Balancing Ions

We are now moving into spring, the energies are rising and the desire to get back outside is palpable. As soon as the sun begins to warm and buds begin to poke out, we all just want to shed the winter layers and feel the sun on our skin. The lengthening rays of evening light and the earth starting to awaken also seems to waken us up out of our hibernation. It seems we always feel better when we can kick off our shoes and run barefoot in the newly resurgent grass or plunge our fingers into the garden soil, breaking up the clumps of dirt as if we could break up the stagnant energies within us from the winter. It is a well-known fact that any physical contact with the earth can bring us to a better state if health, both mentally and physically. We can literally heal ourselves by increasing our direct connection to the earth.

Although we know we feel better when digging in the ground or walking barefoot along a beach, we often don’t consider why we feel this way. Recent studies have been made as to the effects of the earth’s energies on our bodies, with the view that negative ions have a net positive effect on health. Negative ions are odorless, tasteless invisible molecules found in abundance at the beach, waterfalls, forests, during lightening storms and in the earth. Usually we are being pelted by positive ions, from atmospheric pollutants, heating systems, smoke particles, electro-magnetic fields, dry winds, etc. We are even bombarded by positive ions when we sit at the computer (as negative ions stick to the screen whilst the counterpart positive ions magnetize to us). Positive ions make us feel listless, tired, irritable, depressed and anxious. We can have that endogenous depressive feeling, where we can’t really pinpoint anything wrong, but we just don’t feel good or upbeat. The overload of positive ions attacking our system creates free radicals, generally upsetting our well-being. Essential oils can help to counteract these feelings, but we still need to re-establish negative ions into our lives. Some of the essential oils that neutralize feelings of listlessness or tiredness are rosemary, peppermint, basil, geranium, tea tree, euclayptus or ginger. And oils that alleviate depression and anxiety include chamomile, lavender, geranium, marjoram, bergamot, frankincense, neroli, and sandalwood. These can be burned in an aroma lamp or vaporizer in a stuffy or poorly ventilated room to increase a sense of physical and emotional ease.Balancing ionization in the home can reduce stress and help us feel invigorated, refreshed and energized, improving performance of voluntary movement, increasing work capacity and sharpening mental functioning.

Negative ionic atmospheres have also been proven to reduce lung conditions like asthma and allergies. Negative ions seem to stem the growth of bacteria and reduce airborne contaminants such as pollen, dust, smoke, animal dander, chemical fumes and viruses that exacerbate lung dysfunction. Negative ions assisted by essential oils have many beneficial effects on lung health. Some essential oils that fight viruses and germs in the air are tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, juniper and cedarwood. So much sickness is spread through airborne germs and essential oils in a diffuser or humidifier can kill off these bugs and promote a healthier environment. Oils to assist in asthma are eucalyptus, ravansara, clary sage, bergamot, pine, peppermint and lavender. These can be sniffed on a tissue, spritzed in a mister bottle or placed in a diffuser in the room. There are many commercial machines that assist in reestablishing negative ions into the air and adding essential oils to the mix assists these even further.

Research has discovered that a deprivation of negative ions on test animals resulted in an accelerated rate of death due possibly to disturbances in neurohormonal regulation and pituitary insufficiency. It seems that negative ions increase oxygen flow to the brain, resulting in more alertness, more mental clarity and less of a foggy brain. They stimulate the endocrine system and balance hormonal output. The endocrine system maintains an incredibly tenuous balancing act and without the assist of negative ions, it can spiral into many chronic immune diseases. Again, using a commercial ionizer can reestablish better immune functioning and adding essential oils into a daily routine can strengthen the healing process that the negative ions are contributing to. Essential oils to help regulate endocrine functioning include frankincense, myrrh, clary sage, bergamot, spruce, the mint family, helichrysum, fennel, rosewood and juniper.

Another good method of creating negative ions is with the use of a salt crystal lamp. Salt lamps create their own microclimates, similar to those found near beaches or waterfall. Rough surfaced salt lamps appear to be more effective that their smooth counterparts because there is more surface area emitting a charge. And there are earthing (or grounding) cords that plug into an electrical socket that bring the earth’s natural negative energies into your body.

So now that it is spring, kick off your shoes and dig your toes into the earth. Pull in those great negative ions. Or better yet, go to the beach or to a place where water is splashing on a surface area. Breathe in those healthy negative ions and feel refreshed and reinvigorated!