Scientific Study Summaries of
Negative Ions in Air
Negative ions improve asthma and other
respiratory conditions
“Effect
of Negative Air Ion Treatment on Blood Serotonin in Weather Sensitive
Patients”
Positive
air ionization elicited by hot dry desert wind spells (Sharav) was found to
correlate with blood serotonin in 20 weather sensitive patients increasing from
14-20 mg% to 21-29 mg%. Exposure of 12 of these patients to artificial negative
air ionization during 3-6 hours brought blood serotonin back to normal values of
15-20 m% (p,0.001-0.005), while in the 8 control patients, who did not receive
the ionizing treatment, there remained a high of 21-31 m%. The 12 treated
patients had received during 3-6 hours from a grounded ionizer (Modulion) a
negative ion load ranging between 2.5 x 105 = 2.5 x 104 ions/cm3/s.
Thus, it can be concluded that increased
concentration of positive ions in the air increases blood serotonin levels,
whereas negative air ionization neutralizes the effect of positive air
ionization and reduces blood serotonin levels to normal values.
"There is nothing subjective about
a bawling baby"
Brazilian hospitals now commonly use negative ion
generators to treat breathing problems, after a test involving 36 children
with asthmatic allergies. In each case, the problem was consistent or crippling.
During the treatment, only one of them suffered an asthma attack. Afterward, no
attacks were suffered by any of the children that sustained regular negative
ion therapy (Soyka, 1991).
In 1966, a hospital
in
Jerusalem
conducted a study involving 38 babies, between the ages of two and twelve
months, with about the same degree of respiratory problems. The babies were
separated into two groups of nineteen. One group was treated with nothing but negative
ions, while the second group was administered the standard
treatment, which included drugs and antibiotics with side effects. The babies in
the group treated with the negative ions were cured of
asthma and bronchitis much more quickly than those in the control group.
The babies in the negative ion group were also found to be less prone to
rebound attacks. Less scientifically, doctors found that the babies treated
by negative ion-enriched air didn’t cry as often or as loudly. But as Fred
Soyka, the author of The Ion Effect puts it, "there is nothing
subjective about a bawling baby" (Soyka,
1991).
"Monotonous
Regularity"
In 1975, an East German doctor, who had by then treated
more than 11,000 individuals with various respiratory conditions with a negative
ion electronic air cleaner, said that his patients reported with
"monotonous regularity" that the therapy had worked (Soyka,
1991).
You gotta like these odds
In the
early 1960s, Dr. A. P. Wehner used negative ion generators to treat
over 1,000 patients in the U. S. suffering from various respiratory ills, such
as bronchial asthma, pulmunary emphysema, laryngitis, bronchitis, dry hacking
cough, upper respiratory tract infection, and allergies. He reported that the
symptoms completely disappeared in 30.3% of the cases, improved
significantly in 42.3% of the cases, showed some improvement in 20%
of the cases, and showed no signs of improvement in 7.4% of the cases (Wehner,
1962).
It’s all in the numbers
In
Britain
, two
Oxford
University
statisticians conducted a study among victims of asthma, bronchitis, and hay
fever. The sample was randomly selected from a list of people who had purchased
a negative ion air purifier. Through interviews, they
found that 18 of 24 asthmatics, 13 of 17 bronchitis sufferers, 11
of 12 hay fever victims, and 6 of 10 suffering from nasal catarrh,
reported that the product had noticeably improved their condition. A few even
reported that it cured their condition (Soyka,
1991).
When a negative is better than a
positive
Positive ions, which occur in high levels
in many indoor environments, inhibit the body’s ability to prevent pollutants
and contaminates from entering the vulnerable areas of the respiratory tract.
However, an overdose of negative ions has proven to provide counteraction to
this effect (Kreuger, 1974; Soyka, 1991;
Tchijewski, 1960).
Reduce and/or destroy bacteria, viruses and
other microbes
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
A recent study by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
found that ionizing a room led to 52% less dust in the air, and 95% less
bacteria in the air (since many of the pollutants found in the air reside on
floating dust particles).
Agriculture Research Service (of USDA)
The Agriculture Research Service of the U.S. Dept.
of Agriculture tested the effectiveness of ionizers for removing dust in a
poultry hatchery. The dust level is very high in such an environment. In this
study, the use of an ionizer resulted in dust removal efficiencies that
averaged between 81.1 and 92.2%. The airborne transmission of salmonella
(to the eggs) was also significantly reduced as a result.
