Health Benefits of Negative Ionization
Salt crystal, thanks to its chemical composition, is an ideal source of negative ions, generally recognized as a source for creating a sense of well being. Negative ions are oxygen atoms charged with an extra electron. They are odorless, tasteless, and invisible molecules that we inhale in abundance in certain environments such as near waterfalls, at the beach and in a salt cave.
High concentrations of negative ions are essential for high energy and positive mood (Thayer, 1996)[1]. In fact, Marian Diamond, a professor of neuroanatomy at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that levels of negative ions are inversely related to levels of serotonin in the brain.
The Top 5 Negative Ion benefits for health could be summarized as follows:
1. Often described as a natural anti-depressant, negative ions increase your sense of well-being and mental clarity by removing the debilitating effects of excessive positive ions in the environment. Pierce J. Howard Ph.D at the Center for Applied Cognitive Sciences says in The Owner's Manual For the Brain - "Negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness and more mental energy."
2. Dust, pollen, mold, viruses, bacteria and allergens are killed by negative ions. Dr. Albert P. Krueger, a Microbiologist and experimental Pathologist at the University of California, found that an astonishing small quantity of negative ions could kill bacteria and quickly take them out of the air so they were less likely to infect people.
3. Improves the function of the cilia in your respiratory tract that protect lungs from irritation and inflammation. This leads to less instances of respiratory illnesses like colds, flu, hay fever and even asthma.
4. Negative ions have a relaxing effect and have been reported to normalize breathing rates, decrease blood pressure and relieve tension. Negative ions are absorbed directly into the bloodstream and may help to combat free radicals within the body.
5. Better sleep. A French study found it could help you sleep better due to normalizing serotonin production in the brain.
You Are What You Breathe by Robert Massy Ph.D published in 1980.
This slim book published in 1980 examines in depth the story of negative ions. He published an appendix which is worth posting as it listed the most relevant research results from over 700 papers reporting on the effects of ions. These experiments were done in several countries and although nearly 50 years ol, they are possibly forgotten in the annals of time. They are however worth remembering given the ability to now re-create high negative ion chambers with the creation of the modern salt cave and the halogenerators of today.
Researcher
Country
Area of Study
Results
Delanue
Romania
Ulcers in animals and humans
Pain & other symptoms were diminished or abolished after 66 patients with peptic ulcers were exposed to negative ions for 15 - 20 days.
Otarova
Russia
Blood coagulation of cats
Negative ions decreased the calcium levels of the blood & increased the average time of coagulation and re-calcification of plasma. Positive ions had the opposite effect.
Kornblueh
USA
Hay Fever & Asthma
Kornblueh and David
USA
Burned humans
Of hundreds of patients treated, 63% experienced total or partial relief.
Over a 2 year period treating 75 burned patients after 22 minutes exposures of negative ions, the results were rapid recovery and reduction of pain.
Hansell
USA
Humans
Experiments suggested that exposure to negatively ionized air might help in reducing body weight and in overcoming insomnia.
Boiko et al
USSR
Humans
Reported on use of ionization to disinfect the air. The tests involved spraying bacterial cultures in aerosols, then treating the same air for sixty minutes with high concentration of negative ions. Boiko reported that in such a test with a culture of M pyogenes, the viable cell count of the bacteria was so reduced that there were no survivors at all among the cells.
Skorobogatova
USSR
Humans
Showed that a receptor field of mucosa of the upper respiratory tract is the place where we take ions (positive and/or negative) into our bodies.
Sulman
Israel
Bacteria
After exposing bacteria of escherichia, protens, pseudomonas, klebsiella, staphylococci, streptococci and candida to a negative ion atmosphere, germ counts were reduced by 50% within 6 hours and 70% within 24 hours, suggesting that negative ionization is a way of controlling disease.