Benefits of the Mystic Himalayan Salt Lamp Uncovered

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What Is a Salt Lamp?

A Himalayan salt lamp constitutes actual blocks of the Himalayan pink salt which have been carved by hand. They are either fitted out from the hollowed inside with a light source like a bulb, or they can also come in the form of baskets of salt blocks with a light source underneath. You can grab a salt lamp for as little as $20 here on Amazon.

The only authentic source for the extremely pure Himalayan pink salt is in the ancient sea salt deposits found in the underground mines of Khewra, in the Punjab region of Pakistan, located on the western side of the sprawling Himalayan range.

The warm tones and colors that Himalayan salt lamps emit are probably the most alluring thing about it at first sight. Ranging from a light pink to a blend of pink and orange hues, this is said to be the purest form of salt in the world and it derives its captivating tones from the minerals it is abundant in, such as calcium, potassium, iron, copper and magnesium, with its shades varying according to the concentration of minerals in the rock.

Himalayan crystal salt lamps have found a place in many households as a tasteful, soothing home décor piece that adds warmth and positive energy to its surroundings. With its organic look and “outdoors” feel, it helps to create a peaceful space that is balanced and welcoming. Just its aesthetic appeal is enough to make it a great addition to any home, but there’s a lot more to these crystal rock salt lamps than you’d imagine, from its benefits to the debates raging around its credibility.

Let’s start with what constitutes the salt lamp, and take you through the whole story.

What Are They Really Made Of?

Himalayan salt lamps are made up of ancient salt deposits, rich in mineral concentrations and are hygroscopic in nature. This means that salt absorbs the water molecules, which are always floating around about us, from its surroundings.

Of course, these water molecules are rarely ever found by themselves, neither are they the only invisible substance around us in the atmosphere. Particles of dust, mold, different types of allergens and pollen latch on to these water molecules; viruses and bacteria can often be transmitted from these water molecules.

When a vibrant Himalayan salt rock crystal lamp is placed in a room, it is essentially a block of salt with a large surface area that attracts these water molecules, along with the pathogens and pollutants attached to them. By extracting these contaminating particles from its surrounding environment and capturing them, it purifies the air around it naturally.

As the light source or bulb is ignited, it heats the lamp surrounding it, releasing the water molecules back into the atmosphere as water vapor, while retaining the pollutants and pathogens within the lamp.

Besides these amazing hygroscopic properties, thanks to which a Himalayan salt lamp purifies the air around it, these natural salt lamps also have an array of other scientific benefits, ranging from antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, to the reduction of airborne pathogens and a strengthening of the immune system.

Let’s take you through the top ten ways in which Himalayan crystal salt lamps can be beneficial to us.

Top 10 Ways Himalayan Salt Lamps Help Us

Cleanse and Deodorize the Air

The inherently hygroscopic nature of salt makes it a natural cleansing agent in any atmosphere it is placed in. Particles of dust, dirt and dander are captured in the water molecules that we are surrounded by, and the hygroscopic nature of Himalayan crystal salt lamps pulls these water molecules towards it, along with the pollutants they are attached to.

As you know, the hollowed-out insides of these lamps are fitted out with a light source, which heats up the surface of the lamp as it releases the water vapor back into the air in a cleaner form, while the contaminants and dust particles remain stuck to the lamp. For this reason, it is important to clean the Himalayan salt rock crystal lamp regularly from the dust, grime and other particles it retains, after detoxifying and deodorizing the air surrounding it with its amazing natural properties.

Help Relieve Symptoms of Allergies and Asthma

The hygroscopic nature of salt rock entails that these Himalayan crystal salt rock lamps, that are made up of blocks of these, remove the contaminants from its immediate surroundings, through the process explained above. This property of cleansing its immediate surroundings has a lot of offshoot benefits, especially for those who suffer from negative health effects because of these pathogens and contaminants.

Those who suffer from dust or pollen allergies, for instance, can benefit considerably from the simple act of placing a Himalayan salt lamp in their house or room. As dust particles, pollen and other pollutants are captured and retained by the lamp, the air in its immediate surroundings is considered to be fairly clean and unpolluted. This is also a great way to ensure you don’t come home to a dust allergy, especially if you have spent some time away or haven’t been able to keep up with regular cleaning chores.

Decreases Chances of Airborne Infections

In a world that is increasingly becoming more polluted, there has been a proportional increase in health issues such as allergic reactions and airborne infections. Combined with the demanding stress levels of day-to-day life, immunity levels across the world are dipping, despite innovations in modern science and medicine: suffice to say — it never hurts having a few natural, precautionary ways to keep the infections at bay.

