Himalayan salt has had a place at our table for some time now. When used in the kitchen pink Himalayan salt has a ton of benefits, from lowering your blood pressure to helping with digestion. But what can Himalayan salts do in the rest of our homes?
This mineral is hand-mined from the Himalayan mountains and is available everywhere, in several different forms. The edible form has less sodium than regular table salt, but the edible form of this salt isn’t what we’re here to talk about.
Himalayan Salt Lamp Effects
Turn The Lights On
There are natural phenomena that make us feel refreshed or revitalized. You know, simple things like sitting next to a huge waterfall, or being in front of rushing waves at the waterfront. If we were able to soar through the air like birds that would probably do it too.
What about these natural locations and events gives us good goosebumps? Negative ions.
Negative ions are produced in nature and there’s even a way to mimic them in the walls of your home. Himalayan salt lamps chemically and physically transform a room – not just in color and glow, but in its health benefits and effects.
Stay Positive
We are constantly surrounded by positive and negative ions – charged molecules that float through the air without our noticing. Positive ions have been dubbed ‘electronic smog’ which sounds cool but is actually dangerous for our mental health and wellbeing. These ions have been given a charge by our big screen TVs, smartphones, telephones, microwaves, computers, and any other electronic wave in the air.
The World Health Organization calls electronic smog “one of the most common and fastest growing environmental influences” and states that health concerns should be taken seriously. Further studies show that our brains are bombarded by 20 times more frequencies than it should be. These frequencies attribute to mental health issues, insomnia, nerve disorders, allergies, and potentially more – more study is needed.
So positive ions aren’t actually a positive thing. They are produced by just about everything in our 21st Century-style of living and they need to be neutralized. Fortunately, there is a simple way to give any room in your house a neutralized (or even negative) ion effect.
The Positivity of Negative Ions
Negative ions are created when a molecule gains a negatively charged electron. Negative ions attract natural pollutants like dust, mold, and other allergens and irritants. The ions attach to these pollutants and give them a negative charge, neutralizing them so they lose their damaging properties.
Negative ions are mostly produced in natural settings: in the forest, at the beach, and (most abundantly) near waterfalls. Supposedly these ions stimulate oxygen flow to the brain, giving us increased mental alertness and energy. But we can’t all bring huge waterfalls into our houses.
So where can we get something that will produce negative ions? We shop for positive ions all the time: new TV, wireless router, microwave popcorn – but how do we bring a positive ion-neutralizing power into our homes?
Himalayan Salt Lamps, Of Course
A Himalayan salt lamp – also known as “Vitamins of the Air” – is a block of pure Himalayan salt that came from ancient oceans. With a small bulb on the inside, these lights produce more than just light – they produce a negative-ion atmosphere and the health benefits that come with it.
The bulb inside the lamp heats the crystal, emitting negative ions. Salt is hygroscopic and attracts water from its surroundings – in more humid environments the lamp will even appear damp or wet. The heat of the lamp evaporates the water quickly, creating negative ions. The negative ions go on a mission.
Search and Destroy
Once negative ions are created they want to bind with positive ions. You know what they say: misery loves company. Well, these negative ions love to bring positive ions down and in turn, bring our general health up. The negative ions created by a Himalayan salt lamp will attach to excessive positive ions like bacteria, mold, and allergens. In doing so, the lamp neutralizes the electronic smog in your home.
With an ionized room, you will feel better, recharged, and revitalized. In theory, there will be fewer micro-waves coursing through your home and being, allowing your mind and body to be at ease. In addition, the warm glow of the lamp has a soothing effect and will help you relax.
What Do Himalayan Salt Lamps Do
- Ionize the room
- Balance and neutralize artificial frequencies and unnatural electromagnetic waves from electronics.
- Produce rainbow-spectrum light waves to heal and soothe your body.
Health Benefits
The Himalayan salt lamps’ health benefits have been reported to start working soon after plugging the light in and turning it on. Turn on your Himalayan salt lamp to help with:
- Headaches and migraines
- Arthritis
- Respiratory problems (including colds)
- Mental and stress-related disorders (including insomnia)
- Blood system disorders
By clearing the air of toxins, the lamps can also help specifically with allergies and skin conditions.
If you want to improve the air quality in your house, feel more relaxed, induce meditation, improve the aforementioned health conditions and maintain your good health you need to get a Himalayan salt lamp and put it in your most lived-in room.
The lamps have limited range and won’t work if you put it under your couch in the farthest dark corner of your basement. Plus, why would you put it there? You’ve got to show it off – which isn’t hard. Himalayan salt lamps have an interesting look and fit lots of different styles. It can stand out or fit in, depending on your preference. So put your lamp somewhere you and your family spend a lot of time and in a room with lots of electronic devices filling the air with positive ions.
These lamps are like plants: the more the better. Have one in every room, or have one in your most-visited room and your bedroom. Feel the effects once you enter your house by putting one of the lamps in your foyer, vestibule, or entrance.
Before The Light Goes Out
One last note: when buying your Himalayan salt lamp make sure to get one made from real Himalayan salt. There are a lot of fakes on the market, so check the origin – the real lamps are made from pure, food grade Himalayan salt. Substitutes from rock salt will not provide you with the same benefits if any.
Sources:
- Naz, Hajra and Darakhsham J Haleem. “Exposure to Illuminated Salt Lamp Increases 5-HT Metabolism: A Serotonergic Perspective to Its Beneficial Effects.” Pakistan Journal of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. 27 April 2010.
- Terman, Michael et al. “A Controlled Trial of Timed Bright Light and Negative Air Ionization for Treatment of Winter Depression.”
- JAMA Psychiatry. October 1998.
- Alexander, Dominik D. et al. “Air Ions and Respiratory Function Outcomes: A Comprehensive Review.”
- Journal of Negative Results in Biomedicine. 9 September 2013.
- World Health Organization. “What Are Electromagnetic Fields?”
- Perez, V. et al. “Air Ions and Mood Outcomes: A Review and Meta-analysis.”
- BMC Psychiatry. 15 January 2013.