Image: Pearson Education Inc. 2011
 

What Are Ions?

An ion is a particle, atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. This means it has more electrons than protons (electrons have a negative charge and protons have a positive charge). So, negative ions are particles with one or more extra electrons, conferring a net negative charge to the particle. Positive ions are particles missing one or more electrons, resulting in a net positive charge.

 

 

Negative Ions And Nature

Negative ions generally appear in natural settings in greater numbers than positive ions. For instance, negative ions are generated by moving water – rivers, waterfalls, crashing waves, even showers and fountains – and the presence of negative ions is actually used to identify potential sources of water on other planetary bodies, like Enceladus and Titan. Waterfalls are probably the greatest producers of negative ions, thanks to the violence with which falling water breaks apart on both hard and aqueous surfaces. Plants also produce negative ions, especially when exposed to intense light during photosynthesis. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/negative-ions-health/#axzz46I12EF2c

 

 

If negative ions are found in nature, where are positive ions found?

Irritating elements in the environment — dust, microbes, and pet dander, for example — tend to have a positive charge. Like a magnet, opposites attract, and your body literally pulls these irritating elements in toward itself.

Positive ions are usually carbon dioxide molecules that have been stripped of an electron. An excess of positively charged ions in your environment is believed to contribute to tiredness and a lack of energy, tension, anxiety and irritability.

In nature, positive ions are commonly formed by high winds, dust, and pollution. Indoors, electronic devices like TVs and computers, clothes dryers, and fluorescent lighting are sources of surplus positive ions in the air.

 

 

Health Benefits Of Negative Ions

There are many scientifically documented physical health benefits correlated with negative ions.

 

Breathing Disorder Treatment:

“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,” a doctor in the program said. “Fifteen minutes in front of the negative-ion machine and they feel so much better they don’t want to leave.” http://altered-states.net/index2.php?/ionizers/ozonemyths.htm

The trachea, also known as the windpipe, is the passage through which air travels into our lungs. Along the trachea are cilia, tiny hair-like organelles which catch airborne particles and keep them from passing into the lungs. The lungs also contain cilia. If cilial activity is inhibited, as in cystic fibrosis, more foreign particles are introduced into the lungs. If cilial activity is uninhibited, the junk is kept out of the lungs and discharged later via saliva and mucus. Research shows that negative ion exposure increases cilial activity in the trachea of humans and monkeys, while positive ion exposure inhibits it. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/negative-ions-health/#axzz46I12EF2c

Note: Animal testing is cruel. It also doesn’t work. Stem cell testing is the solution: https://kimcampion.com/miscellaneous/say-no-to-animal-testing-and-yes-to-stem-cell-research/

 

 

Pain Relief:

In Philadelphia Dr. Kornblueh studied brain-wave patterns and found evidence that negative ions tranquilized persons in severe pain. In one dramatic test he held a negative ionizer to the nose and mouth of a factory worker who had been rushed to Northeastern Hospital with second-degree steam burns on his back and legs. In minutes the pain was gone. Morphine, customarily administered in such cases, was never necessary. http://altered-states.net/index2.php?/ionizers/ozonemyths.htm

 

 

Burn Treatment:

Today all burn cases at Northeastern are immediately put in a windowless, negative ion conditioned room. In ten minutes, usually, the pain has gone. Patients are left in the room for 30 minutes. The treatment is repeated three times every 24 hours. In 85 percent of the cases no pain-deadening narcotics are needed. Says Northeastern’s Dr. Robert McGowan, “Negative ions make burns dry out faster, heal faster and with less scarring. They also reduce the need for skin-grafting. They make the patient more optimistic. He sleeps better.” http://altered-states.net/index2.php?/ionizers/ozonemyths.htm

 

 

Post Operative Care:

Encouraged by this success in burn therapy, Dr. Kornblueh, Dr. J. R. Minehart, Northeastern’s chief surgeon, and his associate Dr. T. A. David boldly tried negative ions in relief of deep, postoperative pain. During an eight month test period they exposed 138 patients to negative ions on the first and second days after surgery. Dr. Kornblueh announced the results at a London congress of bioclimatologists: In 79 cases (57 percent of the total) negative ions eliminated or drastically reduced pain.” At first,” says Dr. Minehart, “I thought it was voodoo. Now I’m convinced that it’s real and revolutionary.” http://altered-states.net/index2.php?/ionizers/ozonemyths.htm

 

 

Treating Infections:

The frequency of nosocomial infections in British hospitals prompted the National Health Service (NHS) to research the effectiveness of negative ions for air purification, finding that repeated airborne acinetobacter infections in a ward were eliminated by the installation of a negative air ioniser—the infection rate fell to zero, an unexpected result. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3228-air-ionisers-wipe-out-hospital-infections/

Note: Ion generators can be dangerous if not operated correctly (due to the production of ozone). Ion therapy should only be administered by your health care provider.

