating the water loss. Dehydration can induce headaches. It may also provoke headaches connected to headache diseases, such as migraine.
What alcohol to consume to avoid migraine attacks
Most research point to red wine as a prevalent headache trigger, particularly in those with migraine. These individuals typically report wine, especially red wine, as a migraine trigger.
However, a 2012 research denies this relationship. This prospective research looked at migraine diaries extending up to 90 days. Wine, beer, and spirits did not enhance the risk of migraine with aura, while sparkling wine did.
People who have hangovers that induce a migraine may desire to avoid alcohol with high amounts of congeners. These are compounds that the alcohol production process creates. Some study shows that congeners have a role in hangovers, however variables like as inflammation also contribute.
Brandy, red wine, and rum have the largest quantities of congeners, whereas gin and vodka have fewer of these compounds. However, a 2019 study reported greater rates of vodka use among drinkers with recurrent migraine symptoms. The reaction to alcohol varies from person to person, and there is no drink that certainly will not trigger a migraine or other headache.
Other migraine-prevention options
Identifying and limiting or eliminating common migraine triggers such as alcohol, dehydration, and specific meals is the first step in preventing migraine. For a few weeks, a person should keep a migraine diary to detect trends in their headache patterns.
Stress-related migraines may be relieved with relaxation techniques, and migraine episodes may feel less severe when they occur.
Migraine prophylaxis drugs such as topiramate (Topamax), divalproex (Depakote), or propranolol may be useful for people who suffer frequent migraine attacks (Inderal). They can talk to a doctor about these therapy alternatives.
People who suffer from migraines while or after drinking may consider limiting or eliminating alcohol from their diet. If they find this too difficult, they may be suffering from an alcohol use disorder, which need therapy.
Conclusion
Migraine attacks can range from minor inconveniences to complete debilitation. The most severe migraine headaches can last up to three days and render you unable to work. In rare cases, a migraine attack can persist much longer.
Migraine is a complicated disorder, and migraine-like symptoms can be caused by a variety of neurological conditions. As a result, whether you’re drinking or not, it’s critical to consult a doctor if you’re experiencing migraine symptoms or chronic headaches. Migraine headaches can be treated with the appropriate combination of medicines and lifestyle changes.
People who are unable to stop drinking should consult a physician about alcohol use disorder treatment, which is a serious but treatable problem.
Sources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8280611/
- https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/head.12621
- https://www.aafp.org/afp/2019/0101/p17.html
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/alcohol-and-migraine
- https://www.proquest.com/openview/dc644a5c531eaf1bd4ca19f1ea95890a/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=136155
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ene.13861
- https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article/54/3/196/5420612?login=true
- https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/alcohol-and-migraine/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4821937/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537780/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560787/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22671771/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4064176/