Ruth, what are your thoughts on the ionic air purifiers? Do you think they work?

Hi Ria,

Our allergic rhinitis hasn't yet reached to the point to warrant the use of an ionic air purifier, so I don't have personal experience on them.

Empirically, yes, they should work. But as I've written before, you'll have to be careful in choosing your equipment. Some release considerable amount of ozone, which causes similar symptoms as allergic asthma. For more info, check out the Consumer Report's ratings here:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/appliances/ionizing-air-cleaners-50
5/ratings.htm

I sell Salt Lamps becasue they are beautiful. To claim that they produce enough Negative Ions to clean the air of allergens is to prey on the jopes of consumers who really need medical assistance and not hocus pocus promises of a cure. Indeed, a Salt Lamp emits Negative Ions, but you would need a bunchh to really prurify the air. At our site www.SaltLampCreations.com, we present both sides of the discussion and hope that people will enjoy the fact that this 100 million year old Salt Crystal can be illuminated from within to create a most beautiful addition to any room in their house. If there are ANY positive Health Benefits than those are just a plus!

I purchased a salt lamp and would agree with Jerry's post. They make a beautiful piece for your room but I notice no allergy relief. I also tried the edible salts but can't say anything for them either. http://www.himalayansaltstore.net
has great prices and is where I bought my lamp.

I bought two salt lamps, one for my husband and one for my son. They both have allergies and both could "smell" the lamp as soon as they walked in the house. My other two sons and I(who do not have allergies) can not "smell" the salt lamb. My husband and son say the lamps do seem to help with headaches and can sleep better. I keep them on in their bedrooms 24/7. Which is great for them but as for me, I wish I had never bought them. The reason: I can not sleep with the bedroom illluminated in orange light all night. Actually I think the glowing orange light is starting to make me agitated! I agree that the orange illumination is very pretty, but I want to turn it off at bedtime. My husband loves to leave the light on all night. His claims he sleeps better and no longer wakes with a headache.

If I leave it on in the bedroom with the door closed all day but turn it off at bedtime will he still get the same benefits he claims? Sleepless in Oklahoma

Dear All,

I own a factory where we manufacture salt lamps before this i was into another business,the reason i strated this business was that my dad and my younger brother both used to have allergies and used to complain of headaches someone told me to buy these and lit them in the eve and surprisingly it really works it had something in it that reallly works well for more details u can visit www.rocksalt.com.pk and for any further assistance im available to help all our friends

Any health claims are complete bull. The only scholarly piece on the subject is "Water and Salt: The Essence of Life" which is not so much a scholarly work as it is collection of romanticized pseudoscience. The authors, "Dr" Barbara Hendel and Peter Ferreira, do not list any legitimate medical or scientific qualifications.

In fact, the latter author is a German charlatan named Peter Druf who is *surprise surprise* is a merchant of Himalayan salts. They cite a "Himalaya Institute of Biophysical Research, Las Vegas" which doesn't exist.

The links to "research" listed on their website lead to a broken page, a meaningless PDF on laboratory letterhead which notes that a sample has low concentrations of flouride, and a list of completely nonsensical pseudoscientific words.

As noted before: these things are pretty, but they don't do anything. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you serious snake oil. Furthermore, anyone who tells you that it's proven to work because of consumer testimonials doesn't understand the concept of a "PLACEBO."

If any one of these scammers can produce a legitimate double-blind study (I define "legitimate" here as being performed by someone without a financial incentive to fake results) published in a legitimate scientific journal (I define "legitimate" here as a publication run by doctors accredited by institutions which exist outside of the land of make-believe) then this will actually be a debate. Until then, I rest my case and consider the matter thoroughly debunked.

Nice blog with a good question. Many studies have shown that salt crystal lamps can increase the negative ion count. Negative ions benefit asthma patients, people with chronic lung illnesses, and allergy sufferers. As well, they help improve learning, memory, and emotional well being. By creating a balance of ions in the air, they stimulate natural drive and healthy energy. A low-cost method, a Salt Lamp, is an excellent source of negative ions and is strikingly beautiful. It is always best to treat our illnesses and conditions with nature.

there is no question that salt lamps improve indoor air quality and relieve and reduce asthma and allergy symptoms; by reducing the airborne triggers in the air. Health benefits are homeopathic and based on individual sensitivities. Sorry AJ, James Randi is wrong and so are you. Read more about how salt lamps actually work: http://www.prlog.org/10409295-salt-lamps-naturally-improve-indoor-air-
quality.html

I can't vouch for the medical basis claimed for these lamps. However, I can say that I bought one to try. My husband is prone to respiratory problems...from colds to pneumonia. And he has problems with allergies to everything from pollen to pet dander. Since we started using the lamp, he hasn't even had a cold this winter. Nothing else has changed, so I can only attribute it to the benefits of these lamps. I have one in our bathroom and one in the living room that stay oh 24/7. I'm a believer.

I have a house full of salt lamps.I have them because there are wonderful.

The do help with alleries, but what people do not relise is that the salt must be keep warm and that means you must have a big enough light bulb in it to warm the Salt Lamp right through.
If the Salt lamp is to do any good it also has to be very large 20 kilo + and that means a great big light bulb. So do they relieve allergies? the answer is yes but they must be huge and so it is not practical to use it; your bedroom would look like a light house!
But there are lovely in their own right and I found them very calming.

I have a house full of salt lamps.I have them because there are wonderful.

They do help with allergies, but what people do not realise is that the salt must be keep warm and that means you must have a big enough light bulb in it to warm the Salt Lamp right through.
If the Salt lamp is to do any good it also has to be very large 20 kilo + and that means a great big light bulb. So do they relieve allergies? the answer is yes but they must be huge and so it is not practical to use it; your bedroom would look like a light house!
But there are lovely in their own right and I found them very calming.