With its incredible air-purifying qualities, the Himalayan salt lamp is a great method of removing contaminants and pollutants from the air in your house to keep safe from diseases that you can catch from the air. When a person infected by an airborne disease, such as tuberculosis, chickenpox or influenza, speaks, coughs or sneezes, their nasal secretions are released into the air and those in his or her immediate surroundings are at the risk of contracting the infection as well. A Himalayan salt lamp is said to neutralize the air to a large extent, and help protect from the spread of airborne infections.

Acts As a Mood-Elevator

These lamps are said to release negative ions, which are essentially oxygen atoms with an extra electron; in nature, these negative ions are found in the effects of air, sunlight and water. Imagine going for a walk through a dense rainforest, by a waterfall or in the first rains of the season — that uplifted, refreshed feeling you experience? You have the negative ions released by the breaking of water molecules to thank for that amazing feeling.

By placing a Himalayan salt lamp in your house, you are introducing a natural and organic element, and an “outdoors” feeling that can have a profound healing effect on an individual, in a way that only nature can.

Reduces Anxiety and Stress

It’s no secret that our physical and mental health is closely related, and any kind of stress is likely to have detrimental effects on both. With a fast-paced lifestyle that is fraught with day-to-day stresses and work pressure, mental health across the world is on the decline, something that has only been making the news very recently.

Healing and relaxation techniques have carved their own niche in the world of self-help, and when people talk about the healing properties of crystal rock lamps, you should know that it’s not all rooted in superstition; in fact, it has scientific backing. Due to the negative ions that Himalayan salt lamps release, the effect achieved mimics that of water, air and sunlight in nature, helping alleviate anxiety and stress, and making one feel refreshed, uplifted and rejuvenated.

Increases Energy Levels

Spending too much time in any major city takes a toll on many people, over time. The pollutants in the air, on the streets and the various stresses that come with city life, can be very draining, and a vacation to the beach, countryside or hiking along the local trail is often a rejuvenating break from routine life, that many need.

In nature, negative ions are found in the effects of air, water and sunlight, and spending time regularly in nature is said to have stress-relieving and invigorating effects, uplifting the spirit and causing a rise in energy levels. This feeling of being “recharged” is due to the increase in concentrations of negative ions, something which the organic Himalayan salt lamp mimics indoors when it is placed in a room. While stress or long hours at work are usually blamed for excess fatigue, it might actually be that your ions are unbalanced, something that could start changing within a week, with the help of a Himalayan crystal salt lamp.

Eases Coughing and Improves Overall Breathing Function

Negative ions — which are nothing but an oxygen atom with an extra electron — have a staggering range of health benefits that are really worth knowing about. Besides the invigorating effects they have, that we have taken you through, negative ions can also improve your breathing function to help keep your lungs healthier.

The windpipe is lined with microscopic hairs known as cilia, which trap the dust or dirt particles and help to filter the air that we breathe, to ensure we absorb a minimum amount of pathogens and pollutants. Negative ions come into play as they can increase the activity of cilia to ensure a better “air filtering system”. Positive ions, on the other hand, decrease cilial activity, and this can be countered in cities and urban areas to a certain extent, with the help of Himalayan salt lamps, so you can breathe easy.

Releasing Warm Tones in a World of Electromagnetic Radiation

It is no secret that technology has crept into almost every aspect of our lives, especially over the past two decades. We are practically surrounded by screens in our homes today, whether it’s a tablet, a phone or a laptop screen. These screens, as well as LED and fluorescent lights, emit artificial blue light; an overexposure to electromagnetic radiation like this for an extended period of time can cause several detrimental health effects, including headaches, mental fatigue and eye strain.

Interestingly, the warm tones that Himalayan salt lamps emit can be used to counter the effects of the blue light through color therapy, an ancient technique that uses the different wavelengths of colors for therapeutic purposes, known to have physical, emotional and spiritual effects on those in the vicinity of the lamp. By balancing out the extra blue light, you might get some relief from the tiredness and fatigue of long days spent working at the laptop. The pink and orange hues of a Himalayan crystal salt lamp have slower wavelengths, and are relaxing to both the mind as well as the eyes.

Promotes Better-Quality Sleep

As we know, Himalayan salt lamps emit soothing warm tones with slower wavelengths that can help balance out the excessive and draining artificial blue light, which can reduce melatonin production and can disturb normal sleeping patterns. The pinkish orange glow of the Himalayan crystal salt lamp is deceptively soothing, and helps you relax right before you go to bed.

