Negative Ions and Their Recurrent Theme in Human Health

~ The Negative That’s a Positive ~

By Bob McCauley

(Reprinted from Achieving Great Health – How Spirulina, Chlorella, Raw Foods and Ionized Water Can Make You Healthier than You Have Ever Imagined in 90 Days or Less )

“Life is a struggle, not against sin, not against money or power, not against malicious animal magnetism, but against hydrogen ions”

~ H.L. Mencken

No one has ever seen an ion although they have been studied extensively and found to be either helpful or harmful to our health depending on whether they are negatively or positively charged, which is determined by the amount of electrons they possess. A predominantly positive ion (cation) environment can be quite damaging to our health. A positive ion buildup frequently occurs in cold climates, especially in buildings with poor ventilation where pollutants can accumulate, which can lead to Sick Building Syndrome . In general, polluted environments are rich in positive ions. Positive ions are also produced by combustion, electronic equipment, synthetic materials such as clothing and plastics, and by the wind traveling over dry, barren land, as has been witnessed for thousands of years.

“In places where mountains are situated to the south, the south winds that blow are parching and unhealthy; where the mountains are situated in the north, their northern winds occasion disorders and sickness. The winds which must pass over mountains to reach cities are not only dry, but also disturb the air which we breathe and the bodies of men, so as to engender diseases.”

An excessive positive ion environment encourages disease of every kind, including sinusitis, high blood pressure , allergies, asthma , respiratory diseases, depression , bacterial and viral disease, nausea, cancer , arthritis and mental instability. In fact, they assist all disease in the body at any stage by acidifying bodily terrain.

While positive ions acidify the body, negative ions have the opposite effect of alkalizing it. Negative ions are typically found in high concentrations near waterfalls, in pine forests, after electrical storms and by the seashore where they are produced by waves crashing onto the shore. The average household shower produces a substantial amount of negative ions , which is one of the reasons why people often feel better after showering.

Negative ions (anion) have been called bio-energy because of the healthy environment they create for all living creatures. The human body functions more efficiently and is much healthier in a negative ion environment.

Everything discussed in this book regarding health revolves around putting substances in the body that are negatively charged. For instance, Alkaline Ionized Water has a negative (-) ORP (-50 to -400mV), which counteracts the oxidation of the body. It also possesses an abundance of electrons (negatively charged subatomic particles) that act as free radical scavengers in the body. The minerals in the water that the electrons attach themselves to become negatively-charged mineral ions that the body more readily absorbs because of their charge. The electrons that attach themselves to oxygen molecules are called hydroxyl ions. Fresh raw foods are negatively charged and also possess an abundance of electrons and negative ions . The minerals in raw foods are absorbable by the body because they possess a negative ion charge or spin. Once oxidized, processed or cooked, all the negatively charged characteristics of the food are gone having been destroyed. Human health revolves around negatively charged particles, yet most of our activities remove them from our bodies and our environment.

Negative ions weigh much less than the positive ions that compose cooked foods, which is why cooked foods feel heavier in your stomach when you eat them. They are harder to digest because they lack the electrons that make food readily absorbable by the body. When we eat cooked foods, we are consuming hydrogen ions, which are positively charged and cause oxidation in the body, accelerated aging and disease of every kind.

North Pole (-) magnets change the spin of ions from positive to negative, which alkalizes the blood and allows the body to heal faster. Far-infrared waves also generate negative ions . Surrounding yourself in FIR waves while in a FIR sauna bathes the body in negative ions , thus creating a healthy, healing environment.

The air we breathe should also be filled with negative ions because of their cleansing and healing effects on the lungs. As negative ions enter the bloodstream, they perform their alkalizing magic on the blood itself. Positive ions have the opposite affect of acidifying the body and discouraging the body’s self-healing abilities. Negative ion generators pump trillions of ions per second into the air and restore its negative/positive ion balance. They are especially needed during the winter months when the air is dry and the doors and windows are shut. With the absence of leaves on the trees, a strong November wind will easily strip the negative ions out of the air because they are so much lighter than positive ions.

Nearly all airborne dust particles have a positive charge. Negative ion generators cleanse the air by pulling up to 90% of the dust out of it, much of which accumulates on the generator itself, which is why they are sometimes called dust collectors . As the air becomes filled with negative ions , the floor remains positively charged. This causes dust to be pulled toward the floor as particles begin to magnetically clump together. Negative ion generators have many commercial and industrial applications where dust and other airborne debris are a problem, such as farms, mills and other dust-laden work environments.

Negative ions reduce bacteria and viruses in the air. They help the body heal more rapidly, by stimulating healthy cellular growth. Mental concentration increases in a negative ion environment, enhancing meditation practices of all kinds. Long distance drivers often use negative ions generators to help them stay mentally alert.

lacing ourselves in a negative ion environment

Refers to a set of symptoms that affect some of a building’s occupants during the time they spend in the building that diminish or disappear after they leave the building. SBS cannot be traced to specific pollutants or sources within the building. Symptoms are headaches, dry or itchy skin, dizziness and nausea, eye, nose, and throat irritation, a dry cough, difficulty in concentrating and fatigue.

Regimen II , by Hippocrates , father of medicine. circa 400 B.C. Chapters 37-38.

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The Ion Effec t, byFred Soyka and Alan Edmonds Bantam, 1977 [review].

Effect of negative air ionization on ambient particulates in a hatching cabinet . Mitchell W. Bailey TEKTRAN, United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. SE Poultry Research; Athens , GA 1997.

Use of Negative Air Ionization for Reducing Bacterial Pathogens and Spores on Stainless Steel Surfaces. Arnold, Judy Boothe, Dorothy Mitchell, B. – USDA/ARS SEP. Journal Of Applied Poultry Research. January, 2004