The Positive Benefits of Negative Ions

Don't let the word negative fool you into thinking that there is anything bad with negative ions. It is just the opposite actually. 

If we are feeling lazy, depressed, easily irritated, then we just might need a big dose of negative ions.  We are probably too full of positive ions and need to have our balance of ions adjusted.  Kind of like, recharging our batteries.

What are ions?  The air all around us is comprised of these electrically charged ions or particles. The air we breathe is charged with both positive and negative ions.  They are atoms that have an electrical charge by either gaining or losing an electron.  Negative = good, Positive = bad. Negative ions are not static electricity that we all have experienced at one time or another in our lives.  I wish it were that simple to improve our mood, scoot our feet along a carpet and find some unsuspecting person that you are irritated with and zap them.  That could help on several levels.  Hmm Ok, I digress, sorry.

There isn't anything  good about positive ions.  One of the many places they are found is where there is a tv or computer monitor that is on.  Who doesn't have a tv or computer going all the time anymore?  I know I do.  We have so much indoor pollution even our metal and concrete building absorb positive ions and release them in the air.   The heavy doses of positive ions are found in our most polluted cities where there is an abundance of car exhausts, tire dust, heating issues, soot, plastic etc.   Metal ducts covering heating and a/c units, synthetic materials steel and concrete buildings all absorb the positive ions.  Even our energy saving fluorescent lighting is in fact generating an abundance of positive ions.   So in a normal interior environment a negative ion count may be under 100 per cubic centimeter, we really need a minimum of 1000 per cubic centimeter.

Other experts have reported that the influx of positive ions takes away our good sense and imposes bad dispositions while the negative ions help change our internal switch and they stimulate our good moods, enhance our sex drive, even help make plants grow. 

At the seashore there is approximately 2000 negative ions to 1000 positive ions. That has been reported to be a good mix that we as people respond to the best.

Being near a waterfall, like Niagara Falls or even in the Falls Section of Yellowstone National Park, would be a great place to be since the falling water produces a large amount of negative ions. If you don't live near a waterfall, step into your shower at home, the running water it creates negative ions also. Moving falling water just thinking about being near something like that, even for a few minutes, produces a calming effect even if we don't get any of the negative ions by just taking a mental vacation.

Negative ions help bring our brain to a higher awareness level.  A calmer state has been reported in hyperactive kids, wouldn't it be something if introducing more negative ions in the classroom had a positive effect on kids that were currently on some form of attention deficit disorder medication? 

The positive effect of the negative ions isn't just beneficial to humans.  Chickens have produced more eggs and have grown heavier  sheep grow quicker and produce more wool,  even vegetables growing reactions have been reported to be up  to 50% when they have been charged with negative ions.  The fruit will stay fresher longer, which is a good thing since I hate throwing away food because it goes bad before I can eat it. 

Since most of us can't get to the beach or be by a waterfall on a daily basis, there are machines that produced negative ions in the air inside our homes and businesses.  While they won't work miracles overnight they will benefit us in a short time as research indicates. But beware of false claims with these machines.  There are Conferences being held to standardize and regulate the industry.  Make sure that you read the manufacturer's brochure to see if it meets your needs and will cover the size of your room.  Our architects and other interior designers are waking up to becoming more environmentally aware including seeing the benefits of installing fountains of some sort and or more plant based environments in the new designs of buildings and homes. 

We are currently having a major thunderstorm with a lot of lightning and thunder, several hours worth so far. I opened my window as I wrote this article and thought, will I feel a difference.  I was amazed that after about 15 minutes I felt great and was definitely more focused! I though, how can I replicate this? I decided to buy one of the desktop water fountains and try it out to see if that would have any effect on my daily work grind. Our thunderstorms seems to be too few and far between anymore since we are experiencing a severe drought in Texas. Would I feel better and be more productive if I had one of those plugged in all day? I think I am going to pick one up this week and see if it makes any difference. I will report on my experiment after a month.

Another thing I am considering buying in the very near future is a some type of air filtration system that assists in removing positive ions and the pollution put in our interior environment by computers, fluorescent lighting, furniture, carpets, a/c and heating units etc. With a new desktop water feature in my office and a air filtration system that helps remove all of the allergens and other bad stuff, I should be a super productive human in the very near future. I will keep you posted!

Perhaps with the calming effect and feel good ions floating around in my office, I won't be as likely to snack and therefore perhaps I will lose weight more quickly.

Let's see - losing weight easily and effortlessly, in a better mood, feeling better, enhanced sex drive, sign me up for some negative ions!