Since an excess of blue light also interferes with your circadian rhythms and normal REM, or rapid eye movement cycles, the Himalayan salt lamp helps not only to relax you right before bed, but also helps to promote better-quality sleep, so that you feel fully rested when you wake up.

Boosts Immunity Levels

Chronic exposure to electromagnetic radiation has a staggering number of ill effects on one’s health; in today’s day and age, though, avoiding screens altogether has become practically impossible; technology and social media have become integral in helping to stay connected and for future professional opportunities. This incessant exposure to screens causes fatigue, headaches, an increase in stress and a gradual weakening of the immune system.

Over two thousand studies have highlighted the detrimental effects of electromagnetic radiation from various sources, with scientists concluding that “chronic exposure to even low-level radiation (like that from cell phones) can cause a variety of cancers, impair immunity, and contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, heart disease, and many other ailments.” While you cannot eliminate this exposure altogether, realistically, spending more time in the water, particularly around water bodies, can help in neutralizing the effects of the positive ions released due to exposure to electromagnetic radiation. Controlling the effects of electrosmog and the balancing of positive and negative ions that Himalayan salt lamps can achieve, help in the reduction of our IgE level or immune system oversensitivity, and helps to strengthen the immune system and promote good health.

The Salt Lamp Hoax — Take It with a Pinch of Salt

While — as you can see — the list of health benefits of having a Himalayan salt lamp in our immediate surroundings is a long and impressive one, it is only natural that we question the extent of its legitimacy. Many of these benefits are, as such, hard to quantify on their own and many of these benefits cannot tangibly be measured.

Some of the primary properties of the Himalayan salt lamps from which the various health benefits stem include the warm tones with slower wavelengths that it releases, the release of negative ions into its immediate atmosphere and its hygroscopic properties, which purify the air.

Just the release of negative ions into the atmosphere alone poses a range of health benefits, but perhaps it is better to take these advantages with — well, a pinch of “Himalayan” salt. If you suffer from chronic depression or chronic fatigue, for instance, by placing a Himalayan salt lamp in the room, you might reduce your levels of stress or fatigue, and notice an increase in your serotonin and oxygen levels; naturally, though, this cannot be a substitute for any therapy or medical treatment you might be undergoing.

Similarly, negative ions released by the Himalayan salt lamps are said to neutralize electrosmog or electromagnetic radiation, but perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they reduce it, instead of completely neutralizing it, as you would need a really large surface area for complete neutralization. The fact is, Himalayan salt lamps release a relatively small amount of negative ions, especially when compared with natural occurrences like a waterfall, and while they do offer several different kinds of health benefits, their effects can vary in magnitude. A good idea would be to place multiple Himalayan salt lamps in a room, especially if it is large, to maximize the health benefits it may offer.

As far as the quality of the Himalayan salt lamp is concerned, it is of utmost importance, because a good-quality lamp can last you for decades. When it comes to the color of the lamp, as you know, the variations in pink and orange tones depend on the mineral concentrations found in the crystals. As a general rule, however, the darker the shades of pink and orange are, the higher quality the lamp is said to be. Look out for black deposits or a very light pink color, as it indicates that a lower quality of crystal salt was mined and used for that particular lamp.

Size is another important factor, as the larger the surface area of the salt lamp is, the more the health benefits that it offers are. The weight of the salt lamp is a good place to start, to help figure out its size and the extent of its ability to purify the air around it. As a rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to plan the size of the Himalayan salt lamp you need depending on the size of the room you plan to place it in, the sort of air quality and level of electromagnetic radiation that is usually found in it. An office space, for instance, will have more screens and hence, more electromagnetic radiation than say, a kitchen in a house. As far as the shape of the Himalayan rock salt lamp is concerned, it is only relevant as far as surface area is concerned, with larger salt lamps offering a higher level of benefits; the roughly chiseled ones are probably the best pick, as they have the largest surface area.

Other factors to take into account while choosing a good quality lamp would be ensuring the lamp is fitted out with UL/CSA approved light fixtures, so that the light bulb is secure. Making sure that this light source produces enough heat and light as both are integral for a Himalayan salt lamp to work properly.

Dimmer switches are also a good idea, especially if you plan to use it right before bed. A good way to make sure you are buying a quality Himalayan salt rock lamp online, would be to go through the online reviews of the product thoroughly and check up on the kind of feedback other users are offering. Whatever you do, don’t skimp on this one! The price tag that comes with an authentic Himalayan crystal salt lamp is well-worth the range of benefits it offers.

