News, events, product information and behind-the-scenes info from Andatech.
It's not hard to see why fruit juice bars are still growing strong with very affordable, quick and much healthier alternatives to most other drinks. Australians seem to be increasingly aware of these healthier options and, in most cases, taking full advantage of them. A quick stroll past a juice bar, in a major shopping centre, around lunch time on a weekend and you'll see almost as many staff as an apple store working frantically to fill the orders of a growing crowd.
This new juicer is a very exciting addition to health and wellbeing products and truly stands in a league of its own.
The JuicePresso is quieter, healthier and extracts more juice compared to other juicers currently available.
This fantastic product is especially handy for people on the go, the health conscious or mums and dads that are time poor yet want to ensure their children are receiving the essential vitamins and minerals they require every day to grow up strong and healthy.
The problem with existing hand graters, blenders and traditional juicers is that they destroy the majority of the nutrition, which is one of the main reasons we have juicers; besides the taste of course.
Some of the advantages the Juice Presso has over other brands include: -
All of this is made possible through the use of the JuicePresso’s innovative SmartExtractionSystem (SES) utilising its patented low speed technology system based on materials developed by NASA. It slowly yet gently presses out the juice, separating pulp from juice.
Although many of us are now aware of the benefits of fresh juice, a number of us are concerned with the amount of juice obtained from all the fruit and vegies we buy. The JuicePresso however, produces an amazing twice the amount of juice, so there always plenty to go around. Furthermore the JuicePresso is looking after your wallet by ensuring you’re getting the maximum value for money with each visit to the supermarket
So if you’re looking to give your family the best in healthy living, you can’t go past the JuicePresso
1. Heating your home with an unflued gas heater could expose you to high levels of dangerous air pollutants?
2. Adhesives and sealants used in many pressed-wood products could emit pollutants for years to come?
3. Many commonly used cleaning products and toiletries could give off a cocktail of air toxics? Indoor air pollution is increasingly recognised as one of the top five public health problems. In Australia, the CSIRO estimates it could cost us approximately $10 billion a year in health costs and lost production. This figure is only estimated because there’s little data available so far on the level of pollutants in Australian homes and the number of people affected.
Indoor air quality is expensive and difficult to measure — pollution levels can vary from time to time, from house to house, or even from one room to the next. But studies so far have established that some air pollutants are generally much more highly concentrated indoors than outdoors, particularly in new and newly renovated buildings, mobile homes, houses heated with unflued gas appliances, and in households where people smoke.
Despite our ‘outdoors’ image, Australians may spend 90% or more of our time indoors, where air pollution levels can be worse than outdoors.
Health effects
Just as varied as the range of potential indoor air pollutants are their health effects. Symptoms can be mild and non-specific such as headaches, tiredness or lethargy; similar to colds and flu such as irritated eyes, nose or throat; or more severe such as aggravation of asthma or allergic responses. They can even lead to respiratory diseases, cancer or death.
Not all pollutants’ health effects are well known, and even less is known about their cumulative effects or how they’ll compromise your health if you’re constantly exposed. People who are generally more sensitive to air pollutants include newborns and young children, elderly people, heart patients, people with bronchitis, asthma, hay fever or emphysema, and smokers. Some effects may show up soon after a single exposure, others only after years.
For specific health effects, check
Heating and cooking
Smoking
Inside your home
Biological allergens
Most homes have many sources of potential indoor air pollutants. Whether they’ll affect your health — and if so, to what degree — depends on many factors, such as the type of pollutant and level of exposure, your personal sensitivities, age and pre-existing medical conditions and the level of ventilation inside your home:
Except for the few cases where outdoor air pollutants cause problems indoors (say from car emissions if you live near a busy road), opening windows regularly can greatly improve the air quality inside. Good ventilation prevents air pollutants from building up and pushes them out of the room.
In some situations it may be best to leave windows open for most of the time you’re inside; in others, when you want a fast exchange of air, creating a draught by fully opening windows and/or doors for a few minutes might work best. If you ventilate this way when you’re heating, you’re wasting less energy than leaving a window ajar all the time.
Heating and cooking
To minimise our energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, our efforts have concentrated in the past few decades on making houses more energy-efficient — at the expense of indoor air quality, it now transpires. The challenge now is to find ways of ensuring good indoor air quality while maintaining energy efficiency.
Unflued gas appliances
Heating with natural gas is popular in Australia. It’s widely available, comparatively cheap and valued for its lower impact on the environment — it emits far less of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide than most of the electricity produced for heating. But unflued gas appliances can also be a major source of indoor air pollution.
These appliances have no flue or chimney to vent combustion particles and gases to the outside. It’s estimated around 600,000 Australian homes are heated with unflued gas heaters. So every winter, around two million people are potentially exposed to the two gas combustion pollutants of most concern:
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a colourless and odourless gas that irritates the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and throat and causes shortness of breath after exposure to high concentrations. Children and people with asthma and respiratory diseases are particularly at risk.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is equally hard to detect. It reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen to vital organs and is very poisonous at high levels. Symptoms of exposure include headache, tiredness, dizziness, nausea, confusion and shortness of breath. Exposure to high levels can even lead to death within minutes. Most susceptible are people with heart disease, smokers, young children and unborn babies.
