Certain material effluvia can be perceived by sight and smell.
The notion of effluvium comes from the Latin word effluvium . The term refers to an emission of tiny elements .
Smoke or steam
Effluvium is characterized by tiny or microscopic particles that are expelled by a body. Sometimes it is smoke or vapor .
Since, unlike other meanings that we will see later, this one refers to a material emanation, the particles of the effluvium can be perceived through the senses, although we must use certain tools to compensate for their size. However, we can notice the smell of certain particles emanated in this way simply with our sense of smell; such is the case of the effluvium of the sea, which sometimes brings us smells of plankton and certain animal species that we know.
Immaterial emanation
The concept of effluvium, on the other hand, refers to an immaterial emanation . In this case, it is something that radiates and can be perceived in different ways.
We cannot define this meaning of the term effluvium in a rigid or strict way, since we must take into account two important issues: not everyone believes in its existence; among those who do believe, there are differences in how they perceive it. Let us not forget that we start from the word "immaterial", so science cannot prove this effluvium, so we are left to rely on each person's interpretation .
The perception of such an emanation conditions our decisions, especially when it comes to our relationships with other people. If we feel that someone is radiating negative particles that can harm us, we will surely distance ourselves to protect ourselves. On the contrary, when faced with a positive emanation, we will feel a special attraction.
Positive energy
In colloquial language , effluvia are also influences or energies that are generally pleasant or positive. For example: “Thank you for the good effluvia! I hope everything turns out well” , “I decided to become a writer under the influence of García Márquez, Cortázar and other great Latin American authors” , “In the new album of the Cuban artist, the effluvia of jazz can be noticed” .
This meaning is very similar to the one expressed in the previous section, although with a different nuance: the emanation of energy , in this case, seems to have a well-defined direction. Let's see this through the examples. In the first sentence, the sender thanks his interlocutor for "the good vibes", for the positive energy that he sent in his direction with the specific intention of wishing him good luck.
The second example does not involve the intention of those who emanated the energy, but the sender did decide to take it for his own benefit and thus change his life for the better. Finally, once again we have an effluvium whose destination had not been determined from the beginning, but it was the receiver who decided to take advantage of it in his artistic work.
Alopecia
The idea of effluvium also appears in the field of medicine . Telogen effluvium is a type of alopecia .
It is important to remember that alopecia is a pathological hair loss. In the case of telogen effluvium, the disorder is linked to an abnormal loss within the hair growth cycle.
The perception of immaterial effluvium depends on each person.
Certain drugs, hypothyroidism and stress are causes that can produce telogen effluvium. While, under normal conditions, the hair loss phase of the hair cycle allows the replacement of lost hairs with new ones generated in the hair follicle, those who suffer from telogen effluvium are unable to develop this regeneration.
Telogen effluvium can be chronic or acute . In the latter type, it usually appears two months after the cause of the condition has appeared.