ALL ABOUT NEGATIVE IONS - BOON OR BANE?

Learn about Negative Ions and their Positive Benefits to Your Health:

The breaking of the surface of water, by waves, falls or evaporation releases negative ions in the atmosphere. By their ability to stick to different free radicals, they are very beneficial for our health.

Have you ever thought why we feel so good walking in the woods, on a beach or near a river, breathing the fresh air in the mountains, or just breathing the fresh after rain air?

The air around us is filled with electrically charged particles. Positively or negatively charged, they are called ions.

Free Radicals - Positive Ions

Both positive and negative ions occur naturally in the air. However, the environment we live in today has far more sources of positive ions than in the past, creating an electrical imbalance in the air and our bodies. They are also called free radicals.

Free radicals are atoms, molecules, or ions with unpaired electrons, highly reactive. The "steal" electrons from healthy cells to neutralize their own charge, causing cellular damage, therefore they are closely associated with oxidative damage and the degenerative aging process.

Free radicals - positive ions, are active forms of oxygen, in other words: Ozone

Sick building syndrome is more common today than it was 20 years ago. Most homes and offices are built air tight and when the heating or air conditioner is running, this causes friction which depletes the negative ions.

Positive ions can be produced by:

• discharge of voltage in high-voltage networks,
• heating and cooling systems,
• TVs, radios, transmitters, radar systems, computers,
• exhausts and cigarette fumes, smog
• radiation and harmful chemicals and toxins

They can damage cells by changing the Acid-Alkaline balance in our body, and are believed to be the reason for the deterioration of our physical and emotional well being heaving a role in the aging process and cancer.

No wonder people spending too much time indoors suffer from headaches, poor concentration, allergies, and depression.

Scientific tests have revealed that the ratio of negative to positive ions should be between 1.02 to 0.98 and the air's composition of negative ions should range between 1000-1500/cm3.

Health Benefits of Negative ion

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. "At the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate Hospital and at Northeastern and Frankford hospitals in Philadelphia, Dr. Kornblueh and his associates have administered negative-ion treatments to hundreds of patients suffering from hay fever or bronchial asthma. Of the total, 63 percent have experienced partial to total relief.

"They come in sneezing, eyes watering, noses itching, worn out from lack of sleep, so miserable they can hardly walk," one doctor told me. "Fifteen minutes in front of the negative-ion machine and they feel so much better they don't want to leave."

Measurements have also shown that the number of negative ions in a closed room containing several people, decreases to 200/cm3 from 1000-1500/cm3 the normal level ...

You can measure the amount of negative ions in the house, room or test the efficiency of an air purifier, using a negative ion air meter.

Negative Ions Cure Depression

Low Serotonin levels are believed to be the reason for many cases of mild to moderate depression which can lead to symptoms like anxiety, apathy, fear, feelings of worthlessness, insomnia and fatigue.

Ionized air originally was found to speed recovery of asthma patients.

Later it was discovered that it affects the serotonin levels in the bloodstream.

Negative Ions Benefit Child Development And Health

Nowadays children became addicted to computer games and television and the outdoor activities have become almost a thing from the past. No wander a lot kids today are overweighed and have a lot of health problems.

In 1984, a study was published in the "Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology" named: "Negative Air Ionization Improves Memory and Attention in Learning-Disabled and Mentally Retarded Children." The effectiveness of negative ions on mental performance was tested by researching the power of negative ions to improve the cognitive abilities of mentally handicapped children, as well as the abilities of normal children.

Kids are more susceptible to the health effects of Air Pollution than adults

Unlike adults, a child's organs - including the brain, lungs and reproductive system - are in a constant state of development and do not reach full maturation until well past puberty.

Due to their bodies' immaturity, kid's bodies are much less capable of defending themselves from airborne and toxic pollutants that can penetrate deep into their respiratory tract and other vital organs.

Let children play outside as much as possible to benefit from the proximity of water and sun.

Note:

The information above were taken from: http://www.health-benefit-of-water.com/negative-ions.html

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http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/negative-ions-create-positive-vibes

Negative Ions Create Positive Vibes

There's something in the air that just may boost your mood -- get a whiff of negative ions.