Unflued gas heaters also release water vapour, which can contribute significantly to mould problems in poorly ventilated homes.
In good condition and properly used, unflued gas heaters only release small amounts of these pollutants, which aren’t likely to affect your health. But levels can build up with insufficient ventilation or if the heater is faulty, inappropriately installed, not serviced regularly or just old.
Older (pre-1990s) heaters are more likely to produce higher levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) than newer ones that comply with pollutant emission limits set in the late 1980s. However, health and scientific experts still doubt that all associated health problems have been solved with these lower limits.
CSIRO tests of some new low-emission heaters found that some, while conforming to the Australian standard, still had NOx emissions about three times above the (lower) limit set by the World Health Organization. And those with low NOx emissions also released relatively high levels of formaldehyde.
In Victoria in 2000, five people died from CO poisoning from a gas heater: three in a caravan heated with an unflued gas heater and two in a room where a flued gas heater had a leaking flue. Two studies (one looking at unflued gas heating in homes, the other in schools) found that where there were higher levels of NO2, there were higher incidences of asthma symptoms and colds and sore throats respectively.
Solid fuel heating
Respirable suspended particles (fine particles, for short) are very small particles that almost behave like a gas you can inhale deep into your lungs. Depending on their type, size and your length of exposure, they can cause ill health or, in extreme cases, death.
The major sources of fine particles indoors are wood and kerosene heaters and environmental tobacco smoke. They can escape from poorly installed or badly maintained solid fuel heaters, from leaks in the flue or from opening the heater door for refuelling.
In Australia, a study found particularly high levels of fine particles in households where people smoked and where solid fuel was used for heating.
Tips for cleaner indoor air
Ensure good ventilation whenever you use an unflued gas heater.
In some states, you can only install an unflued gas heater if the heater and your room space meet certain conditions — check with your local gas supplier.
Don’t use it in a confined space for long periods of time and never in a small room such as a bedroom, bathroom or caravan.
Never use it if it releases a strange smell or if it gives you uncharacteristic headaches or nausea.
Have it serviced at least every two years.
Turn the heater off while you’re using a gas cooker in the same room (and don’t use a gas cooker to heat a room) otherwise the gas combustion pollutants can build up to well above ‘safe’ levels. Use a rangehood that’s vented outside or open a window while cooking.
If you notice a persistent yellow-tipped flame on your gas stove, it could be releasing higher pollutant emissions. Ask your gas provider, plumber or gasfitter to adjust the burner so the flame is blue.
Carbon monoxide levels can also pose problems indoors if your garage is attached to the house. So keep the connecting door closed when you leave and arrive with the car, and never leave the car (or a petrol lawnmower) running inside the garage.
This article was last reviewed in August 2003.
Smoking
Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a major contributor to indoor air pollution. It’s a mixture of gases and fine particles containing around 4000 chemicals, including 43 that are known to cause serious health problems, including cancer, in humans.
Some of the air pollutants in ETS include carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, respirable suspended particles and nitrogen dioxide.
ETS causes eye, nose and throat irritation and may affect the cardiovascular system. Babies and children and anyone with asthma are particularly at risk of respiratory infections and irritations.
Smoking indoors can increase the level of respirable particles to more than 10 times the outdoor level. In Australia, the ban on smoking in public buildings should have reduced fine particle concentrations there, but it can still be a problem in private homes.
Tips for cleaner indoor air
Don’t smoke indoors or let others do so.
This article was last reviewed in August 2003.
Inside your home
If you’re lucky enough to move into a brand-new home this year, put good ventilation at the top of your agenda, as many of the commonly used construction products can release air toxics in high concentrations — and many are likely to remain at high levels for weeks or months to come. Of most concern to human health are formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Formaldehyde
This colourless, pungent-smelling gas is emitted by gas stoves and in tobacco smoke. But the most likely source for high levels indoors are common building products such as medium-density fibreboard (MDF), plywood and particleboard. The resins used in their manufacture can release formaldehyde gas for many years. Emissions usually decrease over time and are highest in new or newly renovated buildings.
Formaldehyde can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. It can cause cancer in animals and may cause it in humans. High exposure can cause breathing difficulties and trigger attacks in people with asthma.
In Australia, high formaldehyde levels have been found in mobile homes and caravans (which contain many pressed-wood products and can be poorly ventilated), and in buildings that had recently been insulated with urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI), but levels there decreased after several months when the foam had dried.
Australian-made ‘low-emission’ pressed-wood products are claimed to release less formaldehyde than some imported products. In one case, though, CSIRO tests found their emissions to be about twice as high as the European low-emission specifications.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
The term VOCs covers a great range of compounds, among them benzene, toluene, chlorofluorocarbons, halons, carbon tetrachloride and some pesticides. In any building you may find as many as 150 of these carbon-containing chemicals which often have an odour and evaporate at room temperature.
