Do you feel under the weather?

Press, 12 June 1986, Page 17

Do you feel under the weather?

Why is it that some people always feel depressed during, or just before, a nor’wester? Why do some people get headaches when they work in air-conditioned or centrally-heated buildings?

Why does the air always feel so fresh after a thunderstorm, or near the base of a waterfall? The answer does not just lie in differences in temperatures, humidity, or amount of oxygen. Research has shown that changes in the ion content of the air can cause a wide range of physiological and psychological changes in people. An ion is a particle which carries a positive or negative electrical charge. Most of the particles in the air are uncharged. These are called molecules, mainly nitrogen and oxygen molecules. But for every million million molecules there are about 2000 ions.

Changes in the absolute numbers of ions, and in the proportions of ions which are positively or negatively charged, can have profound effects on the physical health and mental states of some people. Dr Felix Sulman, an

Israeli researcher who has carried out a large amount of research on this subject, considers that about one person in four is likely to be significantly affected by changes in the ion content of the air. Another two in four are considerably affected, he says.

In general, negative ions are relaxing. They improve breathing, decrease blood pressure and heart rate, and have positive effects on health. Conditions with excesses of positive ions in sensitive people lead to feelings of stress, anxiety, irritability, sleeplessness, difficulties with breathing, exhaustion, or headaches. Positive ions cause these “ion-sensitive” people to produce large amounts of serotonin, a chemical which has a range of functions in the body. In some areas of the brain, serotonin passes signals from one nerve cell to an adjacent one. Dr Sulman found that people suffering from the effects of the Sharav wind which, like a Canterbury nor’wester, is a foehn-type wind, had more serotonin than normal in their urine. If he gave them drugs which were antagonistic

to serotonin they felt better. He also found that many were cured by letting them breathe air which had been enriched with negative ions. Many early negative-ion generators produced ozone as a by-product and were banned in the United States, but generators which do not produce ozone are now available. About 24 to 48 hours before foehn-type winds start blowing the positive ion count increases dramatically. This is when people start to experience symptoms.

Animals also are affected by the ion balance in the air.

Before thunderstorms there are high numbers of positive ions in the atmosphere, and the electrical disturbance moves ahead of the front. It is thought that it is this electrical disturbance which is detected by animals, making them restless and seeking shelter before a storm arrives.

It is not just changes in the weather which affect the balance of ions in the air. High pollen counts, air-conditioning, central heating, a full moon, synthetic fibres, cigarette smoke, and general pollution all decrease the proportion of negative ions. Waves breaking on rocks and waterfalls increase the numbers of negative ions. One of the reasons that people find showers refreshing could be that the shower increases the proportion of negative ions in the air. Negative ion generators are now widely used in clinics, hospitals, and offices in some countries. Small models are available for use in the home. They have been reported to have a wide range of beneficial effects. Eighty-one per cent of patients with hypertension improved in one study of 200 patients. Various

studies have shown that 50 to 70 per cent of people with respiratory illnesses such as asthma, and bronchitis gain some relief.

Forty to 45 per cent of people with severe headaches have been found to get relief. Many people with psychological problems have been helped. Bank tellers have been found to make fewer mistakes. Police working through the night have remained more alert.

One may ask, “Is this a placebo effect? Are reports of the ion effect objective?”

I think the most compelling evidence to discount a placebo effect is that ion balance has been found to affect the health and behaviour of babies and animals. Babies in air enriched with negative ions have been reported to cry less often and not as loudly as in normal air. As Fred Soyka wrote in his book “The lon Effect,” “there is nothing subjective about a bawling baby.” So, when you are next feeling irritable during a nor’wester, blame the positive ions!