By Denise Mann
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

Negative ions are odorless, tasteless, and invisible molecules that we inhale in abundance in certain environments. Think mountains, waterfalls, and beaches. Once they reach our bloodstream, negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress, and boost our daytime energy.

And these are a few of the reasons we see negative-ion generators being sold in stores and all over the Internet, but do they really work as well as antidepressants? Can they also relieve allergies by filtering out dust mites and dander?

It's too early to tell for sure, experts tell WebMD, but that's not to say there is not some sound science behind the concept.

Science 101

Ions are molecules that have gained or lost an electrical charge. . They are created in nature as air molecules break apart due to sunlight, radiation, and moving air and water. You may have experienced the power of negative ions when you last set foot on the beach or walked beneath a waterfall. While part of the euphoria is simply being around these wondrous settings and away from the normal pressures of home and work, the air circulating in the mountains and the beach is said to contain tens of thousands of negative ions -- Much more than the average home or office building, which contain dozens or hundreds, and many register a flat zero.

"The action of the pounding surf creates negative air ions and we also see it immediately after spring thunderstorms when people report lightened moods," says ion researcher Michael Terman, PhD, of Columbia University in New York.

In fact, Columbia University studies of people with winter and chronic depression show that negative ion generators relieve depression as much as antidepressants. "The best part is that there are relatively no side effects, but we still need to figure out appropriate doses and which people it works best on," he says.

Vitamins of the Air?

Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy," says Pierce J. Howard, PhD, author of The Owners Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind Brain Research and director of research at the Center for Applied Cognitive Sciences in Charlotte, N.C.

"They also may protect against germs in the air, resulting in decreased irritation due to inhaling various particles that make you sneeze, cough, or have a throat irritation."

And for a whopping one in three of us who are sensitive to their effects, negative ions can make us feel like we are walking on air. You are one of them if you feel instantly refreshed the moment you open a window and breathe in fresh, humid air.

"You may be one of them if you feel sleepy when you are around an air-conditioner, but feel immediately refreshed and invigorated when you step outside or roll down the car window," Howard tells WebMD. "Air conditioning depletes the atmosphere of negative ions, but an ion generator re-releases the ions that air conditioners remove."

In fact, every home has a built in natural ionizer -- the shower.

But when it comes to springing for that negative-ion generator you saw advertised in the local paper or on the web, buyer beware, says Columbia's Terman.

"There is a major problem with advertised units," he tells WebMD. "Output levels are not ... specified in a way that could advise antidepressant dose." 

And, he says, the cost of apparently equivalent units ranges from $100 to $1,000.  

"The safest course of action, in my opinion, would be to use units that have been demonstrated effective in our clinical trials and trials to come," he advises WebMD readers.

Room air circulation, heat and humidity, the proximity of grounded devices that may emit counteracting positive ions (such as computer monitors) may affect output levels (of a negative-ion generator), he explains

"We have tried to minimize the influence of these factors by adding grounded wrist-straps [commercially available] or grounded bed sheets [not yet available] for connection to the ionizer," he says. 

The possible interaction of negative-air ion therapy and antidepressant drug or light therapy for seasonal depression has not yet been investigated, he says. "It stands to reason, for example, that drug ... dose could be tapered [even to zero], if the patient responds to negative ion exposure.  

"I would advise anyone who experiences clinically significant depression to try negative-ion therapy only under doctor's guidance, and that doctors read up on this methodology before OKing such a trial, especially if the patient is already receiving other treatment," he advises.

What About Allergies and Asthma?

Harold Nelson, MD, professor of medicine at National Jewish Medical Center in Denver, was so excited when he first heard of negative-ion generators 20 years ago that he went out and bought one to study among allergy and asthma patients.

Unfortunately, the findings were "not terribly encouraging. We couldn't demonstrate anything," he tells WebMD. "I was disappointed. I had high expectations and they did not pan out, " he says.

The best bet for people with allergies and/or allergic asthma is to try to eliminate exposures, he says. "If you can't, or if you still have symptoms, then medication is the next step and fortunately we now have excellent medications," he says.

Published June 2, 2003.