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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI love incense! But Im concerned about what Im inhaling along with the wonderful aroma of Nag Champa, etc. I try to buy my incense at health food stores, brands like Triloka. But Im still not sure Im doing my lungs and body any good.
Anyone know if incense is harmful to the body?
PS- Ive been raw since January ‘08, and had a period during the first month of feeling very euphoric, but since then Im not sure I feel the best I could. Ive been just about 100% raw for the last couple months.
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I’ve heard that incense is bad for your lungs… you could try oil diffusers, I’ve heard those are better :D
Hey rachel, I have oil diffusers that I used during the winter, but somehow started using the incense again recently. Im starting to think its addictive! Ive done a bit of research about the effect of incense on the lungs but couldnt find anything concrete.
Any other opinions?
A short while ago, I went through a period of a month where I burned one or two sticks of nag champa (the classic in the blue box from Shrinivas Sugandhalaya) every night. The way it made me feel physically is the same way that I felt right after I had a cigarette when craving one (years ago). Can’t say that there is anything physically addictive or harmful in it, though.
I can say that eventually I had to stop burning incense every night, because my craving for cigarettes started coming back.
Other than that, I wouldn’t know if they can be harmful or not.
Hmm, that’s interesting Paxton, your craving for cigarettes was coming back!
Do you think maybe the incense itself was not addictive, but the similarity of the two types of smoke influenced your cravings?
I reckon it was the latter.
Just remember, if you start wanting a cigarette, toss the incense! LOL
To me all smoke is bad. The oil diffusers are really nice and you can choose the oils that can actually be helpful to you. I use YoungLiving essential oils.
Yes, I had to give up my beloved candles because of my asthma. I used to lite up the whole house. absolutely love them and miss them sooooo much. I now can only have the scentless ones and not lite them. The Oils are so nice because even tho they have a scent they do not make me ill.
Yes. I too have gone through the incense debate. I still have numerous boxes and burn them occasionally when I meditate. I don’t intend to not finish them off because they were expensive and all natural, hand-made varieties. However much we like it, we end up inhaling something that isn’t healthy. I switched to a diffuser.
I went to Diffuser World and bought the best nebulizing diffuser I have ever had. Actually, if you buy three you get a fourth one free by purchasing using their wholesale option. You must have a business license. They are pricey, app. $90 bucks. I had purchased two previous diffusers including a “commercial grade” one from Aura Cacia. They were both pathetic.
Another great thing about this company is that I called them and asked all kinds of questions and they could answer everything. All they do is create diffusers and they do a great job at it.
Not only do Diffuser World’s diffusers look like artwork, they are fabulous. I have the model where the glass looks like a daffodil (Aroma Pro). There is a long tube between the diffuser and the pump, which is easily adjustable for output. The long tube allows you to place the diffuser on a desk or elsewhere and hide the pump under a desk. They also sell timers that you plug the diffusers into that you can set for interval use. I turn my diffusers on high and run them 30 minutes every 3 hours. My office and my home always smell great and it puts out enough to scent my entre house.
When my grandson was having problems with head congestion, I took one to his house with an essential oil package. They began using eucalyptus oil and overnight he was breathing easier as were my son and daughter in law. They also tried lavender oil for him one fussy night and called to tell me how well they slept.
Apparently beeswax candles burn a “clean smoke”. While burning, beeswax candles naturally emit negative ions which clean the air and invigorate the body.
http://www.beeswaxco.com/
http://www.tigerflag.com/beeswax-candles-vs-par…
I have beeswax candles although I rarely use them. When I do burn them, I can definatley tell the difference between that candle and the icky parafin chemical ones I used to burn. The air feels cleaner. Beeswax candles are recommended for people with asthma.
I still have a ton of incense but I rarely burn it. I have the stuff that is locally made with the natural oils in it. I have the Nag Champa too. It normally gets burned when the kitty box smells bad. :)
Oil difusers are not inherently safe, either. Any time you can smell a scent, you are inhaling chemicals into your lungs. Some things are safer than others, of course, but don’t be bought by hype when it comes to buring or heating any kind of scent.
Meditating and Queenfluff thanks for the suggestions, I’ll definitely check out those diffusers and beeswax candles, thanks!
I also have a pretty large stock of incense that I will probably use only on certain occasions.
Alix I see your point, though essential oils have many health benefits to the body when inhaled, especially oils like eucalyptus and tea tree oil.
ooh thanks evergreen!
yes, ceasarea; that’s why I said they’re not “inherently” safe:)
Alix, I see now what you’re saying,thanks!