Floor coverings such as carpets, tiles and polished wood (or the adhesives, varnishes and paints used to lay and seal them) often contain VOCs, as do cleaning fluids and polish, textile finishes, scents, sprays and tobacco smoke.
Only a few VOCs have been studied in detail and little is known about their cumulative health effects when mixed with other air pollutants. Many are known to cause cancer in animals and some to cause it in humans. Symptoms of excessive VOC exposure include eye, nose, throat and skin irritation, headache, vomiting, drowsiness, visual disorders and memory impairment.
In Australia a recent CSIRO study found higher indoor VOC levels in established buildings compared to outdoor levels, and very much higher levels in new homes.
Lead and asbestos
Old houses can also harbour indoor air pollutants that can pose a health hazard when renovating. Lead and asbestos were both widely used building materials in the past — lead in paints (before 1970) and asbestos in products such as asbestos-cement sheets and roofing sheets, textured paint, vinyl floor tiles, pipe lagging and fire-resistant boards (before the mid 1980s).
Lead paint and asbestos-containing materials pose no danger when intact and left alone, but when disturbed or removed can release fine particles you can breathe in or swallow.
In the body, lead can harm virtually every system, particularly the brain, kidneys and reproductive organs. Children under four and pregnant women are most vulnerable.
Because the health risks associated with asbestos exposure are well known (they include lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis), asbestos is no longer allowed in building products for the home and will be prohibited in all forms from December 31, 2003.
Tips for cleaner indoor air
Ensure good ventilation after moving into a new or newly renovated home.
Reduce the number of products you use that contain VOCs and choose low-emission alternatives whenever possible. For example, use flyscreens or mosquito nets rather than insect sprays. And if you must use indoor pesticides on a large scale, avoid spills, leave the building for a few hours afterwards and ventilate well.
Limit your use of spray toiletries and strong-smelling cleaning products in non-ventilated areas.
Before putting away dry-cleaned clothes, air them well outside or in a well-ventilated room you’re not using.
The same advice applies to new, freshly lacquered or oiled furniture than can emit VOCs, especially when individual pieces are packed airtight in the factory for you to assemble at home.
Take special care when you strip old paint or clean walls with flaking paint that could contain lead. Contact your health department or lead advisory service for advice on how to remove it safely, or get a professional to do the job.
Don’t rip, cut, sand or remove asbestos-containing materials — your health department can give advice on sealing, enclosing or removing the source.
Consider using materials that are by nature non-emitting, such as wood, bricks, glass, granite/stone, powder-coated or finished metals or stainless steel.
Look for ‘low-emission’ pressed-wood products — the CSIRO has a list of useful websites you may want to consult if you’re after low-emission products certified by overseas labelling schemes
Have joinery done without the use of solvents and caulking compounds.
Finish surfaces with water-based or low-emission (‘zero-VOC’) coatings.
Ensure good ventilation (open windows and use a fan) when painting.
When buying a new carpet, ask the retailer for information about lower-emission carpets and underlay, and ask them to unroll and air it before it’s laid. Ensure good ventilation afterwards.
This article was last reviewed in August 2003.
Biological allergens
Biological allergens (allergy-causing substances) can cause health problems for the 20–40% of us who are sensitive to them. Allergic reactions occur only after repeated exposure to a specific biological allergen, so even if you haven’t had problems in the past, you may suddenly become very sensitive to them.
Dust mites, pets and pollen
Of most concern in the Australian context are house dust mites, given our high asthma rates. But other animal allergens (from cats, dogs, birds or even cockroaches) can also spell problems for some people.
The allergens are usually contained in the animal’s droppings, saliva or dander (tiny skin scales) and can become airborne when small particles dry and fall off. In people sensitive to them, inhaling these allergens can trigger a reaction in the lungs (asthma), nose (hay fever or allergic rhinitis) or skin (dermatitis or eczema).
And on warm days, when you leave doors and windows open, the small airborne pollen grains most grasses, trees and shrubs release can cause similar reactions in people sensitive to these allergens.
Moulds and fungi
These are fine, often invisible filaments whose spores become airborne and can be inhaled. Damp areas in the house (such as bathrooms, cellars and poorly ventilated rooms) are particularly susceptible to mould and fungal growth, as are water-damaged carpets and building materials. Unflued gas or kerosene heaters can also contribute to mould problems because of the water vapour they release.
In people sensitive to mould spores, inhaling them can cause various allergic reactions. Mould can also produce poisons known as mycotoxins which, when absorbed, can sometimes affect the nervous system. Some fungi can also infect various parts of the body, particularly the lungs and skin.
Tips for cleaner indoor air
If you’re allergic to dust mites, contact your local Asthma Foundation for comprehensive advice on how to reduce your exposure. Basic advice includes using bedding that can be washed in hot water and/or dust mite-proof covers, and avoiding furnishings and carpets that accumulate dust.
Vent your clothes dryer and rangehood to the outside.
When showering, bathing, cooking, washing or using a clothes dryer, open windows (or use an exhaust fan or rangehood) so the steam won’t settle inside.
