Negative ions effect benefit on the body ?

[harrylin]

[..] given that the content of you post was to cast doubt on the, otherwise rational, discussion by asking for anecdotal evidence (a profoundly unscientific request), I can deduce that you're not interested in the actual functioning of the device, but rather the perceived functioning of the device.

[..]

While agreeing with most of your post, I differ on one point: the question "have any of you actually tried one" could mean "did you actually test one". And that is of course a very scientific request, as in the end the scientific verdict must be based on experiments.

My reply was indirectly referring to experimental results, which I generalised: from experience we know that such items do not emit ions.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

My reply was indirectly referring to experimental results, which I generalised: from experience we know that such times do not emit ions.

I find it interesting (and telling) that doing any kind of pubmed/webofsci/google scholar search brings back thousands upon thousands of results for the study of negative ions in biological and medical research. None of which is as simple as "negative ions improve health". Instead you get nicely realistic results like "the effects of cobalt ions on endothelial cells in developing vasculature".

In fact the only study I've found on bracelets is Effect of “Ionized” Wrist Bracelets on Musculoskeletal Pain: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial by Robert L. Bratton, MD, Daniel P. Montero et al 2002. An interesting yet predictable study that shows that negative ion bracelets were placebos only.

 

[harrylin]

I find it interesting (and telling) that doing any kind of pubmed/webofsci/google scholar search brings back thousands upon thousands of results for the study of negative ions in biological and medical research. None of which is as simple as "negative ions improve health". Instead you get nicely realistic results like "the effects of cobalt ions on endothelial cells in developing vasculature".

In fact the only study I've found on bracelets is Effect of “Ionized” Wrist Bracelets on Musculoskeletal Pain: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial by Robert L. Bratton, MD, Daniel P. Montero et al 2002. An interesting yet predictable study that shows that negative ion bracelets were placebos only.

Great find!

Note: you can find the document by copying the above reference in Google; Ryan did you not provide the link because you think that Mayo Clinic is a doubtful website? Then I also won't give it!

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Great find!

Note: you can find the document by copying the above reference in Google; Ryan did you not provide the link because you think that Mayo Cliinic is a doubtful website? Then I also won't give it!

Thankyou I found the link by going through http://scholar.google.co.uk/" and typing in various combinations of search terms such as;

• Negative ions AND health
• Negative ion therapy
• Negative ion bracelets

I also used pubmed and webofsci (the latter of which I think you have to be a member to use) but they only turned back specific papers about specific ions in specific biological processes. I don't have any problem with the mayoclinic, partly because I've never heard of them but they are peer-reviewed which is a good indication. The paper has to stand on it's own merits obviously and whilst I haven't thoroughly scrutinized it the quick read I gave it showed it to be of good methodology (although I would have made my graphs clearer and had another control group receiving standard treatment if I were doing it).

Interestingly however I just did a google scholar search again this time with patents included and now there is more information on bracelets however only in the form of people lodging patents for different kinds and saying things like "the release of negative ions will improve X, Y, Z health issues".

 

[Evo]

Here is the study.

http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/content/77/11/1164.full.pdf

The study was conducted between 2000-2001. It won the Florida Academy of Family Physicians first-place award for research in October. Mayo Clinic Proceedings is a peer-reviewed and indexed general internal medicine journal, published for more than 75 years by Mayo Foundation, with a circulation of 130,000 nationally and internationally

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/11/021112075531.htm

It was linked to from the Skepdic article, but the link was broken.

http://www.skepdic.com/qray.html