See Link: http://www.nalusda.gov/ttic/tektran/data/000008/54/0000085456.html
Journal of Hygiene
Scientists showed that ionization reduced bacterial
levels in burns and plastic surgery units by over 96% after a two week
period, which results in much better and more rapid healing of patients.
Journal of Applied Microbiology
The use of negative ions was even found by scientists
to reduce the presence of airborne viruses by about 40%. A study featured
in the 1987 issue also showed the negative ions are free from any adverse side
effects.
Negative ions are needed in order to take in
oxygen.
"Please, we’re dying here!"
Russian scientist, Dr. A. L. Tchijewsky, tried raising
mice, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits in totally de-ionized air. Almost all of
them died within two weeks due to an inability to utilize oxygen properly
(Tchijewski, 1960).
Tchijewsky’s
colleague, Dr. D. A. Lapitsky, tried raising small animals in air completely
devoid of oxygen. He added only negative ions to the air as they were about to
die from asphyxiation. At which point, their respiration frequency
drastically increased, as they began to sit up and run around the chamber (Tchijewski,
1960).
Don’t travel to space without `em
Former NASA scientist James B. Beal, who came across
the negative ion problem while studying the type of environment needed
in space capsules, wrote: "The human race was developed in ionized air.
Nature used the ions in developing our biological processes." In other
words, people have been designed to function properly in an environment that
contains certain level of ionization (Soyka,
1991).
The more the better
Fred Soyka, author of "The Ion Effect"
reports that based on the 5,000 plus scientific documents that have been
published regarding negative ion studies, all support the conclusion
that an overload of negative ions seems to be beneficial (Soyka,
1991).
Negative ions counteract the effects of
smoking.
High levels of
negative ions neutralize the effect that tobacco smoke has on the cilia. Cilia
are the microscopic hairs located in the trachea that move rapidly back and
forth to prevent pollutants and toxins from traveling into the vulnerable areas
of the respiratory tract. The faster the cilia move, the more effective they
are. However, tobacco smoke slows down the ciliary beat, diminishing the
body’s ability to keep cancer-causing pollutants from entering the depths of
the respiratory tract. Tests have shown though, that adding high levels of
negative ions to the air accelerates the ciliary beat to normal levels (Soyka,
1991).
Negative ions help prevent respiratory-related
illnesses.
"I hope I’m in group one."
In a study conducted in a Swiss textile
mill, negative ionizers were placed in two, 60’ by 60’ rooms, each
containing 22 employees. In one room, the negative ion electronic air
cleaner was turned on during the course of the study. In the other room,
the negative ion air purifier was permanently turned off, although the
employees in this room were led to believe they were working in a room enriched
by negative ions. During this six-month study, a total of 22 sick days
were lost by employees working in the room in which the negative ionizer was
operating. In the room where the machine was not operating, a total of 64
days were lost to sickness. During a month-long flu epidemic, the first
group lost a total of 3 days to sickness, while the second group lost a
total of 40 days to sickness (Stark, 1971).
In a test involving a
Swiss bank office, one group of 309 worked in a negative ion-treated
environment. A second group of 362 worked in an untreated environment. Over
the next several months, for every day lost to respiratory illness (cold,
flu, laryngitis, etc.) in group one, 16 days were lost to respiratory
illness in group two (Soyka, 1991).
"We liked them so much . . ."
In a Surrey University study at the
Norwich Union Insurance Group headquarters, eight negative ion
generators were placed in the computer and data preparation section.
Before the test, the research team spent a month compiling incident rates for
complaints of sickness and headaches. During the test in which the negative
ion air purification systems were in operation, incidents of sickness and
headaches were reduced by 78%. After testing was completed, the Norwich
Union opted to keep the negative ion electronic air cleaners (Soyka,
1991).
Negative ions help prevent migraine headaches.
Migraine headaches originate when an overload of
serotonin causes the diameter of blood vessels leading to the brain to dilate,
and get wider in the brain. Consequently, blood flow increases,
and pain receptors in the vessels are stretched, which leads to the excruciating
pain associated with a migraine headache (Borne,
1998; others). In numerous tests and
studies though, negative ion treatment has proven to prevent
the overproduction of serotonin, and therefore the subsequent migraine
headaches (Kreuger, 1957; Soyka, 1991; Sulman,
1974).