Keep your house warm and dry.
If you’re sensitive to animal allergens but don’t want to live without a pet, keep it out of living and sleeping areas.
This article was last reviewed in August 2003.
Cars and buildings
New cars
Indoor air pollutants can also lurk in new cars, especially in the first six months after manufacture. When the CSIRO assessed three new cars from different manufacturers, it found very high VOC levels that could even pose a safety problem, as they can irritate the senses and impair performance and memory.
BRI and SBS
‘Building-related illness’ is a clinically diagnosed illness directly related to exposure to indoor air pollutants — the symptoms can be traced to a specific pollutant in a building.
‘Sick building syndrome’ refers to a set of symptoms a number of people inside a particular building suffer chronically, which disappear when they’re out of that building. These symptoms can’t be traced to a specific pollutant.
This article was last reviewed in August 2003.
More information
In Australia, no central authority is responsible for indoor air — national, enforceable standards only apply to workplace and outdoor air environments. But Commonwealth and state and territory governments are working with organisations such as the CSIRO, NHMRC, Standards Australia and the Gas Association to formalise regulations to improve indoor air quality.
Control at the source is generally seen as the most important strategy for achieving it. A few voluntary industry initiatives have started tackling some of the problems with the development of lower-emission building products and gas heaters.
If you want more information on indoor air pollution, check the following links:
Environment Australia has compiled a State of Knowledge report on indoor air pollution.
The Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing has published the comprehensive brochure Healthy Homes: a guide to indoor air quality in the home for buyers, builders and renovators. Download it here.
If you think the air quality in your home is affecting your health but you can’t pinpoint the source, the CSIRO can assess your indoor air for a cost of $1500–$3500 upwards. Contact the business development manager.
The following is a transcript from CBS News 2/14/95 6:30-7:00 PM, Connie Chung. To order your own hard-copy, call Burell's Transcripts at 1-800-777-8398.
Connie Chung, co-anchor: This is the age of wonder drugs and high-tech cures, but alternative treatments, from herbs to acupuncture, have true believers, too, even among some mainstream doctors and researchers. Latest case in point: the wintertime blues. Is it possible that changing the air you breathe can treat those negative vibes and actually relieve depression?
Dr. Bob Arnot has the story.
Dr. Bob Arnot: If the blustey winds of winter blowing across the nation this week are bringing you down, there's good reason. Researchers now believe that the ill winds strip away highly charged subatomic particles called Negative Ions from the air around us, contributing to a seasonal form of depression.
Ms Mahala Holmes (patient): As far back as I can recall, I had feelings, of dreading the winter and ... and went through this kind depression.
Dr. Arnot: Doctors at Columbia demonstrated the use of this machine to pump high-density negative ions into the air surrounding Mahala Holmes to treat her depression, known as seasonal affective disorder.
Ms Mahala Homes: While I was on treatment, I felt excited, I felt energized. I felt alive.
Dr. Arnot: Here's why. Level of brain chemical responsible for mood, called serotonin, are often lower in cases of season depression. Serotonin levels can be elevated by increased exposure to light or by antidepressants like Prozac. Researchers say negative ions may also increase brain levels of serotonin.
Dr. Michael Terman: (Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center): People noticed that daytime energy was returning to normal levels. They lost that pressure for increased sleep, the difficulty awakening in time to get to work.
Dr. Arnot: A study in the current "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine" concluded that 58 percent of patients treated with high-density negative ions had significant relief of their symptoms, almost identical to the number improved with drugs, but without drug side effects.
Dr. Norman Rosenthal (National Institute of Mental Health): From a scientific point of view, it's very exciting. It needs to be replicated.
Dr. Arnot: The whole idea of using negative ions as a legitimate medical treatment may seem just a little bit odd. But while many doctors are still highly skeptical about alternative medicines, more and more Americans are turning to them because they haven't found the satisfaction they want from mainstream medicine.
This is not the first study to prove the benefits of negative ion generators. About 15 years ago, a double-blind study was conducted at the Air Force Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. The study was published in the August, 1982 issue of the prominent medical journal "Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine" in an article entitled "Subjective Response to Negative Air Ion Exposure." The study was conducted as follows, quoting from page 822 of the journal:
"Procedure: One group of subjects served as controls and was confined to the test chamber for a 6 hour period under air ion conditions typical of an energy efficient building. The second group was similarly confined, but ion generators began operating 2 hours before occupancy and continued all 6 hours of confinement. Generators were masked for all indications of operation, and were also present under control conditions but not turned on. Data from both groups were collected under double-blind conditions."
The results of the study were encouraging, as stated on page 823 of the journal:
"Subjective perceptions of psychological state, using individual 'normalcy' as standard, reflected significant differences between control and negative ion exposure groups. Prominent perceptions reported were reductions in irritability, depression, and tenseness, and increases in calmness and stimulation associated with ion exposure...For psychological state, negative ion exposure appeared associated with feeling better about self, less sensitive, and more responsive or innervated [energized]."
