Negative Ions Create Positive Vibes
The most important benefit of negative ions is that they clear the air of airborne allergens such as pollen, mold spores, bacteria, and viruses. Besides they also clear the air of dust, pet dander and cigarette smoke. Negative ions perform this function by attaching themselves to positively charged particles in large numbers and negatively charging those particles. As a result, these viruses, bacteria, and pollen spores become too heavy to remain airborne and are thus prevented from entering your breathing passage where they can make you sick.
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.
Don’t go by the name, there is nothing negative or unhealthy about negative ions. Negative ions are beneficial for the human body while positive ions are harmful. In fact, you will find the highest concentrations of negative ions in natural, clean air.
They neutralize free radicals.
They revitalize cell metabolism.
They enhance immune function.
They purify the blood.
They balance the autonomic nervous system, promoting deep sleep and healthy digestion.
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, Ph.D., 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, Ph.D., 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 the 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."
Benefits of negative ions
reducing symptoms of depression for some people
having an activating influence on some body systems and cognitive performance
promoting antimicrobial activity
A 2018 review of ionization literature also found an effect of negative ionization on many facets of human health. Researchers looked at 100 years of studies and found evidence that negative ions could:
help regulate sleep patterns and mood
reduce stress
boost immune system function
increase metabolism of carbs and fats
kill or inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, viruses, and mold species, such as E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and the bacterium that causes tuberculosis
And this same study looked at how negative ions affected indoor air pollution. Many negative ion generators or “ionizers” can help reduce pollution particles that are up to 5 feet off the ground by as much as 97 percent.
Ionizers create negative ions by discharging electrical currents into the air (like the corona discharge effect of a lightning storm).
How negative ions form
The atoms that makeup molecules have a certain number of electrons floating around a central core, the nucleus. Some electrons are positively charged. Others are negatively charged. This electron balance can be disturbed when enough energy is applied to the atom. The atom then becomes an air ion.
The atom becomes a positive ion if electrons are displaced from the atom. But it becomes a negative ion if an extra electron is pushed into the atom so that it has an excessive number of electrons.
Finding and generating negative ions
Get outdoors
The best way to get negative ions is to go to where they exist naturally. There’s little anyone can say against spending a little time outdoors.
Step outside in the rain.
Visit a waterfall, creek, riverbank, or beach.
Sit beside a decorative water fountain, often found at parks, shopping areas, and the lobbies of office buildings and hotels.
Negative ions are everywhere in nature. And they have some demonstrated benefits.
What are the health effects of air pollution?
Air pollution is a modern health concern. Many studies have linked air pollution to heart problems and lung diseases.
Air pollution happens when there are too few negative ions in the environment. It has the following long-term severe health concerns:
Heart disease
Lung cancer
Asthma
Pneumonia
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Emphysema
Heart attacks
Stroke
Several studies have attempted to understand how air pollution affects the body. Air pollution damages cells and creates an overall inflammatory response in your body. This stimulates the release of blood cells from your bone marrow.
When these cells accumulate in your body, they can cause inflammation in your lungs and blockages in your blood vessels.
Research has shown that certain groups of people are more vulnerable to air pollution than others. These groups are:
People with diabetes
People with diabetes are twice as likely to be hospitalized for air pollution-related sickness compared to people who do not have diabetes.
Older adults
If you are 75 or older, you are more at risk of heart problems, which is one of the main symptoms of air pollution.
Children
Studies have shown that children inhale more deeply and bring in pollutants more intensely into their lungs. They have a higher metabolism, breathe a lot, and spend a lot of time outdoors. All these factors make them vulnerable to air pollution.
Negative ions create positive vibes and uplift your mood. They show the following mental and physical health benefits:
Longer life
In an animal study, researchers found that animals that lacked large amounts of negative ions in their air died earlier than those that didn't.
Reduced stress
One study found that negative ions helped prevent known stress responses in rats.
Physiological responses
Environments full of negative ions help regulate physiological responses such as body temperature, heart rate, respiration, and circadian rhythm or sleep cycle.
Some other health benefits of negative ions are that they:
Neutralize free radicals
Aid in cell metabolism
Boost immune function
Purify the blood
Calm the nervous system down, aiding in deep sleep and digestion
Maintain pH balance
Reduce inflammation
Relieve symptoms of diabetes
Improve blood circulation
Improve organ function
Promote weight loss
Help with anti-aging
In the cardiovascular system, negative ions allow coronary expansion and increase coronary blood flow, improve cardiac function by adjusting heart rate and speed of blood flow, relieve angina and allow normalization of blood pressure.
High levels of cholesterol in the blood have been strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, as they result in atherosclerosis, otherwise known as hardening of the arteries. Although pharmaceutical companies have been treating this problem with cholesterol-lowering drugs for years, the use of negative ions to remedy this issue in a more natural way has shown promise for decades. As early as 1965, research has shown that negative ions have the ability to reduce blood cholesterol levels.
In 1975, young athletes treated with negative ions displayed increases in cardiovascular and respiratory adaptations to physical effort. The pulse, blood pressure, and respiration frequency of each athlete returned to normal levels sooner than expected. Around this same time, Russian scientist EG. Portnov was also looking into the effects of negative-ion therapy. He found that exposure to negative ions demonstrated an ability to dilate blood vessels, known as vasodilation. When blood vessels relax and dilate, blood pressure lowers, as does stress on the cardiovascular system. It is clear that serotonin has a role in blood pressure regulation. The ability of negative ions to regulate serotonin levels, therefore, makes them a powerful agent in cardiovascular health.
Benefits of ION Shield
60 million negative ions, a highly concentrated filtration
Continuous absorption into our body is good for health, increases metabolism, improves the digestive system, blood circulation, and more.