Depression

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Negative Ion Research

The electrical charge in the air around you has the power to create a sense of well-being. Ions are molecules of air that have gained or lost an electron. Positive air ions are molecules that have lost an electron; a negative air ion is generally a molecule of oxygen with an extra electron. Negative ions are created in nature by sunlight, radiation, and moving air and water that cause electrons to leave hydrogen, nitrogen, and other molecules, attach to oxygen molecules. "The action of the pounding surf creates negative air ions, and we also see it immediately after spring thunderstorms when people report lightened moods," says ion researcher Michael Terman, PhD, of Columbia University in New York.

In fact, Columbia University studies of people with winter and chronic depression show that negative ion generators relieve depression as much as antidepressants. "The best part is that there are relatively no side effects, but we still need to figure out appropriate doses and which people it works best on," he says.

Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain, resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy," says Pierce J. Howard, PhD, author of "The Owners Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications" from Mind Brain Research and director of research at the Center for Applied Cognitive Sciences in Charlotte, N.C.

Molecules with extra electrons from negative ions have a positive effect on the environment. They neutralize odors and contribute to the clean air and fresh smell we find in non-industrial, sparsely populated areas. The units recreate them with electrode pins ("needlepoints") to electrically produce negative ions. This method produces a density that is many times higher than the negative ion level found at Niagara Falls, the highest natural producer of negative ions and one of the healthiest environments in the world.

Research studies have shown the biological activity of small negative ions, though we have yet to learn how highly ionized environments stimulate the nervous system. There appears to be a connection between air ions and mood. Long touted in the pop literature as a mood enhancer, it was not until the 1990's that this environmental factor was evaluated for antidepressant properties. The initial clinical trial by Drs. Michael and Jiuan Su Terman at Columbia, reported in the "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine",* focused on patients with seasonal affective disorder as they experienced major depressive episodes in winter. They found high-density negative ions to be as effective as light therapy or antidepressants in treatment of this disorder. The trial was performed in a true "randomized double blind," since humans are unable to perceive or detect ion level in the air circulation. Since the first clinical trial, the effect has been replicated in patients with chronic, nonseasonal depression, most of whom had experienced inadequate response to antidepressant drugs. Recent advances in technology have led to the development of small, compact ion generators that can produce levels of ion density sufficient for biological effect. Although the original clinical trial relied on ion exposure during the day in timed treatment sessions, more recently the method has been shown also to work during sleep, providing an innocuous, automatic and imperceptible antidepressant effect within a few weeks.

*Terman M, Terman J. Treatment of seasonal affective disorder with a high-output negative ionizer. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 1995;1:87-92. For the full report, see Terman M, Terman JS, Ross DC. A controlled trial of timed bright light and negative air ionization for treatment of winter depression. Archives of General Psychiatry. 1998;55:875-882.

 Negative Ions
 SAD
 Depression
 Ionization Therapy
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