In October, 1981, a journal article entitled "The Influence of Negative Air Ions on Human Performance and Mood," appeared in the respected journal, Human Factors. On page 633 of the journal, the abstract of the article reads:
"44 female and 12 male 17-61 year olds were tested either in a normal-ion environment (control group) or in a predominantly negative ion environment (experimental group). After a 15-minute acclimation period, subjects asserted their psychological state and completed 2 performance tasks. Results indicate that subjects had faster reaction times and reported feeling significantly more energetic under negative-air-ion conditions that under normal-air conditions."
Later that year, in December of 1981, a study conducted at California State University, Sacramento entitled, "The Influence of Air Ions, Temperature, and Humidity on Subjective Wellbeing and Comfort," was published in the "Journal of Environmental Psychology". The findings were encouraging. On page 279 of the journal, the abstract of the article states:
"106 employees kept daily assessment records of their office environment and health over a 12-week period. Temperatures about 23 degrees Celsius were associated with increased sensations of stuffiness, discomfort, and unpleasantness, but appeared to produce a decrease in the number of complaints of headaches. The office environment was found to be depleted of small air ions. The introduction of a negative ion generator increased the subjective rating of alertness, atmospheric freshness, and environmental and personal warmth. Ions reduced the complaint rate for headache by 50% and significantly reduced the number of complaints of nausea and dizziness."
Of course, much of the early research concerning negative ions has been conducted on animals. One of the earliest studies of the effects of negative ions was published in 1935 in the "Journal of Industrial Hygiene" in an article, "The Effect of High Concentrations of Light Negative Atmospheric Ions on the Growth and Activity of the Albino Rat." In it, researchers Herrington and Smith evaluate the effects of negatively ionized air on the activity of rats as measured by means of an activity wheel. They found that activity increased significantly with rats subjected to a reported negative ion concentration of 1.2 million ions/cc.
In 1956, a researcher named J.V. Brady published a study in "Annals of New York Academic Science" which showed that the strength of the conditioned emotional responses of fear and anxiety in animals can be dramatically reduced by the daily administration of the psychoactive drug reserpine. Years later, in 1967, a similar study was conducted by Allan H. Frey at the Institute for Research, Pennsylvania State University, and published in the "Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology". The major difference was that this time, the effect of reserpine was compared to that of negative ion treatment. The study concluded:
"Results of 2 experiments, the 2nd essentially a replication of the 1st, are in accordance with prediction. The inhibition of response in the animal was reduced by treatment with small negative air ions, as it was with reserpine."
In other words, when the animals were treated with negative ions, the animals were less inhibited--less likely to experience fear and anxiety. These results are similar to the results of experiments studying the anti-anxiety effects of tranquilizers such as Valium and Xanax.
It has also been shown that in addition to possibly having a profound effect on mood and energy, negative ions may have a strong impact on cognitive functioning. In 1965, in the journal "Psychophysiology", a study, "Behavioral Effects of Ionized Air on Rats", was published. In this study, the effects of negatively ionized air on the mental functioning of rats was tested. Researchers Duffee and Koontz reported on page 358 of the journal: "the water-maze performance improved by 350%," showing a dramatic improvement in cognitive functioning.
To support that negative ions also improve the cognitive functioning of humans as well, in April of 1978, in the science journal "Ergonomics", a study was conducted at the University of Surrey, England, and published in an article entitled, "Air Ions and Human Performance". Once again, the results were encouraging. On page 273, the article reads:
"Studied the effects of artificial negative or positive ionization of the air on the performance of psychomotor tasks with 45 18-26 year-old healthy males...Three testing environments were used: natural, negative, and positive ionizations. Negative ionization was associated with a significant increment in performance as compared to controls."
In 1984, a study was published in the "Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology" named, "Negative Air Ionization Improves Memory and Attention in Learning-Disabled and Mentally Retarded Children." The effectiveness of negative ions on mental performance was tested by researching the power of negative ions to improve the cognitive abilities of mentally handicapped children, as well as the abilities of normal children. Fourth graders were divided into three groups: normal, learning-disabled, and mildly mentally retarded The results were encouraging--on page 353 of the journal, the article reads as follows:
"Half in each group were assigned randomly to an unmodified air-placebo condition under double-blind testing procedures. All of the children breathing negatively ionized air were superior in incidental memory...The action of negative ions on the neurotransmitter, serotonin, may be the mechanism by which negative ions produce such behavioral effects."
On page 358, the article states:
"Table I shows enhanced performance on the order of 8.4% for the normals, 23.6% for the learning-disabled, and 54.8% for the mildly retarded."
There is much research supporting the effectiveness of negative ions on mood, energy, and performance. But, you are probably wondering what negative ions are, and how they benefit us.
In the magazine, "Whole Self", Spring 1991, an article appeared entitled "Ions and Consciousness". It explains:
"Ions are charged particles in the air that are formed when enough energy acts upon a molecule, such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, water, or nitrogen--to eject an electron. The displaced electron attaches itself to a nearby molecule, which then becomes a negative ion. It is the negative ion of oxygen that affects us most. Remember that feeling you've experienced near a waterfall or high in the mountains? Those are two such places where thousand of negative ions occur. They create an effect on human biochemistry."
