Subj:        Negative Ion Research - feel free to share info
Date:        95-09-27 03:30:07 EDT
From:        daniels@ic.net

From:        daniels@ic.net (Daniel Stapleton)
To:  Tom Allen, Compuserve Mind Body Sciences Forum
To:  Dear Net Friend,

My interest in negative ions has taken me on quite a journey.  I have
sifted through many abstracts and quite a bit of information and
following is what I learned.

I am particularly excited about negative ions because I, personally, have
had good success using a generator.  After only 2 or 3 days I was
sleeping much better.  I have had insomnia problems for years, and before
this, nothing other than sleeping pills has ever worked for me.  About 3
weeks after plugging it in, I find that my mood is elevated.  I bought a
small machine for my car, and another desk machine for my office.  I have
always suffered from the side effects of the anti-depressant medications,
so finding relief without those side effects is very exciting.  I am not
offering this as a therapy, just sharing some research.

Since everyone reading this information is in front of a computer, the
first article here is of interest because it discusses the fact that
cathode ray tubes in computer monitors emit harmful positive ions (which
are the opposite of negative ions).  I called my local Computer City
store where a technician told me that all computer monitors, other than
lap tops with liquid crystal displays, use cathode ray tubes.

I received a large number of e-mail letters and questions from members of
groups that I posted to.  The question I am most frequently asked is
where I bought my high density negative ion generator.  I called CBS News
to find out what model high density ionizer had been found to be
therapeutic in the Columbia University depression study.  They told me
The Ion Air Company's model Optima vi-2000 was used in the study,
1-800-706-3724.  As far as I know, this is the only ionizer to have been
proven effective in a double-blind trial on people with a psychological
condition.  I paid $109.95 plus $5.00 shipping and handling for mine.  It
came with a 30-day money back guarantee that gave me the confidence to
order it.

If you decide to purchase a negative ion generator, be sure to look on
the box or ask the retailer for the ion density, and make sure it is
rated as "high density."  I could not find any ionizers in local stores
that had a  high density rating.  Also, make sure that the generator is
filterless so that the negative ions are released into the air, and not
into a filter, or else you'll never feel them.  None of the ionizers I
read about in the research literature had filters in them.

Unfortunately for us computer users, it seems that harmful positive
ions--the opposite of negative ions, are emitted by our computer
monitors.  In the Palo Alto, California newspaper, "The Peninsula Times
Tribune", the following article appeared:

"Beating a case of the VODS:  Negative ions maybe an answer to the video
blahs"
By William Johnson
Times Tribune Staff

     REDWOOD CITY - A case of the blahs at work may really be a case of
the VODS.
     VODS stands for Video Operator Distress Syndrome, and the
troublesome malady is not uncommon of the millions of workers who use
computer video display terminals.
     Charles Wallach, consultant to the Food and Drug Administration on
the effects of working with electronic video equipment, told reporters in
the San Mateo County Hall of Justice and Records pressroom how to beat a
case of the VODS.
     Wallach, 64, works in Washington DC.  He has served as a consultant
to may government agencies and industries to create a more healthy indoor
working environment.
     The cause of the VODS, Wallach said, is a high electrostatic charge
generated on the face of a video screen's cathode ray tube.  Government
standards protect the intrinsic safety of cathode ray tubes, Wallach
said, but the VODS nevertheless still can do bodily harm.
     The charge, which may quickly reach many thousands of volts when the
tube is energized, is not in itself a hazard.  The tube merely creates
the hazard within the foot or so of air space between itself and the
operator's face," Wallach said.
     Those who work too close to the face of a cathode ray tube or who
work before a terminal for too long a time typically experience increased
fatigue levels, eye strain, blurred vision, skin rash, headaches, back
pains, irritability, anxiety, depression and general apathy.
     While the cause of these symptoms may also be a depleted bank
account, domestic troubles or a tyrannical boss, they can be caused by
the computer terminal, Wallach said.
     The culprits that cause the VODS are positive ions or charged
molecules of air, created at the face of the video display terminal.
     What are needed in the workplace, Wallach explained, are negative
ions.  In contrast to positive ions, negatively charged molecules of air,
or negative ions, promote a sense of well-being for people.
     Negative ions are typically found in the natural environment at the
seashore, near waterfalls and in pine forests, Wallach explained.
     "Every place people like to be is rich in negative ions," Wallach said.
     Video display terminal operators need their negative ions.
     "In weighing the evidence, I am convinced that the
aero-electrostatic qualities of an indoor environment are the most
significant single factor in the control of unavoidable air pollution,"
Wallach said.
     Most commonly, offices need to install equipment to generate
negative ions in the air above the video terminal operators.  The devices
typically look like small bristle brushed used to clean glasses or test
tubes.  They are suspended from the ceiling at the end of long rods.
     At the northern Santa Clara County Communications Center in Palo
Alto City Hall, negative ion generators were installed on the ceiling
over the dispatchers about a year and a half ago.
    Cliff Almeida, operations manager at the communications center, said
Monday that the ionizers have definitely filtered out pipe and cigarette
smoke.
     But he declined to speculate whether the ionizers created a better
working environment with less stress."

