October 14, 2020
We all incorporate dietary, lifestyle and supplement factors into our life to sustain and enhance our health, but what about technology that assists with increasing your health as well? I would like to introduce to you two simple and noninvasive technological hacks you can install into your home that will help increase mood, lower inflammation, boost the immune system and help your overall health.
Negative Ion Generators
First of all what are negative ions? Ions are molecules that have gained or lost and electrical charge. They are created in nature as air molecules that break apart due to radiation, sunlight, and moving air and water. We have all experienced the effects of negative ions when walking at a beach or near a waterfall. When we are around these settings, we not only get a sense of euphoria because they are beautiful but also because these environments are abundant in negative ions.
Negative ions are odorless, tasteless and invisible molecules that when inhaled and enter the bloodstream, they are believed to produce an increase in mood chemicals such as serotonin and also increase the immune system through biochemical reactions. Positive ions are considered to be detrimental to health seeing as most forms of pollution, toxic chemicals and other harmful chemicals in the air carry a positive electrical charge.
Negative ions were discovered more than 100 years ago and widely used for air cleaning. There are numerous studies reviewing the effects of negative ions on humans and animals that have demonstrated increased psychological health, productivity and overall well-being(1).
Five studies on negative ionization and depression were evaluated by level of exposure intensity using meta-analysis. Results showed that negative ionization overall was significantly associated with lower depression ratings, with a stronger association observed at higher levels of negative ions exposure(2).
Negative ion devices have also demonstrated to help remove viruses from the air, effectively preventing airborne transmission of viruses such as influenza A. The device enables unique possibilities of rapid and simple removal of virus from the air(3).
So considering the science, implementing negative ion generators in your home is a simple way to increase overall well-being, psychological health, clean the air and also remove harmful pathogens at the same time. It is a cheap and effective technology to improve your health in your household.
Earthing/Grounding devices
Many of us have heard of grounding, the activity of letting your bare feet/skin come into contact with the Earth. Multi-disciplinary research has revealed that electrically conductive contact of the human body with the surface of the Earth produces intriguing effects on physiology and health(4). These effects relate to inflammation, immune responses, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases(4).
Unfortunately, in our day and age, most of us are constantly in shoes and this insulates us from the Earth which inhibits us from grounding. Then when we get home and take off our shoes, our house or apartments are also insulated and even though we are bare foot in these locations we still are not reaping the benefits of properly grounding which balances out our body’s electrical voltage.
Grounding produces measurable differences in concentration of white blood cells, cytokines and other molecules involved in inflammatory responses. It also reduces pain and alters the number of circulating neutrophils and lymphocytes along with various circulating chemical factors related to inflammation(4).
Modern science has discovered that many of the most debilitating diseases, as well as the aging process, are caused by or are associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress(5). Research now reveals that direct contact with the surface of the Earth generates a kind of electric nutrition, with surprisingly potent and rapid anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects(5).
One main hypothesis is that connecting the body to the Earth enables free electrons and ions from the Earth’s surface to spread over and into the body, where they can have antioxidant effects(4). Through this the Earth can prevent or resolve so-called “silent” inflammation(4).
Grounding also appears to improve sleep, normalize the day-night cortisol rhythm, reduces pain, reduces stress, shifts the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic toward parasympathetic activation, increase heart rate variability, speeds up wound healing and reduce blood viscosity(4).
Research has suggested that our disconnect from the Earth may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and unwellness(6). Considering this, we need to make an effort to physically reconnect our body to the Earth which helps our overall health and well-being. Seeing as this is hard for many people to do with the current modern life and living situations, grounding can be achieved through Earthing sheets or pads. These are devices that are connected to the power supply which is always grounded, allowing ions to flow from the Earth to the sheet or pad. By installing Earthing sheets in our beds, we can assure we gain the benefits of grounding our body’s at night while we sleep which is one of the most beneficial times. This technology may be expensive, but you cannot put a price on your health.
Written by Luke Pavasovic
Director and Naturopath at Alchemic Health
facebook.com/alchemichealth
www.alchemichealth.com
References:
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30274196/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23320516/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4477231/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28987038/
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3265077/