No Proof Salt Lamps Have Health Benefits
The Claim
Through the power of negative ions, Himalayan salt lamps have a plethora of health benefits.
Emerging story
Himalayan salt has a distinctive pinkish orange hue. This color comes from impurities in the salt, which is your run-of-the-mill sodium chloride. For centuries, it’s been mined in the Punjab region of Pakistan and is often sold as chunks. These chunks are often used to make salt lamps. People make quite a few claims about the effects of these chunks of salt.
A study published in 2005 said that negative ions and bright lights may help with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). For reasons Misbar doesn’t understand, some new age people started connecting salt lamps to negative ions. Many claimed that they had numerous health benefits. Perhaps the claims are derived from “crystal healing” – a belief that crystals provide health benefits.
Misbar’s Analysis
While salt lamps are without a doubt cool-looking, Misbar's investigation found that there’s no evidence they provide health benefits. The aforementioned study is far from a true consensus. There’s even been some studies that have actively disproved some claims about negative ions. Many scientists point out that Himalayan salt crystals don’t produce negative ions.
It’s worth pointing out that light color can impact circadian rhythm. This is a topic beyond the scope of this article, but pink light doesn’t affect the sleep cycle like blue light does. In that case, Himalayan lamps may have a beneficial effect on sleep, albeit one that can be found much more cheaply in other sources.