The topic of negative ions is not a new area of research.  Just one that
appears not to have been publicized well, for reasons that I do not
know.

The benefits of exposure to relatively high concentrations of negative
ions produced by high density negative ion generators have been well
documented over decades.  Literally dozens of studies published in
respected journals have concluded that negative ions can have a
profoundly beneficial effect on both the mind and body.  Listed here are
some excerpts from just a few of the scientific studies on the subject of
negative ions.

The most recent and exciting study was published in the February, 1995
issue of "Journal of Alternative and Comparative Medicine", a journal of
the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.  The results of this study were
also reported on CBS News with Connie Chung.

Researchers Dr. Michael Terman (head of Columbia's Winter depression
department) and Dr. Jiuan Su Terman conducted a study of the impact of
negative ion therapy on people suffering from seasonal affective disorder
(winter depression)--an illness that is often symptomatically
indistinguishable from "all-year" depression; researchers believe that
the biology of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is very similar to that
of "all-year" depression, hence, the same antidepressant drugs (such as
Prozac) are used to treat both.

The study was conducted in double blind fashion and divided clinically
depressed subjects into two groups.  The subjects in the first group were
treated for 30 minutes a day for 20 days with a low density ion generator
that produced only 10,000 ions/cubic centimeter (the control group).  The
subjects in the second group were treated for 30 minutes a day for 20
days with a high density ion generator that produced 2,700,000 ions/cubic
centimeter (the experimental group).  The remission or "cure" criterion
used was a 50% or greater reduction in symptom frequency and severity
using the SAD version of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.  The
results of this study shocked the medical community:  While a low density
negative ion generator provided little benefit, a high density negative
ion generator gave relief from depression comparable to that given by
Prozac and other antidepressants, without drug side effects.

The following is a transcript from CBS News  2/14/95  6:30-7:00 PM,
Connie Chung.  To order your own hard-copy, call Burell's Transcripts at
1-800-777-8398.

Connie Chung, co-anchor:  This is the age of wonder drugs and high-tech
cures, but alternative treatments, from herbs to acupuncture, have true
believers, too, even among some mainstream doctors and researchers.
Latest case in point: the wintertime blues.  Is it possible that changing
the air you breath can treat those negative vibes and actually relieve
depression?  Dr. Bob Arnot has the story.

Dr. Bob Arnot:  If the blustery winds of winter blowing across the nation
this week are bringing you down, there's good reason.  Researchers now
believe that the ill winds strip away highly charged subatomic particles
called negative ions from the air around us, contributing to a seasonal
form of depression.

Ms Mahala Holmes (patient):  As far back as I can recall, I had feelings,
of dreading the winter and ... and went through this kind depression.

Dr. Arnot:  Doctors at Columbia demonstrated the use of this machine to
pump high-density negative ions into the air surrounding Mahala Holmes to
treat her depression, known as seasonal affective disorder.

Ms Mahala Homes:  While I was on treatment, I felt excited, I felt
energized. I felt alive.

Dr. Arnot:  Here's why.  Level of brain chemical responsible for mood,
called serotonin, are often lower in cases of season depression.
Serotonin levels can be elevated by increased exposure to light or by
antidepressants like Prozac.  Researchers say negative ions may also
increase brain levels of serotonin.

Dr. Michael Terman:  (Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center): People
noticed that daytime energy was returning to normal levels.  They lost
that pressure for increased sleep, the difficulty awakening in time to
get to work.

Dr. Arnot:  A study in the current "Journal of Alternative and
Complementary Medicine" concluded that 58 percent of patients treated
with high-density negative ions had significant relief of their symptoms,
almost identical to the number improved with drugs, but without drug side
effects.

