Negative air ionization therapy

Negative air ionization therapy is the use of air ionizers as an experimental non-pharmaceutical treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and mild depression. The mainstream scientific community considers this pseudoscience.[1] [2][3] [4]

Research

For SAD, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing high (4.5x1014 ions/second) and low (1.7x1011 ions/second) flow rate negative air ionization with bright light therapy found that post-treatment improvement results were 57.1% for bright light (10,000 lux) compared with high-density ions, 47.9%; and low-density ions, 22.7%.[5] An older RCT conducted by the same authors also found air ionization effective for SAD at 2.7x106 ions/cm3.[6] A 2007 review considers this therapy "under investigation", and suggests that it may be a helpful treatment for SAD.[7]

An RCT comparing the short-term effects of bright light, an auditory stimulus, and high- and low-density negative ions on mood and alertness in mildly depressed and non-depressed adults found that the three first (active) stimuli, but not the low-density placebo, reduced depression on the Beck Depression Inventory scale; the auditory stimulus, bright light and high-density ions all produced rapid mood changes—with small to medium effect sizes—in depressed and non-depressed subjects.[8]

As of 2009, the negative ion generators used are still undergoing multicenter phase II clinical trials.[9]

A separate randomized placebo-controlled study published in May 2010 found that the difference between high-density ion therapy and placebo (dim red light and low-density ions) was not statistically significant. The conclusion of this study was that bright white light therapy was significantly more effective than negative ion therapy for treating Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Alexander, Dominik D.; Bailey, William H.; Perez, Vanessa; Mitchell, Meghan E.; Su, Steave (9 September 2013). "Air ions and respiratory function outcomes: a comprehensive review". Journal of Negative Results in BioMedicine. 12: 14. doi:10.1186/1477-5751-12-14 – via BioMed Central.
  2. ↑ "Pseudoscience Sells". 14 September 2011.
  3. ↑ Goldacre, Ben (2003-07-17). "The truth about oxygen". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  4. ↑ "Wonky Water Bunk". www.chem1.com.
  5. ↑ Terman, M.; Terman, J. S. (2006). "Controlled Trial of Naturalistic Dawn Simulation and Negative Air Ionization for Seasonal Affective Disorder". American Journal of Psychiatry. 163 (12): 2126–33. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.163.12.2126. PMID 17151164.
  6. ↑ Terman, M.; Terman, J.; Ross, D. (1998). "A Controlled Trial of Timed Bright Light and Negative Air Ionization for Treatment of Winter Depression". Archives of General Psychiatry. 55 (10): 875–82. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.55.10.875. PMID 9783557.
  7. ↑ Westrin, ÅS.; Lam, R. (2007). "Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Clinical Update". Annals of Clinical Psychiatry. 19 (4): 239–46. doi:10.1080/10401230701653476. PMID 18058281.
  8. ↑ Goel, N.; Etwaroo, G. R. (2006). "Bright light, negative air ions and auditory stimuli produce rapid mood changes in a student population: a placebo-controlled study". Psychological Medicine. 36 (9): 1253–63. doi:10.1017/S0033291706008002. PMID 16756690.
  9. ↑ "A Trial of Negative Ion Generation Versus Light-Emitting Diode Phototherapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)". clinicaltrials.gov. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
  10. ↑ Flory R, Ametepe J, Bowers B (May 2010). "A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of bright light and high-density negative air ions for treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder". Psychiatry Res. 177 (1–2): 101–8. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2008.08.011. PMID 20381162.
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