"The normal ion count in fresh country air is 2,000 to 4,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter (about the size of a sugar cube). At Yosemite Falls, you'll experience over 100,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter. On the other hand, the level is far below 100 per cubic centimeter of Los Angeles freeways during rush hour."
"Research on ions began in the 1950s with Dr. Albert Kreuger, professor emeritus of the University of California at Berkeley, and Dr. Felix Sulman, professor of pharmacology at the Hebrew University in Israel."
"Dr. Kreuger excited the scientific world when he discovered ions to be biologically active, stimulated production of the powerful chemical serotonin, 5-HT. Serotonin is a very active neuro-hormone which causes profound neural, glandular, and digestive effects throughout the body."
"Dr. Sulman corroborated Kreuger's findings while studying positive ion victims of the hot, dry Sharav winds in Jerusalem. He demonstrated three effects of positive ion excess: irritation and tension, exhaustion, and hyperthyroid response. Most of these conditions, along with symptoms of depression, anxiety, headaches, and low-energy physical and mental functions, were shown to be alleviated or totally eliminated by increasing the negative ion count in the air."
"While ionization of the air is mandatory in many European and Russian hospitals and workplaces, it has only recently come to light in our country with the growing problem of toxic air in our urban environments."
As I said earlier, a negative ion generator dramatically improved the quality of my life and, therefore, I find the topic to be very exciting.
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 1995 12:22:01 -0400
To:
From: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Daniel Stapleton) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Subject: Negative Ion Information - feel free to share info
Originally published December 12 2007
Breathing And Its True Role In Our Life, Health And Longevity
by Rich Stacel
Have you ever wondered 'What is life'? What makes us alive or not alive? Those of us raised in the western world would say that it's the actions of our heart pumping blood, our breathing, our consciousness and so forth. But those are really the results of life, not life itself.
What is it that truly keeps us all alive? Is it the food we eat and the water we drink? Partially, for we can't live long without those substances of course. Is it the air we breathe? Well, your getting closer there, but still there is something more to it than just the oxygen and other gasses in the air. The true answer is Chi, or our life force.
In the west, where a purely mechanistic or mechanical view of the body easily dominates the explanations for everything that goes on in the body, the idea of chi, energy, bio-energy or life force is a bit off-the-wall to say the lest. Western medicine takes the view starting from several hundred years ago that the human body is like a machine or android and that nothing exists beyond what can be seen, measured and examined under a microscope with the five basic human senses, especially sight and touch. They also think that the body can't heal itself with their intervention, surgery and drugs. 'If we can't measure it and quantify it, it doesn't exist' so they think. They're sadly mistaken!
Life is not merely in the body, the food, water or air itself, but it is a component of bio-energy, which the Chinese call Chi or life force. This life force is in all living things on Earth. Without it, we would not be alive at all. It's this very life force, which is a combination of electric and magnetic energies and more that is keeping our heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and all other organs pumping and functioning through electrical signals received from the brain.
Where does this energy come from? We get some of it from the foods that we eat and the water we drink. These are what's called "post birth" sources since they come to us after we're born and keep us alive outside the womb. Air is also another post birth source but is greater in importance. After all, we can live for weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without breath. This tells us that breath and breathing is the element that's truly supplying our life force on a minute by minute basis. I hope your starting to see why breathing is so absolutely important in the body.
But let's go further than that. What is it in the air that's keeping us alive? Again, in the west, scientists and doctors would usually say it's the oxygen in the air that's keeping us alive since oxygen is required for combustion of materials, in the human body, this would be equivalent to digestion and the firing of the neurons and pumping of the heart. But there is something else in the air, something even more important than air itself, it's the Chi or bio-energy in the air that's keeping our bodies alive more so than any other single element or source.
The human body moves via the electrochemical production of energies that fuel the muscles and organs of the body. All chemical reactions in the body require energy to occur. This energy is in the form of electrical impulses. This electrical energy is the stimulus that causes chemical reactions in all things. In Chemistry, it's the electrons that jump from one atom to another creating different chemical compounds. This is where we get the world "elec-tricity" from, the movement of electrons in atoms.
Science now knows that there is much more in the air then just chemicals. The energy or chi that is in the air is known today as Ions. Ions are produced naturally by the actions of the sun, wind, waves, moving water and especially from trees, plants, shrubs and plankton in the oceans and other green life which gives off large quantities of these vital ions including oxygen as well. Specifically, it's the negative ions that are so important to life and health. In large cities with lots of concrete and metal, these materials act like repulsors and push vital negative ions away from themselves and away from the people that need them too. The potential gradient or strength of this ionic field is virtually zero in cities and often indoors as well. But out in the country, it is often very strong, especially after a summer thunderstorm for example. In the city, there is only about one negative Ion for every five hundred positive ions. In the country, this ratio is reversed to about three negative ions per one positive ion, a huge difference as you can see.
