That's Fit

In my book, 52 Ways To A Healthy You, I discuss the interesting phenomenon of mood boosting ions. If you feel a sense of renewed energy after a clapping thunderstorm, or a sense of calm when you visit the seashore or sit by a waterfall, you are reacting to electrically charged particles in the air. Ions are invisible particles in the air, which if that had all their parts, would be referred to as electrons. Ions are simply missing a piece of energy, which makes them either positively or negatively charged. Ions occur naturally in air. You would find them, if you measured them, approximately one thousand to two thousand ions per cubic centimeter of air. The ratios of positive to negative (referred to as pos-ions or neg-ions), is 5:4. This is called an ion balance. If the balance goes out of whack, or the number of pos-ions increases dramatically, insects, animals, and most people can feel the difference and manifest their reaction in a variety if ways. Insects and animals become more active and agitated when the pos-ions increase. People on the other hand, might feel low energy or depression, suffer from insomnia, and have aggravated allergies, just to name a few symptoms. Researchers have found that 25% of the population is strongly affected by too many pos-ions, the next 50% are somewhat affected, and the remaining 25% are not affected at all.

According to WebMD, negative ions have the opposite affect by actually boosting our moods. Negative ions are invisible, odorless and tasteless molecules found in natural environments such as mountains, waterfalls, and beaches. When inhaled, these ions enter into our bloodstream and produce biochemical reactions that boost the levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress, and boost our energy. You will know if these negative ions have a desirable affect on you if you are instantly refreshed when you open a window or get a fresh burst of wind.

Research conducted at Columbia University suggests that winter-induced depression and chronic depression can be alleviated by negative ion generators just as effectively as antidepressants without the side affects many people experience with the use of anti-depressants. Another interesting example of the power of negative ions took place at the Burn Unit at a Philadelphia hospital. Burn patients received negative ion treatments for fifteen minutes three times daily. In 75% of the patients, wounds healed at a faster than normal rate.

Action Tips:

• To determine if you are one those people who are sensitive to ion change, you might want to make regular visits to a fountain or moving body of water. (The effects do last for a limited period of time after exposure.)
• Take showers, which are the ultimate ion generator.
  
• Open your windows if you are in an enclosed building. Concrete buildings with lots of air conditioning and heating tend to build up pos-ions levels.
  
• Keep an open mind to possibilities of things that might affect your health even though you cannot see them.
  

keep an "ion" your health!