Storing, Handling And Using Essential OilsWritten by Mireille Gautschi
Pure Essential Oils are a natural product and contain no preservatives or additives. A few of them can also be quite dangerous if not handled correctly. Some basic procedures should therefore be observed in order to ensure safety but also quality of oils in storage.Storing essential oils: Many Essential Oils are flammable and/or act as strong solvents. Eucalyptus Oil for example can be used to remove glue from old stickers or to strip paint. Essential Oils are best stored in amber glass bottles with a tight lid. It is also advisable to fit bottles that don't have a dripolator (orifice reducer) with a child proof cap for safety reasons. Sun light (UV) and high temperatures are main enemies of essential oils. Amber glass bottles offer good protection from UV. Essential Oil containers are best kept in a dark, cool place with temperature fluctuations kept to a minimum. Keep essential oils safely locked away from children at all times. Stored at low temperatures, some oils will tend to solidify. This is no cause for alarm as they will turn liquid again once they reach room or in some cases body temperature. Most likely to solidify are absolutes, vanilla, rose otto and fennel. Under good conditions essential oils can be stored for periods of 6 months to several years. Some oils like myrrh, sandalwood, frankincense and patchouli will even improve or "mature" with age, very similar to a good wine. The shortest shelf life have all citrus oils with grapefruit generally being first to deteriorate. Once these oils start to turn cloudy or smell rancid they should be disposed of.
| | Celebrex and Bextra Proving to be Popular Altenratives to Discontinued VioxxWritten by Elena Ivantsova
Montreal, Quebec (AffordableDrugs) December 30, 2004 – The prescription drugs Celebrex and Bextra have grown in popularity since arthritis painkiller Vioxx was pulled off market earlier this year for safety concerns. Celebrex and Bextra are similar drugs to Vioxx as they are cox-2 inhibitors, and they also help relieve pain caused by arthritic pain.Vioxx, arthritis medication produced by Merck Frost, was pulled off market earlier this year due to concerns about possible side effects. Certain reports indicated that extended use of Vioxx could lead to possibility of heart problems. At time Vioxx was removed it was among most popular and widely used medications. Last year, Vioxx generated annual sales of more than $2 billion. Since Vioxx was pulled, medications Celebrex and Bextra have become popular alternatives. Celebrex has seen its market share in cox-2 inhibitors increase substantially from 48.7% in September 2004 to 63.5% in October 2004. That is an increase of almost 15% in one month. Bextra has also seen a similar increase as it went from a 23.5% market share in September to a 36% in October. As can be seen from above data, void left by Vioxx is quickly being filled by Celebrex and Bextra.
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