When we practice deep breathing, we're taking in much more of these negative ions than we normally do. Since most of us lead sedentary lifestyles, we tend to breath very shallow, from only the upper third of the lungs. This is especially true when one is sitting for long periods of time. This slowly starves the body of much needed ionic energy or chi as well as oxygen. This has the immediate effect of making us feel sluggish, lethargic and tired. Over time, this can lead to much more serious problem such as premature aging, dry and wrinkly skin, other diseases including cancer; since cancer cells can't exist in an oxygenated environment, when we shallow breathe were starving the system of much needed oxygen and vital life energies that body needs to live.
Deep breathing suffuses our cells with great amounts of chi, or life force. Since our cells have an electromagnetic (EM) field, the more energy we take in, the stronger the EM field of those cells and the healthier and longer they're going to live. That EM field is the cell's protective energy shield. Along with the fatty-acid cell wall, this field knows what to let in and what not to let into the cell. How can it know this? It's really very simple but totally amazing, and sadly most have never heard this before.
I mentioned before that the ions that are good for us are negative ions. But viruses and bacteria that are bad for us have a positive ionic charge. There is something else that has a positive ionic charge -oxidants!. I'm sure you've heard of anti-oxidants before. The counter to those are oxidants which are substances that cause the oxidization of our cells, kind of like how metal oxidizes into rust. Oxidants and oxidant-causing foods do the exact same thing to our cells. The whole buzz about anti-oxidants was born out of that new understanding. Natural foods such as carrots, berries, and other fruits and veggies and raw foods are naturally high in anti-oxidant compounds. They're also high in Chi or negative ionic energy, as long as they're not messed with by man and overcooked.
A cell knows what to let in and out because it knows that those things which it needs are going to have a negative ionic charge and it allows them to pass through its shields. The substances that are not good for it, and you would want to keep out, have a positive ionic charge, especially the aforementioned viruses and bacteria. The stronger the cell's EM field is, through proper eating, proper levels of exercise (because too much can drain the EM field of our cells and bodies), and especially deep breathing and meditation, the greater the cell's defensive energy fields will be; and the more positive ions and compounds with positive ionic charges can be repulsed and kept out of our cells and removed from our bodies altogether.
This greatly aids in keeping our cells healthy, strong and allowing them to live for their preprogrammed maximum life span before dying when they should. This makes our bodies stronger and healthier since the entire body renews all cells every seven years. Many organs, such as the heart and liver, renew themselves much faster than that - every three to five months. This is how breathing and understanding what's really going on, beyond the mechanical aspects of our bodies' function, can greatly increase our understanding of health and healing, longevity, even happiness, and allow us to live longer, healthier and happier lives on all levels.
A simple exercise that can be performed is to simply take a deep breath, hold it for three or four seconds to maximize the extraction of oxygen and chi from the system, exhale for a five second count, then hold the exhalation for three or four seconds, then inhale for a five count. That would be one rep or count. Repeat this ten times while out in the hopefully fresh air and then see how you feel.
Doing this exercise should benefit you greatly. If you're tired, you should feel more awake; if you're excited, you should feel more calm; and if you were feeling good before, you'll feel even better now. The slight breath-holding slows the heart down and increases extraction of energy from the air which is led from the lungs down to the kidneys (which are vital for health and longevity), giving them a much needed burst of energy; and from there, all the other organs benefit. Breath to only seventy percent of maximum lung capacity, don't gulp, and breath slowly and controlled.
So get outside every day and practice several minutes of deep breathing to absorb more energy from the air and the environment. Doing this will energize those cells, clear out toxins and pollutants more effectively from the system, and will recharge your body throughout the day. You'll be glad you did and if you do this regularly, your body will thank you more and more each time.
What is Natural Light / Full Spectrum Light?
Natural light is also known as natural full spectrum light as it is closely resemble the sun's natural light at noon. The light must have the full spectrum of light, not a partial spectrum or a distorted spectrum. All of the colors combine to produce a blue-white light.
What are the benefits of natural light for me and my health?
Experts found that natural light can be a help in the following situations:
Season Affective Disorder (depression caused by lack of sunlight)
Improvement of the sight as a result of very sharp contrast and improved colour rendering
Improvement of concentration and performance in school children
Reduction of caries
Lowering of the cholesterol level
General wellbeing
Natural/full spectrum light is also used as a prophylactic for daily light therapy.
Why Ionmax Natural Lighting?
Ionmax Natural natural spectrum lighting is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, contributing to better vision, health and well-being.
Until 100 years ago, ninety percent of the world’s population worked outdoors. Now ninety percent work indoors under artificial lights – but changing work patterns have not changed the human need for balanced light.
Our eyes are designed to work most efficiently in natural light, a balanced, white light. Ordinary incandescent or fluorescent lights, however, are unbalanced, producing a yellow or greenish light. Under these unbalanced lights our eyes must work harder to see, in effect straining to compensate for the lack of balance in the light.
Choosing Ionmax Natural light is one of the easiest things you can do to improve lifelong healthy vision and feel better every day. Ionmax has designed healthy lighting solutions for all your indoor lighting needs, including task, ambient and direct lighting applications.