 

 

Mental Health Benefits Of Negative Ions:

How do ions affect our moods? Most authorities agree that ions act on our capacity to absorb and utilize oxygen. Negative ions in the blood stream accelerate the delivery of oxygen to our cells and tissues, creating a sense of physical and mental well being. It’s why some people experience actual euphoria when they stand near waterfalls. Researchers also believe that negative ions may stimulate the reticuloendothelial system; a group of defense cells in our bodies which marshal our resistance to disease. http://altered-states.net/index2.php?/ionizers/ozonemyths.htm

Positive ions may have the opposite effects in some cases. They may slow down the delivery of oxygen; producing symptoms markedly like those in anoxia, or oxygen starvation. It was RCA’s Dr. Hansell who, in 1932, stumbled upon the behavioral effects of artificially generated ions. He noticed a startling swing in the moods of a fellow RCA scientist who worked beside an electrostatic generator. Some days the scientist finished work alert and in bubbling good spirits. On other days he was rude, ill-tempered, depressed. Dr. Hansell investigated and found that the scientist was happy when the generator was adjusted to produce negative ions, and morose when it was producing positive ions. A few months later, reports of ionization research in Europe confirmed the strange experience. http://altered-states.net/index2.php?/ionizers/ozonemyths.htm

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 experiencing these beautiful settings, the air circulating in the mountains and on the beach is said to contain tens of thousands of negative ions- much more than the average home or office building, which may only contain a few hundred negative ions or even less. https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/negative-ions-create-positive-vibes?page=2

“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. https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/negative-ions-create-positive-vibes?page=2

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. https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/negative-ions-create-positive-vibes?page=2

 

 

How Do Negative Ions Affect Harmful Bacteria?

Negative ions can kill bacteria. Actually, positive ions can kill bacteria too. This phenomenon is solely based on the relative concentration of ions (either positive or negative) on the outside of the cell when compared to the inside of the cell. Higher ionic concentration on the outside of the bacterial cell causes dehydration and cell death. This is why salt or sugar curing protects foods from microbial contamination. Similar, water with absolutely no ions can also cause a rapid influx of water into the bacterial cell, leading them to burst and die. https://www.quora.com/Do-negative-ions-kill-bacteria

Remember, negative ions are the ones that improve health. Positive ions have been linked to disease states.

 

 

What about Household Negative Ionizers and Ozone Generators?

Negative ionizers and ozone generators are not the same thing, though both do produce ozone. Negative ionizers are advertised as devices that emit negative ions into the air. Ionizers are distinct from ozone generators, although both devices operate in a similar way. Ionizers use electrostatically charged plates to produce positively or negatively charged gas ions. Ozone generators are optimised to attract an extra oxygen ion to an O2 molecule, using either a corona discharge tube or UV light. Ozone generators are not safe to use. But because even the best ionizers will also produce a small amount of ozone (triatomic oxygen, O3) it is best to avoid them too outside of a supervised medical setting.

Here’s why ozone generators are dangerous: At concentrations that do not exceed public health standards, ozone has been found to have little potential to remove indoor air contaminants, so they are pretty useless. At high concentrations ozone can be toxic to airborne bacteria, and may destroy or kill these potentially infectious organisms. However, these required concentrations are also sufficiently toxic to humans and animals too! The US FDA has declared that ozone has no place in medical treatment and has taken action against businesses that violate this regulation by offering therapeutic ozone generators or ozone therapy. Ozone is a highly toxic and extremely reactive gas. A higher daily average than 0.1 ppm (100 ppb, 0.2 mg/m³) is not recommended and can damage the lungs and olfactory bulb cells directly. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_ioniser

Many negative ionizer companies say they do not generate ozone in amounts that are damaging to the health of living beings. Some of these companies may be telling the truth but there are lots of scam devices being sold in stores and online. Many generators labeled as negative ionizers are actually ozone generators! Or they produce way more ozone than is actually safe. Do not use negative ionizer devices in your home. To be safe, they must be used in a medical setting.

 

 

How to get more negative ions in your life?

-Take a shower. The closest thing many of us get to moving water is our regular showers. And that’s not so bad. Moving water is moving water, and showers do a good job of producing negative ions in their own right.

-Keeping a window semi-open at home if the air is clean outside can help a lot. Opening a window while driving a vehicle (as long as the air outside is clean) is also a good idea. This allows negative ions to enter the vehicle and also provides some much needed fresh air (cars are notorious for having toxic chemicals floating around inside them from the plastics, fire retardant upholstery, and engine fumes etc).

-Lastly and most importantly, get into nature as much as possible. Whenever possible, go to the beach, take a swim or get your feet in the water. Take a walk in a park, hike in the mountains, find a waterfall, sit amongst plants at a park.

 

Note: Earthing (or grounding) does not produce negative ions, but it does keep the body grounded, which has been proven to have positive health effects: https://kimcampion.com/miscellaneous/how-earthing-can-improve-your-health/