Some claim that chunks of Himalayan Salt placed around your house can improve mood, alleviate asthma and allergy symptoms, and improve overall health. Are they magical salt crystals? Actually, regular exposure to any organic salt including sea air can do that, but are Himalayan Salt Lamps all they’re talked up to be?
WHAT ARE HIMALAYAN SALT LAMPS?
Salt lamps look beautifully exotic but are no more or less than a large chunk of salt with a light bulb in the center to heat and activate its health benefits. Salt lamps vary in size and weight from a few to 50 pounds, and they are also sometimes gathered with several smaller salt rocks placed in a bowl and lit. They typically have an orange-pinkish glow, which alone may have mood-improving benefits as the warm orange color is said to calm and promote positive feelings. More significantly, many claim salt lamps help to purify the air, and some even go so far as to say the rocks can treat asthma and help prevent cancer. But…can it really be so?
Positive & Negative Ions
To understand the claims, we need just a little science. We live in an invisible sea of electromagnetic radiation emitting from all our, well, electromagnetic devices. Computers, TVs, radios, phones, etc. release an electromagnetic field containing positive ions, and we breathe and absorb them into our bodies. An abundance of positive ions is generally unsupportive to our health, linked to chronic fatigue, high stress levels, depressed immunity, and increased sensitivity to allergens. Specifically, one of their more known negative effects is to our lungs as they decrease the functionality of our “cilia” (microscopic, filtering hairs) in the trachea, i.e. windpipe, which allows more contaminants to enter into the lungs.
On the flip side, negative ions are naturally abundant wherever there is moving water like ocean waves and waterfalls. You also have your own personal negative ion producer in your home: the shower. That is likely part of the reason showers can be so refreshing. Here’s a nice summary from WebMD concerning the positive effects of negative ions:
“Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy… 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.
Do The Lamps Do It?
Himalayan salt lamps do in fact produce negative ions that neutralize some of the positive ions in the air—just not in vast amounts. If you’d like to have this extra advantage in your home, you might want to purchase several of them and place them near your electronics.
Another Benefit: Hygroscopic Effect Improves Breathing
The hygroscopic nature of the salt may be more significant. The term means absorbing moisture from the air. The salt will absorb water molecules containing contaminants like mold or germs, pollutants like cigarette smoke, and allergens like pollen, dander, or dust. When the rock is heated by the lightbulb, the water evaporates back into the air but without the junk, which remains trapped in the salt. For this reason, many people claim to breathe better and some have even felt asthma symptoms alleviated after continued use of at least one week. Ideally, to that end, place one near your bed while you sleep.
As a bonus tip, there are Himalayan Salt Inhalers that many asthma sufferers claim have dramatically improved their respiration.
Benefits of the Himalayan Salt Lamp
In summary, these are the benefits associated with Himalayan Salt Lamps.
1. Improves breathing: Positive ions support healthy villi activity to keep the lungs clean and clear
2. Reduces Allergy Symptoms: Hygroscopic effect helps to purify the air of mold, dust, dander, and environmental allergens
3. Boosts Energy Levels & Overall Health: Produces negative ions that refresh, invigorate, and reduce health-depleting positive ions
4. Improve Sleep: Suitable night light that does not emit the infamous “blue rays” which can negatively affect sleep patterns and increase stress
5. Anti-Depressant: “Color therapy” as the warm orange glow is shown to increase feelings of calm and well-being
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