Why Ionmax Natural Spectrum Lighting?
Bright indoor lighting created a cultural revolution when it first appeared. Suddenly, you could do things indoors, generally restricted to daylight hours. While this light was bright, researchers later found out that it wasn’t a very good simulation of natural sunlight, and in fact certain light frequencies were lacking.
These discoveries led to a “second generation” of lighting, one that used light frequencies that were the same as sunlight. Standard lighting actually appears yellow when compared to natural spectrum lighting.
When you use Ionmax natural spectrum lighting in your home, colors appear brighter. Ionmax natural spectrum lighting also improves your mood, and in fact some schools now use it because they find that students can focus much better.
Ionmax Natural light bulbs are the closest replication of natural sunlight available. Ionmax bulbs contain neodymium, a rare earth element, that filters out the excessive yellow part of the spectrum to which our eyes are most sensitive. The result is a healthier, more natural, pleasing white light. Ordinary bulbs are very rich in the color yellow, and cause other colors in the spectrum to appear dull. Ionmax shows colors accurately and increases the contrast between black and white, while reducing glare, eyestrain, and fatigue. See and feel the difference.
Ionmax Natural lighting is built on True colour light Phosphor Technology, a specialized blend of rare earth phosphors used inside our bulbs to create balanced light. To eliminate fluorescent light bulb flicker, Ionmax uses special electronicballast for instant-on flicker-free healthy lighting for the life of your Ionmax lamp.
The Ionmax desk lamp uses the highest quality electrical components for safety, energy efficiency, and long lamp life. Our solid state electronic ballast, which eliminates electronic hum, features four-fuse surge-protection for safety and long fixture life.
Our ballast, bulb, and ergonomic design work together as a healthy lighting system. And Ionmax lamps are designed for easy set-up so you can use them right out of the box.
Ionmax natural spectrum lighting is now available as reading lamps for your home or office.
What is Anion (Negative Ion)?
In 1883, British scientist, Dr. Faraday discovered law of electrolysis. Necessary amount of electricity to collect 1g of atom is always the same, no matter of kind of atom. In other words, ion is a particle with electric charge, and there are cation and anion. Things that form cation are polluted substances, such as cigarette smoking, sulfurous acid gas, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and other organic compounds. Anion eliminates these polluted substances to maintain the fresh air. Air with negative electric charge that gives us fresh feeling in deep forest or waterfall is anion. Ion in air changes with weather condition, and especially amount of cation increases a lot when a line of discontinuity, a cold front, low pressure are passing through. And amount of anion in the body decreases because of it, and amount of cation increases. And, this can increase rate of neuralgia and asthma, etc.
Generation and Effect of Anion
- Corona discharge(2 poles discharge : air purifier, air conditioner)
- Leonard type(Dissociation of water : Waterfall effect, electrification, air purifier)
- Electric discharge(single pole discharge : air activator, electrification of water and oil)
- Electromagnetic induction(minus electric potential, electric potential system, different types of jewel
friction)
- Catalytic equation(metal, oxidized titanium, etc.)
- Radiating substances(radon, radium, etc.)
- Electrical mineral(turmarine, crystal, amber, etc.)
- Natural mineral(magnetic iron, veinstone, feldspar, etc.)
- Coal
- Minerals(coral, shellfish, fossil, clay, etc.)
Benefits of Anion (Negative Ion)
01. Purification of blood
Anion raises ionising rate of minerals like calcium, sodium, potassium, in blood to purify the blood through the process of alkaline. It generates endorphine, enkepirene to raise ionizing rate of calcium and sodium in serum to restore the strength, tiredness and purify blood. It also activate the cell with strong pain, to remove the pain. It purifies blood with electrical interchange in cell film.
02. Improving resistance
It increases amount of globulin that is immunity substances included in serum, to increase the resistance on infection. Thus, using anion method can fasten up the treatment.
03. Controlling autonomic nerve
Amount of anion controls the central nervous system that reacts to thoughts and feelings of people to be helpful for our body. Like so, anion gives light to all the body parts, strengthen the weaker parts and activates them.
04. Air purification effect
A various kinds of polluted substances in the air, such as cigarette smoke, sulfurous acid gas, nitrogen oxide compound, carbon monoxide, ozone and other organic substances, forms cation. Anion eliminates these cation to maintain fresh air.
05. Dust removing and sterilizing effect
Cation makes air dull by letting bacteria, dust, germs, etc. freely in the air, but anion neutralizes and removes them.
06. Effect on human body
X ray, R ray, ionized radiation from TV, PC, cellular phone, and other electronic devices, have high energy, and they can cause the creation of cation in the air. When a number of cation gets larger, diseases like headache, asthma, losing of eyesight, lumbago, depression, exhaustion, nervous breakdown, dermatitis, having deformed child, can be caused. But, anion is atom with negative electric charge. It neutralizes bad cation, purifies blood, stabilizes nervous system, increases appetite, and activates cell for better and more lively life.
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