Can Salt Lamps Provide Relief to Asthma and Allergy Suferers?

It has been proven that the air inside most of our homes can be many times more toxic than the polluted air outside. The air in our homes is normally circulated and filtered some but not really ever cleaned. The filters available for our ventilation systems help some but they are not designed to trap very small particles or remove harmful substances such as mold, bacteria and viruses from the air.

Asthma and allergies are often triggered by substances such as smoke, mold, bacteria, dust mites, pet dander, off-gassing chemicals, etc. and removing these harmful substances from the air can greatly reduce the suffering of those that must live with asthma and allergies.

An effective and attractive way to help remove harmful substances from the air in your home is by using salt lamps. Salt lamps, or salt rock lamps as they are sometimes called, are made from a solid chunk of a special type of rock salt called Himalayan salt rock. This special rock salt is found deep inside mountains and is mined for its beauty and health benefits. Often the chambers hollowed out by mining are used to treat those with severe respiratory conditions. These sick people go to live in the salt chamber for a period of days or weeks and most often they emerge feeling much better and with less ill effects from the disorder or disease.

Just how does a chunk of salt clean the air? Salt lamps have to get warm to work, this is why you will see a light bulb and fixture inside the lamp. Salt lamps clean the air in two ways. The low wattage light bulb gives off heat that warms the salt lamp, this causes the salt to give off negative ions. Negative ions flow throughout the room and attach themselves to positively charged pollutant particles neutralizing their charge and causing them to fall to the floor.

The second way they clean the air is because they attract moisture. Harmful microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria ride through the air on moisture. Salt lamps attract the moisture in the air and when the humidity in the air hits the warm salt it creates a micro pool of water on the surface of the lamp dissolving a microscopic amount of the salt. The viruses and bacteria that landed on the lamp are killed in the dissolved salt water and the moisture evaporates quickly due to the heat in the lamp. The dissolved salt then recrystallizes. This all happens on a microscopic level, the only thing we can see is a beautiful glow of ambient light from our new conversation piece.

Basically this all means that salt lamps clean pollutant particles from the air and kill harmful bacteria and viruses naturally. This is a great way to help keep our homes air healthy without all the noise of a HEPA filter type of air filter. Salt lamps basically do the same things as the electrostatic types of air cleaners that use electricity to charge the air, only without generating ozone and without any blades to clean. This is a great way to keep it natural while adding a beautiful touch to your homes decor.

One average table sized salt lamp will work for the normal size of a small room such as a bedroom. For the living room I recommend at least 2, I place one near my desk and the other one across the room. After placing salt lamps in your home you may start to notice a cleaner, more calm feeling in your home. You may also start to notice fewer migraines, fewer allergies, lesser asthma symptoms, and fresher smelling air, as well as other positive health benefits.

In short, yes, salt lamps have been proven to help reduce the severity of asthma and allergy symptoms as well as many other health issues. They are inexpensive compared to other solutions, and add beauty to your home as well. Salt lamps are the most natural way you can help clean the air in your home and they don't make a sound unlike traditional air cleaners.