The Demo Site

By Pertti Olavi Jalasjaa

It’s no secret that far infrared or radiant heat saunas offer an impressive array of proven health benefits. Bathing in a far infrared sauna can increase heart rate and blood circulation without raising blood pressure. As well, regular far infrared sauna use can help strengthen the body’s immune system; eliminate heavy metals, toxic chemicals and other waste material; cleanse and nourish the skin; relieve aches and pain; speed the healing of sprains and strains; promote relaxation, and burn calories.

The long list of benefits of far infrared sauna use has already convinced countless people to incorporate radiant heat baths into their usual routines, but now, with the many extra advantages it offers, an invaluable far infrared sauna accessory is persuading even more people to embrace far infrared sauna bathing. Some people call this particular accessory an oxygen ionizer, while others refer to it (as this article will) as a negative ion generator.

An ion, as you may recall from your high school science classes, is an electrically charged atom or group of atoms that has gained or lost an electron. An atom that loses an electron forms a positive ion, and an atom that gains an electron forms a negative ion. In nature, ions are formed in a variety ways. About half are created by radioactive gases, while radioactive substances in the soil, cosmic rays, ultraviolet rays, airflow friction, falling water, and plants produce the other half.

Given their names, it would be understandable for someone to think that negative ions are dangerous and positive ions are beneficial, but the opposite is true. A wealth of information exists that declares air with an abundance of negative ions to be much healthier for humans than air with a high concentration of positive ions. Scientists have discovered that if the air is charged with too few negative ions and too many positive ions, people breathing it are more likely to feel tired and unsettled. More alarming is the fact that negative ion depletion and pos-ion poisoning have been linked to allergies, headaches, insomnia, arthritis, anxiety, and even heart attacks.

Negative ions perform a great service to people. They purify the air by magnetically attaching themselves to airborne particles such as dust, pollen, smoke and dander, weighing those particles down, and causing them to drop from the air. That function of negative ions may explain why so many negative ion generators are marketed as being able to alleviate respiratory diseases and hay fever.

“Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain, resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy,” says Pierce Howard, author of The Owner’s Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind Brain Research. “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 infection.”

The best natural negative ion generator is said to be lightning, followed by ocean surf and waterfalls. Ion researcher James Karnstedt notes, “Waterfalls have always been the favorite habitat of mystics and artists. The inspiration and romance generated at places like Niagara Falls and Yosemite have a direct relationship to the lowering of serotonin levels in the blood, caused by the waves of negative ions from the spray of these falls.”

Levels of serotonin, a brain chemical commonly associated with depression, can be adjusted by increased exposure to light and by antidepressants. New research, however, indicates that negative ions can also impact serotonin levels and, in turn, help people suffering from mood disorders. A study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine revealed that 58 percent of patients suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) had significant relief of their symptoms after being treated with high-density negative ions.

According to Karnstedt and other sources, researchers have found that negative ions reduce neurosis and anxiety; enhance heart function; decrease pulse rate; speed physical recovery; help revitalize cell metabolism; strengthen bones; sharpen mental functioning; heighten appetite and thirst; promote healthy digestion; relieve asthma, migraines, burns and post-operative pain; stimulate sexual behavior, and help people sleep better. While performing tests on infants, a group of doctors at a hospital in Jerusalem even noticed that the babies didn’t cry as often or as loudly when they were breathing negative ions as they did in normal air.

People who seek the benefits of negative ions but do not have free or easy access to Niagara Falls, the seashore, or frequent lightning storms would be wise to investigate the possibilities presented by a far infrared sauna equipped or accessorized with a negative ion generator. Various far infrared sauna manufacturers and dealers sell certain models of radiant heat saunas with the negative ion generator already included; it is also sold separately as an accessory. Regardless of how you buy your negative ion generator, you should regard your purchase as an inexpensive yet worthy investment in yourself, as the negative ion generator is an instrument that could have a remarkably positive impact on your health and happiness.