Negative ions are a natural anti-depressant.
. . . and without the side effects!
In a study conducted by
Columbia
University
, 25 people with SAD (Seasonal Affective Depression) sat in front of a negative
ion air purifier for a half hour every morning for a month. Half the
subjects were given a low level of negative ions, and the other half a high
level. The higher level of negative ion treatment proved to be as effective
against SAD as antidepressants, such as Prozac and Zolof, and without the side
effects of these drugs (Finley, 1996).
Negative ions for a positive attitude
Positive ions, which are found in abundance in most
indoor environments, cause an overproduction of serotonin. Serotonin is a
neurotransmitter that helps the body deal with mental, emotional, and
physiological stress. An overproduction initially causes hyperactivity, which
rapidly leads to anxiety, and in some cases depression. Negative ion treatment
has proven to be successful in reducing the overproduction
of serotonin, and therefore successful in alleviating depression in some
cases (Kreuger, 1957).
Negative Ions Help Combat Fatigue.
In 1957, a study
published in the Journal of General Physiology concluded that negative
ions reduce the overproduction of serotonin, a neurohormone that leads to
exhaustion, among other things, when overproduced (Kreuger,
1957).
Negative Ions Enhance Mental
Performance and Concentration.
The Alpha wave rhythms say it all
In 1969, Dr. Sulman, head of the department of Applied
Pharmacology at
Hebrew
University
in
Jerusalem
at the time, brought in groups of people to spend some time in a room low in
negative ions, and also in a room that contained an "overdose" of
negative ions. While in each room, subjects were given word, figure, and
symbol tests. They scored "significantly higher" on these
tests when they were in the negative ion-enriched room. Plus, while in the negative
ion room, they showed (via the electroencephalogram) a slower, stronger
pulse rate of Alpha waves from the brain. Alpha wave
rythms are a measure of the brain’s activity and health. A slow, strong Alpha
wave pulse rate indicates healthiness, calmness, and heightened alertness. When
the subjects were in the negative ion-deficient room, they showed signs of irritability
and fatigue in addition to lower test performance (Sulman,
1974).
The more difficult the better
In the study conducted by Surrey University at the
Norwich Union Insurance Group headquarters, the employees in the computer and
data preparation section that were exposed to high levels of negative ions
showed a 28% increase in overall task performance. The more difficult the
task, the more dramatic the improvement tended to be (Soyka,
1991).
Driving mad
In 1972 in
Geneva
, statistics showed that whenever there was a drastic change in the weather, and
a consequent drop in the negative ion concentration in the air, traffic
accident rates rose by more than 50% (Soyka,
1991).
Negative ions enhance physical performance.
The Ion Olympics
After World War II, the Russians extensively studied
the relationship between negative ions and physical performance. A team of
doctors, psychologists, and physicists observed and measured the performance of
Olympic athletes in various conditions of negative ions levels. In each
test of physical performance, the group that trained in facilities, and stayed
in quarters high in negative ion concentration showed tremendous improvements in
performance in comparison to the control group (Minkh,
1961).
Negative Ions help us to sleep better.
In 1969, French researcher found that the
overproduction of the neurohormone serotonin caused sleeplessness and
nightmares. In using a negative ion electronic air cleaner
to treat a group of people experiencing sleeping problems as a result of
serotonin overproduction, he found that most of them were able to sleep better (Soyka,
1991).
Negative ions aid in the treatment of burn
patients.
In 1959, Dr.
Kornbleuh treated a group of 138 burn victims at
Northeastern
General
Hospital
with negatived ionized air. Within this group, 57.3% suffered
significantly less pain and discomfort, while healing more quickly and
thoroughly. Only 22.5% of the control group (the group of burn victims
treated through conventional methods rather than negative ionization)
experienced similar improvements in the same time frame. Statistically, the odds
are 1,000 to 1 that these results were coincidental. This study, along
with other follow up tests, were evidence enough for the hospital, which
subsequently equipped its postoperative wards with negative ion
generators. The effectiveness of negative ion treatment in these
tests are likely a result of the extraordinary ability of negative ions to
remove pollutants from the air, resulting in reduced infection and irritation
of burn wounds (Kornbleuh, 1959).
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