|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
For hundreds of years, scientists have been researching the benefits of negative ions on the human body. In 1905 Philipp Eduard Anton Lenard won the Nobel Peace Prize. Lenard discovered the multiple beneficial properties of cathode rays, which are a stream of electrons that leave negative electrodes. It was within his studies of the negative electrodes, that the benefits of the ion were discovered.
What Did Lenard Find?
It was his discovery that led other scientists to further research the wonderful benefits of the ions. With these studies, scientists have found that negative ions can help humans in so many different ways. It is believed that the first pioneer in that subject was American research engineer Dr. Clarence Hansell.
Dr. Hansell and his team studied the effects of negative ions in the air. In 1932, he noticed how ionized air changed one of his colleague’s moods. Using an ion generator, Hansell continued to investigate this effect. When there were more negative ions in the air, the colleague’s mood became high-spirited.
Dr. Hansell would then create more positive ions and document his colleague’s behavior. The co-worker’s mood diminished extensively. Dr. Hansell’s information was used in a study done on the seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This study can be found in the Archives Of General Psychiatry in October 1998. In the controlled study, researchers found that negative ions released in the air boosted the subject’s serotonin levels.
Other Studies Conducted
In the 1930s a Russian professor of astronomy and biophysics, Professor A. L. Tchijevsky headed a team of researchers that discovered that negative ions could sterilize the air. It is because of this discovery that Russian hospitals and workplaces mandate negative ionization sterilization. There have been many other studies showing that negative ions can help speed up recovery times and can have pain-relieving effects.
University of Pennsylvania’s, Dr. Igho Hart Kornblueh treated hundreds of patients over a five year period. He reports that 57 percent of those patients, who were exposed to negative ions recovered faster from surgery than those who were not. He further states that negative ions helped at least 63 percent of the patients who suffered from hayfever. Dr. Kornblueh has also found that it can also be used to help sleep.
Negative ions can be found out in nature as well as be generated mechanically. The benefits of negative ions are continuing to progress as technology further develops. Some companies have developed a technique to concentrate the ions into a small bottle. With this technique one can add a few drops of ionized liquid into a beverage of their choice, adding negative ions into the equation.
So the next time there is an opportunity to sit next to a waterfall or near a bubbling brook, take the time to take in some negative ions. Who knows it could make the day seem much brighter.
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Body+Soul: Negative ions are great for your health
Britannica: Philipp Lenard
Phyto5: The Effect of Negative Ions
Healthline: The Effect of Negative Ions
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of oatsy40’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License