People who use salt rock lamps swear by its effectiveness. But, why do they do so? There are several skeptics out there who doubt the authenticity of salt rock lamps. So, do salt rock lamps work? That is the question we are about to answer here today.
But before we answer that, let us first have a better understanding of salt rock lamps.
How Salt Rock Lamps are Created
As an overview, Himalayan salt or rock salt is considered to be the purest kind of salt because it is mined only at very high altitudes. Thus, it is very unlikely to find traces of pollution or even any kind of environmentally compromised materials.
In modern day, more people have realized the benefits of salt rock for several issues. And in order to get the most out of it, rock salt lamps were created. These lamps start their journey all the way from the Khewra Mines, east of Pakistan. They are excavated from the walls of the mine and are very carefully cut into large blocks.
These blocks are then transported to nearby local factories by trucks where local artisans carefully carve these blocks. They are carved in their natural form only and are cut at the bottom to make it stand upright. A hole is then drilled from the bottom of these blocks and space is made for the installation of lighting instruments. The heat source is necessary in order to release the negative ions present in the rock salt.
Do Salt Rock Lamps Work: Everything You Need To Know
Going back to history, the benefits of ionization were discovered in 1998 by accident in a study on seasonal affective disorder (SAD). What the study showed was that a higher level and intensity of negative ions in the air led to a significant decrease in SAD and chronic depression. After that, more studies on negative ionization claimed similar results.
The way this was established was by the use of a machine. Electrons are added to a molecule of oxygen which creates negative ions. According to some claims, negative ions are naturally found in waterfalls, beaches, ocean waves and of course, rock salts. Thus, such principle was also somewhat incorporated to the Himalayan salt rock lamps.
It is believed that the reason why rock salt lamps are so popular is that they are capable of releasing the negative ions that are present in rock salts. And according to some claims, negative ions are responsible for increasing the level of oxygen present in the blood. However, this claim has yet to be proven scientifically.
But the biggest question, do salt rock lamps work and do they actually produce negative ions that are beneficial? In theory, yes, they do work. However, more than the “do they work” it is the “how they work”, that is tricky to answer.
Benefits of rock salt lamp do include ionization, which happens when there is heat and it starts evaporating the salt into the atmosphere. But, as a negative ionizer, rock salt lamps only produce a small output than what is actually needed. In addition, they only provide this output in a very small and limited range.
But, it has also been reported that keeping the heat on, on this rock salt for a while, does produce quite a decent amount of negative ions in the surrounding which is beneficial for health. In order to get the maximum health benefit out of burning a Himalayan rock salt, it should be placed in an area where you spend most of your time. This will also mean that you will be breathing in the fresh air as it generates.
Sadly, there is no scientific evidence that claims that rock salt lamps do provide negative ions. If they do emit negative ions, there is too little to measure. However, not enough research is done, to begin with, only claims from people who have tried it.
Do Salt Rock Lamps Work: The Conclusion
So, do salt rock lamps work? The definite answer to that question is quite hard to find as there is not much scientific research done. However, it would not be so popular amongst people if it actually did not provide any health benefits. But, as the saying goes, you have nothing to lose but only something to gain when you try using a Himalayan rock salt lamp.
