Negative ions, abundantly found in nature, can positively and remarkably influence well-being. Get enough exposure to negative ions in nature and you may be able to get to sleep more quickly and sleep more soundly. Negative ion exposure helps you relieve your allergies, feel more energetic, concentrate better, perform athletically at higher levels, and feel happier.
But positive ions occurring in nature are also a key factor in producing uplifting physical benefits, too, most especially when it comes to mood, well-being and happiness.
Positive Ions and Beneficial Serotonin Production
Many of our previous articles have focused on the myriad of health benefits of negative ions but positive ions in healthy doses can be very beneficial to our physical and mental health also.
We are all aware that negative ions are produced and linger in the air after a thunderstorm. But the positive ions that are naturally present in the air before a storm cause the body to transfer the positively charged ions in the air you breathe from the lungs into the blood causing the blood platelets to release serotonin.
Serotonin is a compound present in blood platelets and serum which constricts the blood vessels and acts as a neurotransmitter. The hormone serotonin impacts the entire body facilitating brain cells and other nervous system cells to communicate with each other. When our cells are communicating with each other unimpeded, we enjoy good health.
The production of serotonin in the body creates a whole array of feel-good benefits. It produces a normalization of the endocrine glands thereby reducing stress to the physical body. That in itself is enough to bring a sense of ease to both body and mind.
Serotonin also creates a sedating and pain-relieving effect. If you’ve undergone surgery or suffered an injury such as burns, the release of serotonin into the bloodstream can actually help ease your discomfort.
Serotonin increases brain amplitude and gives you an ability to think better and clearer. A shift of alpha activity occurs to the frontal area of the brain when serotonin levels are optimum and as a result you’ll have better conceptual ability and experience a higher synchronization of right and left brain hemispheres. With this left and right brain balance a more even balance of personality and temperament results.
As well as affecting our nervous system, mood and mental well-being, serotonin quite strongly affects the joints and numerous other physiological functions in the body. Even lactating mothers produce more milk and of higher quality when serotonin levels are higher.
POSITIVE IONS AND DESTRUCTIVE “ILL WINDS”
Very often, however, positively charged ions wreak havoc to our health even when produced naturally. The ancients often considered disease to be the result of possession by winds. They actually were not far off the mark in this belief.
“Ill winds” or “witches’ winds” really do blow on earth such as the Santa Ana winds of Southern California. They are dry, warm winds with a strong positive ion concentration which cause people to get headaches and become irritable, aggressive and listless. The warm and dry electrified atmosphere imposes a strain on the body and the body responds with an alarm reaction. The adrenals become depleted and the body gets exhausted without ever even having exerted itself physically.
Modern living is causing a positive ion poisoned atmosphere. We literally create artificial witches’ winds in our environment. Western technology is distorting the electrical charge of the air where people spend their time. Examples of man-made “witches winds” include:
man-made fragrances and chemicals
modern structures of concrete, steel, plastic
mobile phones
cell towers
power lines
office buildings with central heat and A/C
hermetically sealed high-rise apartments
automobile exhaust fumes
off gassing of man-made plastics, paint, etc.
factory fumes
airplanes
synthetic fibers
smoking
air pollution
industrial waste
state-of-the-art insulation (actually prevents negative ions from entering the building)
synthetic products
NEGATIVE IONS IN NATURE
We know that the healthy climate of mountains, the pristine freshness of a pine forest, the exhilaration we feel from breathing seashore air, the lingering charge we sense in the air post thunderstorm all are loaded with a high density of negative ions. We feel a sudden rush of aliveness and a deep sense of well-being.
Flora all around us and especially in forests or parks densely planted with trees are constantly at work producing negatively charged ions in the air we breathe. The needles on the trees in pine or fir forests, for example, act as points for the generation of negative ions and they do this in conjunction with the atmospheric electric field.
Even inside our homes, if we will allow green plants to grow we will notice a similar impact on the quality of our air immediately on entering the house. If your house plants thrive they are providing you with a direct illustration that you are living in an ion-enhanced atmosphere. They demonstrate this air ionization by a marked increase in size and growth rate because they tend to gather negative ions around themselves. This is particularly true of evergreens and ferns which focus negative electrical charges on the pointed tips of their leaves.
ENERGY EXCHANGE
The human body emits a positive energy field. It naturally produces electricity to function. Our bodies are resonant with the Earth’s electromagnetic field holding electrically charged particles in equal proportions of positive charge on ions and negative charge on electrons.
Studies have shown that the natural oscillation frequency of the atmospheric field of Earth (7-10 Hz) is the same as our brain’s alpha state–our most relaxed yet still alert state of being. Further, 3 to 5 Hz waves produced by weather activity producing an abundance of negative ions have been shown to cause heightened alertness with increased reaction time.
It’s a good thing that humans and the Earth and its magnetosphere are constantly exchanging energy with each other. What we don’t want to happen is a buildup of positive charge in our bodies.
We cause positive charge to build up in our bodies and adversely affect our health when we create our own man-made “witches winds” (see list of examples above) or when we do something as simple as wear shoes made of synthetic materials which are very insulating and don’t allow energy to flow. If we can stop positive charge buildup we can keep things like inflammation under control and reduce stress hormones.
Whether its positive or negative ions we are after, we’ll want to create an environment similar to nature’s. To that end there are simple everyday actions we can take such as the following to ensure we get pelted with enough negative ions to bring balance to the positive. For even more tips, consult our list of published articles on the topic in the sidebar, right.
Wear natural fiber clothing.
Live in a home made of materials found in nature.
Stay away from artificially climate-controlled environments.
Surround yourself with live green plants.
Drink eight glasses of water per day.
Shower often, most preferably with a good water purifier attached to the head.
Walk barefoot in the dew or on the grass or dirt.
Avoid plastic footwear or wear grounding footwear.
Utilize grounding devices that bring negative ions into the home from the outside.
Drive out to the country, roll down your windows and breathe the fresh air.
‘Negative ions’ defined:
Created in nature as air molecules break apart (as a result of sunlight, radiation, ultraviolet rays, the vital energy of plants, and moving air and water), negative ions are not harmful even if their concentration is high.
After thunderstorms, as raindrops strike the earth, there is a splitting of the water droplets into larger positive particles and smaller particles containing the negative charge. This is known as the Lenard effect. The smaller negative particles are repelled away from the negative surface of the earth back up into the air. What is occurring is that as electrons leave water molecules they attach themselves to oxygen molecules. Once an atom or molecule acquires more electrons than protons, it instantly becomes a negative ion.
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Endnotes:
Photo courtesy of Andrea Davis at Pexels
Mindell, Earl. The Happiness Effect: The Positive Benefits of Negative Ions. Square One Publishing. November 2015.
Donsbach Ph.D., D. Sc., N. D., D. C., Kurt W. Dr. Donsbach Tells You What You Always Wanted to Know About Negative Ions. The International Institute of Natural Health Science. Huntington Beach, CA. 1981.