Salt lamps: how they are made
The main component of salt lamps is constituted by blocks of Himalayan pink salt, a quality of rock salt that despite the name is extracted in Khewra mines, in Pakistan. These blocks are unique pieces, mined from 250 million years old mines and each with its particular shape and color.
The crystals are excavated inside without altering the structure, to be able to insert a source of light, usually an incandescent bulb.
Properties of salt lamps
There are three main properties of salt lamps, which make them useful:
- Sources of relaxing light, thanks to the typical color of Himalayan salt.
The light emitted from the light bulb, filtered by the pink rock salt, takes on warm and muted tones, which is why salt lamps have been used in chromo therapy.
In particular, according to the principles of this alternative medicine, the orange color produced by the lamps would have a liberating effect on our physical and mental functions, inducing serenity, enthusiasm, joy, desire for life and optimism.
- Natural dehumidifiers, thanks to the typical effectiveness of salt in absorbing water. Rooms that are too humid promote the proliferation of mold, mites and other pests, the leading causes of respiratory diseases of inflammatory and allergic-type.
Furthermore, an environment with controlled humidity (therefore around 40 – 60%) helps to prevent rheumatic pains in bones and joints.
- Natural ionizers, thanks to the reaction that occurs between the salt of the lamp and the micro-molecules of water present in the air.
Utilizing the heat created by the bulb, when these two elements come into contact release of sodium and chloride ions, is negatively charged.
The mechanism of release of negative ions by salt lamps is still the subject of different debates and is based on a small number of research. On the contrary, the scientific literature on the harmful effects on our health in an environment overloaded with positive ions is rather extensive.
Negative ions: a cure for our health
What are the benefits of negative ions?
Mainly two: air cleaning and protection from electromagnetic pollution.
The negative ions bind to the particles suspended in the air (dust, smoke, pollen and bacteria) and they charge them electrostatically. As a result, the dust will tend to bind to the surfaces it encounters (the walls of the room, for example) rather than flutter.
At the same time, they would restore the electromagnetic balance altered by the positive ions released by the numerous electronic devices now present in all the houses, in particular PCs, tablets and smartphones.
The effects of an environment saturated with positive ions are manifested in particular in the emotional and psychological sphere, favoring mood and sleep disorders that influence behavior, vitality and productivity.
In contrast, high levels of negative ions would have a beneficial effect in cases of seasonal depression but also chronic, as demonstrated by studies of Cambridge University and Wesleyan University.
This is due to the imbalances that the positive ions would cause in the release of serotonin from the system. The deficiency of this hormone is considered one of the depressive syndromes.
In this sense, a fascinating study of 2010 on rats exposed for 14 weeks to salt lamps in Pakistan, would thesis. After the exposure period, the researchers found an in serotonin levels in the rat organism.
The trend of recent years, which sees an increase in the incidence of mental disorders (in particular anxiety and depression ), and consequently a greater use of psychotropic drugs in more developed countries, could therefore also be caused by the increasingly massive presence of electronic devices in our daily life.
Salt lamps, therefore, with their nature of negative ionizers, could represent a step forward towards healthier domestic environments regarding electromagnetic equilibrium.
Also, with their air-cleaning action in enclosed spaces, electronic negative ions help to improve breathing and lung capacity, giving relief against allergies, asthma and colds.
The level of the immune system is also raised, making us more resistant to the bacteria and viruses that cause the flu.
Benefits for the body
Salt lamps, with their ionizing and dehumidifying action, would bring direct benefits to our physical health, and specifically:
- They strengthen the immune defenses
- The general malaise contrasts
- Reduce asthma attacks
- Reduce respiratory allergies
- Resistance to colds and flu increases
- They protect against sinusitis, rhinitis, bronchitis and pneumonia
- Contrast a headache and a migraine
- They reduce muscle pain
- They reduce rheumatism of bones and joints
Salt Lamp Benefits for the Mind
Not only benefits the body but also our state of mind. Salt lamps, bringing the environments in which we live to the electromagnetic balance, and thanks to the therapeutic properties of the light emanated, would increase our mental well-being, and in particular:
- They reduce depressive states
- They protect against anxiety attacks
- They improve the quality of sleep
- They increase optimism and joy in life
- Concentration Increases
- Increase productivity and vitality
- They reduce exhaustion and chronic fatigue
The psychological effects of salt lamps have a cascading effect on our overall health, making us more resistant to the aforementioned physical pathologies, and vice versa.
This will result in a virtuous circle of physical and mental well-being that will substantially improve the quality of life.
Matt M. Eccles is the founder of Vitality and Happiness Blog. He is a philosopher, psychology enthusiast, wellness and digestion expert, author, and world traveler who is passionate about helping others reach and experience optimum health, true happiness, and increased vitality. The purpose of this website is to motivate and inspire people to handle life’s challenges. Uplift and encourage you to succeed in life and be happy and healthy, increase life quality, and become the best version of yourself.