Dr. Norman Rosenthal (National Institute of Mental Health):  From a
scientific point of view, it's very exciting.  It needs to be replicated.

Dr. Arnot:  The whole idea of using negative ions as a legitimate medical
treatment may seem just a little bit odd.  But while many doctors are
still highly skeptical about alternative medicines, more and more
Americans are turning to them because they haven't found the satisfaction
they want from mainstream medicine.

This is not the first study to prove the benefits of negative ion
generators.  About 15 years ago, a double-blind study was conducted at
the Air Force Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base in Ohio.  The study was published in the August, 1982
issue of the prominent medical journal "Aviation, Space, and
Environmental Medicine" in an article entitled "Subjective Response to
Negative Air Ion Exposure."  The study was conducted as follows, quoting
from page 822 of the journal:

 "Procedure:  One group of subjects served as controls and was confined
to the test chamber for a 6 hour period under air ion conditions typical
of an energy efficient building.  The second group was similarly
confined, but ion generators began operating 2 hours before occupancy and
continued all 6 hours of confinement.  Generators were masked for all
indications of operation, and were also present under control conditions
but not turned on.  Data from both groups were collected under
double-blind conditions."

The results of the study were encouraging, as stated on page 823 of the
journal:

"Subjective perceptions of psychological state, using individual
'normalcy' as standard, reflected significant differences between control
and negative ion exposure groups.  Prominent perceptions reported were
reductions in irritability, depression, and tenseness, and increases in
calmness and stimulation associated with ion exposure...For psychological
state, negative ion exposure appeared associated with feeling better
about self, less sensitive, and more responsive or innervated [energized]."

In October, 1981, a journal article entitled "The Influence of Negative
Air Ions on Human Performance and Mood," appeared in the respected
journal, Human Factors.  On page 633 of the journal, the abstract of the
article reads:

"44 female and 12 male 17-61 year olds were tested either in a normal-ion
environment (control group) or in a predominantly negative ion
environment (experimental group).  After a 15-minute acclimation period,
subjects asserted their psychological state and completed 2 performance
tasks.  Results indicate that subjects had faster reaction times and
reported feeling significantly more energetic under negative-air-ion
conditions that under normal-air conditions."

Later that year, in December of 1981, a study conducted at California
State University, Sacramento entitled, "The Influence of Air Ions,
Temperature, and Humidity on Subjective Wellbeing and Comfort," was
published in the "Journal of Environmental Psychology".  The findings
were encouraging.  On page 279 of the journal, the abstract of the
article states:

"106 employees kept daily assessment records of their office environment
and health over a 12-week period.  Temperatures about 23 degrees Celsius
were associated with increased sensations of stuffiness, discomfort, and
unpleasantness, but appeared to produce a decrease in the number of
complaints of headaches.  The office environment was found to be depleted
of small air ions.  The introduction of a negative ion generator
increased the subjective rating of alertness, atmospheric freshness, and
environmental and personal warmth.  Ions reduced the complaint rate for
headache by 50% and significantly reduced the number of complaints of
nausea and dizziness."

Of course, much of the early research concerning negative ions has been
conducted on animals.  One of the earliest studies of the effects of
negative ions was published in 1935 in the "Journal of Industrial
Hygiene" in an article, "The Effect of High Concentrations of Light
Negative Atmospheric Ions on the Growth and Activity of the Albino Rat."
In it, researchers Herrington and Smith evaluate the effects of
negatively ionized air on the activity of rats as measured by means of an
activity wheel.  They found that activity increased significantly with
rats subjected to a reported negative ion concentration of 1.2 million
ions/cc.

In 1956, a researcher named J.V. Brady published a study in "Annals of
New York Academic Science" which showed that the strength of the
conditioned emotional responses of fear and anxiety in animals can be
dramatically reduced by the daily administration of the psychoactive drug
reserpine.  Years later, in 1967, a similar study was conducted by Allan
H. Frey at the Institute for Research, Pennsylvania State University, and
published in the "Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology".
The major difference was that this time, the effect of reserpine was
compared to that of negative ion treatment.  The study concluded:

"Results of 2 experiments, the 2nd essentially a replication of the 1st,
are in accordance with prediction.  The inhibition of response in the
animal was reduced by treatment with small negative air ions, as it was
with reserpine."

