Are negative ions safe?

So many things on the market these days that seem to be the next best thing, only to be found harmful in another way a year down the line. This is an important question to ask when considering anything new. Is it safe?

With decades of studies, some short term, some long, some on animals and others on people, I have not come across a single one that showed negative side effects from being exposed to high levels of negative ions. Not a single study found any adverse affects from negative ions. It is then fairly safe to assume that negative ions are beneficial, and in no way harmful.

All things good for us do have a tipping point where too much becomes a bad thing. Negative ions however, fight a losing battle, and the point of ever reaching that limit (if it even exists), seems impossible to reach. We are constantly exposing ourselves to things that counteract the good negative ions do. Pollution, bad food, bad sleeping habits, air conditioners, central heating, computers, tvs, printers, some supplements and medicines (not all, just some) and, and and. The list is never ending.

I have 3 ionizers running full time in my home, and my health over the past year since having 3 running full time has only improved. My energy levels are up, my immune system is up, my mood always good and overall I feel healthier than the previous year. I have adopted an overall healthier lifestyle aswel, cutting out or down on many harmful things from my life such as sugar, caffeine, drinking and smoking. Negative ions by themselves, can only make so much difference. There is a big part that we can play in helping them. Small changes to a healthier way of being easily and quickly become good things when we realize the energy levels and overall feeling we had is not the way it is meant to be.

It is then safe to assume that negative ions do in fact benefit us greatly, and having an Ionizer in the home will benefit our lives. The issue and the danger comes from another aspect of negative ions. They are generated by a machine and these machines can have 1 of 3 shortcomings with it

1. It can produce no negative ions.
2. It can produce a large amounts of ozone.
3. It can produce positive ions.

The first point isn't really a big deal, your health won't decline from it, but you have wasted money buying something that doesn't produce the goods.

The second point is a very important thing to consider. Ozone is extremely bad for us. High in the atmosphere it plays a vital role in protecting us from the suns harmful UV rays, but in our homes, not so much. Ozone will harm the soft tissue in your respiratory tract, full stop. There is no good that comes from inhaling ozone, despite the few silly articles written recently trying to say that small amounts of ozone can increase the immune system. Don't fall for it, your immune system increases in the short term because your body is defending itself. In the long term, it will drain your system, and things will become out of balance, ruining the slightly stronger immune system that you gained in the short term.

Ozone is easily detectable by it's smell. It's quite potent and most people immediately develop a scratchy throat. If you have an ionizer running, and you can smell any sort of funny smells 12 inches (30 cm) from it, turn it off. You are doing more harm than good.

The third point is nearly as important as the second. Positive ions do harm inside your body, There are a few articles online that claim that our bodies need positive ions to be in balance, I believe they are misguided. All you need to do is look at the effects that positive ions have on our bodies. They are the exact opposite of negative ions. Negative ions have effects that increase respiratory function, oxygen absorption, waste removal, mental function, stabilize hormone levels, and the list goes on. If the change is good for you, then you can be sure it's something that high levels of negative ions are responsible for.

Positive ions do the exact opposite and will reduce your bodies ability to function at an optimum level. It counteracts every single thing that negative ions promote. In no way, should you balance out high levels of negative ions with high levels of positive ions. Any one out there who does not believe me or disagrees with me, please sit in front of a positive ion generator and tell me how you feel after 30 mins.

In conclusion, there are no known negative effects from high levels of negative ions as far as the thousands of studies on them indicate. I have read and continue to read studies, articles, research papers and anything related to ions that I can get my hands on. There are many negative effects from badly designed or poorly functioning negative ion generators / ionizers though so please do be careful when buying one.

Ionizers that were designed with everything I talk about in mind can be found here: www.naturaironline.com/contents/en-uk/d34220_NaturAir-Negative-ion-generator-ionizer.html