So, I Heard You Guys Talk About Salt Lamps...

Recently I have been hearing a lot about salt lamps, particularly from some of my friends. Hence, I decided to check out what it is.

So, what is a salt lamp?

A Himalayan salt lamp is basically a lamp carved from a large colored salt crystal, with an incandescent bulb or a candle inside. These lamps emit an attractive glow and are often used as nightlights or to as ambient mood lighting. Largest producers of the salt lamp are located in places like Poland, Pakistan and Iran.

Prior to understanding more about salt lamp, all I know about Himalayan salt, or Halite to be more precise, was that it is used as a food seasoning, for example the Bolivian Rose salt. Compared to using normal salt, Himalayan salt can better enhance the flaour of the food and brings out a more natural taste. Therefore, using Himalayan salt as a light source is a pretty new concept to me (you may find me a bit ignorant, but then and again, there may be others who still do not know about this. :P).

Note: Some things, for instance the salt lamp, may not work for you but may work for others. Everyone is entitled to their views and opinions. In short, to each his own.

How does the salt lamp work? All we know is that it leads to negative ions in the surroundings, but how? A quick search does provide some information, although not all are entirely true.

There were a couple of websites that the heating of the salt would lead to the release of ions. This is not true, or at least my chemistry knowledge tells me so. Sodium chloride, or NaCl is a ionic compund in which the Na⁺ and Cl^- ions are held together by strong ionic bonds in a ionic lattice. To recall, the size of both  Na⁺ and Cl^- ions are relatively small, thus the ions are closer together and the ionic bonds are stronger. Hence, large amount of energy is required to overcome the strong electrostatic attraction. Thus, the idea of heating of the crystal salt to release ions is not possible.

I am more inclined to think that this has nothing to do with the breaking of ionic lattice of sodium chloride. Rather, it's due to the ability of the salt crystal's ability to absorb moisture in the air (the polar water moleculars get attracted to the ions due to ion-dipole reaction, as the O end of H₂O) Due to the heat of the lamp, the absorbed moisture retained in the crystal will evaporate, and the evaporation of water may have led to the production of negative ions.

The main attraction of the Himalayan salt lamp is perhaps its therapeutic properties. Firstly, it acts as a natural air purifier as the anions released will help remove dust particles in the air. Research has shown the flow of negative ions collide with the dust particles, hence giving the suspended particles a charge as well. The charged particles then bind together, and eventually these clumps precipitate out of the air. The cleaner air also leads reduced susceptibility to sinus, migraine headaches allergies and hay fever and asthma attacks. Henceforth, this also explains the basis behind the invention of air ionisers. While electronic ionisers cost around the same as their natural counterparts, it has been linked to the release of ozone which has detrimental effects on the human body. The Environmental Protection Agency's report on the the effects of ozone determined that a marked level of cellular damage was observed after only four to five days of exposure. According to reports published by Spiritual Endeavors, an online health advocacy and information resource, ozone has been shown to stimulate the body's production of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), which can cause cancerous tumors to develop from seemingly healthy body tissue.This could possibly be one reason why many would opt for the natural salt lamp instead.

Secondly, the Himalayan salt lamp has been linked to improvement to mental & physical health, allowing users to feel more alert and relaxed. Scientific studies conducted have supported this claim. Our living environment today has far more sources of positive ions than in the past, causing an imbalance in the atmosphere. Most notably, electrical appliances such as television sets, radios and computers are the greatest sources of positive ions, which is responsible for the deteoriation of our physical and mental well-being. The biological impact of cations was revealed in a research done in 1976, when researchers measured the metabolic changes in mice in response to changes to ion charges. When exposed to cations, the rats showed increased aggression and shorter lifespan.

Another experiment was further conducted in Germany by researchers at Goldstein and Lewin Dept of Medical Research to substantiate the claim. Similar to the experiment in 1976, rats exposed to cations showed a spike in their norepinephrine level after a while, but as time passed, a state of exhaustion can be observed in the form of a lowered norepinephrine level. (Norepinephrine is a hormone that triggers the fight-or-flight response, which in turns causes vasodilation and increased heart rate.)

As such, the negative ions released by the Himalayan salt lamp would help balance out the positive ions in the surrounding air, allowing users to have greater sleep quality and greater vitality. It works the same way as taking a refreshing breath of the sea breeze during a walk along the beach!

Another explanation as to why the salt lamp can improve our mental health could be due to the light emitted by the salt lamp. Its warm glow provides an ambient mood, allowing used to feel more relaxed and comforatable with their surroundings. (Although this is not scientifically proven, but this is most likely why salt lamps can also be found in message and therapy spas.)