In other words, when the animals were treated with negative ions, the
animals were less inhibited--less likely to experience fear and anxiety.
These results are similar to the results of experiments studying the
anti-anxiety effects of tranquilizers such as Valium and Xanax.

It has also been shown that in addition to possibly having a profound
effect on mood and energy, negative ions may have a strong impact on
cognitive functioning.  In 1965, in the journal "Psychophysiology", a
study, "Behavioral Effects of Ionized Air on Rats", was published.  In
this study, the effects of negatively ionized air on the mental
functioning of rats was tested.  Researchers Duffee and Koontz reported
on page 358 of the journal:  "the water-maze performance improved by
350%," showing a dramatic improvement in cognitive functioning.

To support that negative ions also improve the cognitive functioning of
humans as well, in April of 1978, in the science journal "Ergonomics",  a
study was conducted at the University of Surrey, England, and published
in an article entitled, "Air Ions and Human Performance".  Once again,
the results were encouraging.  On page 273, the article reads:

"Studied the effects of artificial negative or positive ionization of the
air on the performance of psychomotor tasks with 45 18-26 year-old
healthy males...Three testing environments were used:  natural, negative,
and positive ionizations.  Negative ionization was associated with a
significant increment in performance as compared to controls."

In 1984, a study was published in the "Journal of Abnormal Child
Psychology" named, "Negative Air Ionization Improves Memory and Attention
in Learning-Disabled and Mentally Retarded Children."  The effectiveness
of negative ions on mental performance was tested by researching the
power of negative ions to improve the cognitive abilities of mentally
handicapped children, as well as the abilities of normal children.
Fourth graders were divided into three groups:  normal,
learning-disabled, and mildly mentally retarded  The results were
encouraging--on page 353 of the journal, the article reads as follows:

"Half in each group were assigned randomly to an unmodified air-placebo
condition under double-blind testing procedures.  All of the children
breathing negatively ionized air were superior in incidental memory...The
action of negative ions on the neurotransmitter, serotonin, may be the
mechanism by which negative ions produce such behavioral effects."

On page 358, the article states:

"Table I shows enhanced performance on the order of 8.4% for the normals,
23.6% for the learning-disabled, and 54.8% for the mildly
retarded."

There is much research supporting the effectiveness of negative ions on
mood, energy, and performance.  But, you are probably wondering what
negative ions are, and how they benefit us.

In the magazine, "Whole Self", Spring 1991, an article appeared entitled
"Ions and Consciousness".  It explains:

"Ions are charged particles in the air that are formed when enough energy
acts upon a molecule, such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, water, or
nitrogen--to eject an electron.  The displaced electron attaches itself
to a nearby molecule, which then becomes a negative ion.  It is the
negative ion of oxygen that affects us most.  Remember that feeling
you've experienced near a waterfall or high in the mountains?  Those are
two such places where thousand of negative ions occur.  They create an
effect on human biochemistry."

"The normal ion count in fresh country air is 2,000 to 4,000 negative
ions per cubic centimeter (about the size of a sugar cube).  At Yosemite
Falls, you'll experience over 100,000 negative ions per cubic
centimeter.  On the other hand, the level is far below 100 per cubic
centimeter of Los Angeles freeways during rush hour."

"Research on ions began in the 1950s with Dr. Albert Kreuger, professor
emeritus of the University of California at Berkeley, and Dr. Felix
Sulman, professor of pharmacology at the Hebrew University in Israel."

"Dr. Kreuger excited the scientific world when he discovered ions to be
biologically active, stimulated production of the powerful chemical
serotonin, 5-HT.  Serotonin is a very active neuro-hormone which causes
profound neural, glandular, and digestive effects throughout the body."

"Dr. Sulman corroborated Kreuger's findings while studying positive ion
victims of the hot, dry Sharav winds in Jerusalem.  He demonstrated three
effects of positive ion excess:  irritation and tension, exhaustion, and
hyperthyroid response.  Most of these conditions, along with symptoms of
depression, anxiety, headaches, and low-energy physical and mental
functions, were shown to be alleviated or totally eliminated by
increasing the negative ion count in the air."

"While ionization of the air is mandatory in many European and Russian
hospitals and workplaces, it has only recently come to light in our
country with the growing problem of toxic air in our urban environments."

As I said earlier, a negative ion generator dramatically improved the
quality of my life and, therefore, I find the topic to be very exciting.

If you have any information about negative or positive ions to share,
please send it to me at DanielS@ic.net.

-dan