Any device that is used to emit an oil-based scent is a diffuser. The safety of the diffusers is based on the technology it uses. A scented candle is a diffuser that uses heat. Natural reeds are diffusers too and they are completely safe. The diffusers I referred to earlier, the kind that run using a small pump, are nebulizers. They are entirely safe and diffuse the oils in the most efficient and therapeutic way. They use high velocity sprayers against glass that break oils down into smaller molecules making them more bioavailable. They don’t alter any of the chemical properties of an essential oil.
I have a couple of essential oils that I diffuse or just sniff from the bottle for the purpose of helping my asthma they are “theives” and “raven” raven has helped me through this wonderful bunch of thunderstorms that I always start having problems the day before they hit.I have a problem with low pressure Fantastic stuff defiantly worth it.
Meditating the raven has eucalyptus oil in it, it is very good for respirtory functions which is one of the reasons your grandson responded so well.I also go through a lot of lavender and pepermint
queenfluff thanks for the beeswax info I will be checking that out as soon as my lungs are a bit stronger. is there a certain type of wick I should be on the look out for?
on the line of oil diffusers, i would recommend essential oil, oil diffusers. they are extremely great smelling (depending on what you put in, and are also extremely revitalizing for the body. i think a couple people already kind of said that, but i wanted to clarify that my parents have one, and it is great. i think it is from youngliving essential oils
FYI – August 25, 2008
Incense Linked To Airway Cancers Study: Long-Term Incense Exposure Raises Cancer Risk; Casual Use OK
(WebMD) People who breathe burning incense over long periods have an increased risk of developing mouth, tongue, and certain lung cancers, even if they don’t smoke cigarettes, a new study shows.
Long-term exposure to incense fumes was associated with an increased risk for most upper respiratory cancers, as well as squamous cell lung cancer, the study shows. Squamous cell lung canceris most common type of lung cancer in smokers.
The risk was seen in smokers and nonsmokers, suggesting that exposure to burning incense is an independent risk factor for certain cancers of the respiratory tract, says lead researcher Jeppe T. Friborg, MD, PhD, of Copenhagen’s Statens Serum Institute.
“The findings from this study and the experimental research are sufficient to recommend that people avoid prolonged use of incense in areas where they spend a lot of time, like living rooms,” Friborg says.
Daily Incense Use Common
Used since biblical times, incense is still an integral part of daily life in large parts of Asia and India. And many people in the U.S. and other Western countries also burn incense on a daily basis.
A wide variety of plants and oils are used to make incense. When burned, many of these mixtures have been shown to produce some of the same carcinogens that are found in cigarette smoke.
Because of this, a number of studies have examined a possible link between incense inhaled into the lungs and lung cancer, but the findings have not been conclusive.
The newly published study is the first to follow healthy people over time in an effort to understand the impact of long-term exposure to burning incense on cancer risk.
More than 60,000 Chinese residents of Singapore who were participants in a larger health study were followed from enrollment (which occurred between 1993 and 1998) and 2005.
None of the study participants had cancer at enrollment, and all were interviewed in detail about their dietary and lifestyle habits, including their exposure to incense.
Roughly three-quarters of the men and women reported being current incense users.
Over the course of the study, 325 upper respiratory tract cancers and 821 lung cancers were reported.
Long-term and frequent exposure to incense fumes was associated with a significant increase in the risk of squamous cell cancers of the upper respiratory tract.
Risk Small for Casual Users
Daily exposure to burning incense is common in Asia, but it is not limited to the East.
To illustrate the point, Friborg and colleagues cite a 2004 study involving non-Asian minority women living in New York City. More than a quarter of the women (28%) reported burning incense during pregnancy , and incense exposure was identified as a significant source of exposure to a commonly inhaled carcinogen.
American Cancer Society Deputy Chief Medical Officer Len Lichtenfeld, MD, tells WebMD that the study should not alarm casual incense users who do not appear to be at significant risk.
But he adds that people who breathe burning incense on a daily basis need to understand the risk.
“Daily exposure is associated with an increase in upper airway cancer,” he says. “This a real risk that should not be ignored.”
By Salynn Boyles Reviewed by Louise Chang ©2005-2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
Meditating, thank sooo much for posting this article. This is exactly what I was looking for!
I love Nag Champa!
I do agree though that too much of it isnt very healthy. I only use incense probably once or twice a week only, but there were times where I was burning about once or twice a day that I started feeling a bit sick.