Research on the Health Benefits of Salt Lamps

The range of health benefits that Himalayan crystal salt lamps offer is quite mind-boggling, as you might have gathered by now. Besides the top ten ways Himalayan salt lamps can benefit us, the salt that makes up the crystal rock lamps is rich with minerals, and is known to have several purifying, healing and cleansing properties.

Chromotherapy or color therapy is one of the most interesting benefits that the Himalayan crystal salt lamp offers, with its emission of warm pink and orange hues. Electrosmog or electromagnetic radiation is increasingly becoming a hindrance we cannot avoid in today’s digital age and Himalayan salt lamps can act as a natural neutralizing element that can help in countering the adverse effects of the artificial blue light we are exposed to every day. This reduces stress and fatigue, boosts sleep quality and immunity levels, and can help elevate and invigorate the mood.

The property of salt being a natural ionizer is another really interesting one that gives rise to several health benefits. By emitting negative ions, Himalayan salt lamps mimic occurrences, such as waterfalls, in nature, to create an uplifting effect on people around it, similar to how they would feel after a walk in the rain or by the sea.

These negative ions are released due to the breaking of water molecules and can be hugely beneficial, in terms of boosting immunity levels, acting as a mood-elevator, countering electrosmog and introducing general feelings of happiness and joy. It also inhabits the effects of allergies, headaches, stress, anxiety and depression, and enhances the effects of blood circulation, melatonin production, increases energy levels and improves overall breathing function, as well.

Warning Signs Your Himalayan Salt Lamp Is a Fake

While the debate around the legitimacy of the health benefits of a Himalayan salt lamp rages on, it’s important to ensure that your product itself is legitimate, to begin with, before trying to quantify its benefits. There are some key pointers that can help you come to know whether your Himalayan crystal salt lamp is real or fake.

Some good places to start questioning the authenticity of your lamp would be to check its country of origin, since the ancient salt reserves from which the crystal rock is mined is found only in Khewra, Pakistan. If Pakistan is not mentioned at all, there’s good reason to be suspicious of the quality.

Besides its place of origin, its color should give you a fair indication of its authenticity; the warm tones of pink and orange are the most popular, but there are also white salt crystal lamps, with different mineral concentrations. These are much rarer, and more expensive, but if you find a white crystal lamp that is cheaper than the warm-colored ones, you are on the brink of being ripped off. Don’t do it!

Here are other details you can check to make sure your Himalayan salt lamp is the real deal:

Pricetag

If a Himalayan salt lamp is extremely cheap, chances are that it might not be authentic. Himalayan salt lamps can be a bit of an investment, especially if you want one in a larger size corresponding to the room that it will be placed in. Like we mentioned, don’t skimp on this buy! It is going to be an investment that will brighten up your home for decades to come.

Returns Policy

As genuine Himalayan crystal salt lamps are made up of salt, they are relatively fragile objects, and it is not uncommon to have been delivered a salt lamp that has some parts of it chipped off. If the salt lamp vendor or creator’s returns policy is extremely strict, especially regarding not accepting any returns, then you best believe it’s a fake.

Conversely, if the lamp you have received under the guise of a Himalayan salt lamp is extremely durable, and doesn’t respond to collision with other surfaces or objects, it is safe to believe that it is a fake Himalayan salt lamp.

Extremely Bright Light

Himalayan crystal salt lamps are a light source, sure; but this is not generally the main reason that they are bought. It’s more “mood lighting” where the effect is that of diffused light, thanks to the layers of salt that constitute the lamp. If your light is extremely bright and illuminates your room a little too well, there’s good reason to question its authenticity.

Does the Himalayan Salt Lamp “Weep”?

Salt, as we know, has hygroscopic properties and naturally “pulls” water molecules towards it. If your salt lamp is genuine, when placed in a moisture-saturated or fairly humid environment, it should start to absorb the moisture and start to “sweat” or “weep”, in line with the natural properties of salt.

Are You Ready to Buy Your Himalayan Salt Lamp?

After taking you through the finer details of the constituting element and benefits of, research on and the debates surrounding Himalayan crystal salt lamps, we hope you see the advantages of having an appropriately-sized one, and a find a place for it in your own home.

The idea is to not have too many expectations from the lamp by way of health benefits, but to let it brighten up your room with its warm, soothing tones of pink and orange for a pleasant and more organic feel. Let the Himalayan crystal salt lamp take it from there, and do its thing — as long as it’s authentic, we highly doubt you will come away unhappy.

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