My Email To Salt Lamps.

[Chris O.]

From: Chris Owen [mailto:beavis_owen@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 5:11 PM
To: sales@ionicsalts.com
Subject: FAQ

Ionic Salts:

I was recently viewing your website, and was wondering if you could
answer some questions I have about the Salt Lamps, that weren't addressed in
the FAQ. As I was reading the science section, I came across the term
"electronic smog" in bold. Since I know that smog itself is a danger to
health, I became concerned that I'd never heard of another form of smog that
could be harming me, especially since I live and work around computers and
other electronic devices.
I quickly searched for the term at various health websites, such as the US.
Department of Health and Human Services, and the FDA. It seems they have no
information on electronic Smog. I did a more general search and found it
referenced in two types of websites. One type was comprised of several
electronics sites, specifically it's effects on sensitive equipment, and
two, on mystical crystal sites, that have no basis in science. The
electronic site describes the source of the term, and specific ways of
protecting electronic equipment. The robotics site, however fails to mention
the effects that electronic smog may have on people.
I was wondering if you could point me to the studies that show how
electronic smog is harmful to people, if it has any effect on them at all,
as well as the study that shows that salt lamps do limit the symptoms of
ADHD in children. I'm sure the people who conducted these studies published
their results so that other scientists may test their conclusions, and
further verify the effectiveness of these lamps. I'm sure that it would be
much less costly to have several of these lamps in classrooms, rather than
dosing the children with ritalin in order to get them to sit still.
I was also wondering what you mean by "affect reorganization of the
epidermal skin tissue." I've never heard this phrase before.
Thanks very much,
Chris Owen
beavis_owen@hotmail.com

 

[Chris O.]

Here's their reply:

Hi Chris,

We appreciate your interest and the time you've taken to formulate your
questions.

The term "electronic smog" doesn't exactly relate to the airborne smog found
in places like Los Angeles or Mexico City. In order to understand the term,
you should know about the Schumann Resonance.

Every form of life on Earth exists within and depends on the power of our
planet's electromagnetic field of vibration, known as the Schumann Resonance
Frequency. The frequency of this electromagnetic field is at 7.83 Hz
(cycles) per second, this is the known resonant frequency of this world.
This resonant frequency can be measured as the resonant frequency of our
brains with an EEG; and this resonance applies to all mammals.

With it's neutral state, salt crystal exhibits this frequency value exactly.

In our homes and offices, modern and technological life is affecting the
human organism by artificial electromagnetic wavelengths with very diverse
frequencies - caused by electronic devices. These frequencies have been
proven not only to disturb our human organism, but also to promote illness
since they constantly overlap our natural resonant frequency. As a result of
this constant exposure to various frequencies, our own electromagnetic
energy field becomes imprinted by the frequencies forced upon it, which
upsets the natural development of our cells.

Given the atomic structure of the salt, which is already neutral, it is more
than likely that these artificial frequencies can be harmonized or balanced
by the lit salt lamp; as it works as a natural amplifier for the resonant
frequency of 8-10 cycles per second, which is so vital for our life. Through
use of a salt crystal lamp, one can adjust or neutralize EM wavelengths
caused by electronic devices in natural (and beautiful) way.

While most diagnoses are inaccurate, children truly afflicted with ADD/ADHD
always suffer from much lower electrical energy in their brains than average
people who do not suffer from ADD or ADHD. There is a portion of the brain
called the 'substancianigra' which is responsible for producing dopamine -
the neurotransmitter which is deficient in people who have ADD. If you’re
deficient in dopamine and you try to concentrate, the pre-frontal cortex
that should increase its activity actually decreases its activity. All this
is directly related to the amount of electrical energy you have available in
your brain. Salt is what allows this energy flow and exist. Unfortunately
table salt is the wrong choice, leading to many health conditions

Furthermore, negative ions break down serotonin, giving one a clear and
alert state with a higher awareness function. The primary reason for this is
the increased speed with which the nerve impulses can travel along the
synapses in the brain and the rest of the body. Negative Ions promote alpha
brain waves and increase brain wave amplitude, which translates to a higher
awareness level. Those ion-induced alpha waves spread from the occipital
areas to the parietal and temporal and even reach the frontal lobes,
spreading evenly across the right and left brain hemispheres. All of this
creates an overall clear and calming effect, benefiting meditation and
concentration.

"...various colors of the lamp have positive effects. The therapeutic
wavelengths of the colors of these crystals are visible to our eyes and
affect reorganization of the epidermal skin tissue"
For decades, medical institutions have been using irradiation with
monochromatic light, since these colour vibration areas exert direct
influence on our cell producing functions. Epidermal skin cells are respond
best to wavlengths of in the range of 600-650 nanometers...or the mid-orange
colors of visible light. Additionally, these lamps have been used
therapeutically for years; mainly in Europe. We feel their time has come
here in the USA and are ourselves nudging medical professionals and others
to take notice.

Our site barely dips its toes in the matter of edible Himalayan salt
crystal, which we will be offering soon; and has been inspected and
registered with the FDA. Probably one the best things someone could do to
improve nutrition.

For studies and additonal reading, you could try:
"Water & Salt-The Essence of Life" by Barbara Hendel M.D. and biophysicist
Peter Ferreira
“The Miracle of Krystal Salt” by Christian Ortiz
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/975450257.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=12372372&dopt=Abstract
Dr. Albert P. Krueger
Dr. Richard F Smith
Dr. Felix Sulman

Good luck and I hope you find the answers you're looking for!

Darrin
Ionicsalts.com

 

[Chris O.]

My re:

Darrin:
I appreciate the quick respsonse to my questions, there are a few points I
would like to clarify.

While I undestand that brains do have a resonant frequency, I'm confused how
electromagnetic signals on a certain frequency, from a computer or
television, can affect a brain that is resonating at a different frequency.
From my education in physics, I learned that a system with a resonant
frequency only responds to information carried on the same frequency. This
is how we can tune a radio to only one channel, rather than hearing all the
local channels at once. An electrical circuit, which the brain is, is only
vulnerable to interference on frequencies similar to the resonant
frequencies within itself. If this is true, the different frequencies in the
air from computers and televisions, must have no effect on the human mind,
unless they were incredibly powerfull. Of course, they'd then be so powerful
as to interfere with each other, and you wouldn't be able to use a computer
in the same room with a television, from the interference. Not to mention
the possibility of RF burn that a person can suffer from an antenna that
actually does transmitt a radio frequency with any significant power.
Consider the damage such a high power antenna would do to a brain nearby, if
a television is powerful enough to disturb it, that it would render
maintenance workers mindless. Yet, people, daily,work near and around these
high power RF transmitters with little to no problems other than the
occasional RF burn, which is damage to the flesh, like a heat injury, not to
the mind. How can something that is neither on the same frequency, nor of
significant signal strength affect a human brain. Have their been scientific
papers published on the subject?

Your assertion that " Salt is what allows this energy flow and exist," is
begging the question. I was asking for studies that prove this claim. I
would like to know if there is a study where a certain population of
children with ADHD were put in a room with a salt lamp, and asked to perform
a task that required concentration (test), then have them perfrom a similar
task in a room lit without the salt lamps (control), and compare the
results. A fairly simple scientific experiment. That I would think could
have been reproduced several times, by independant researchers to lend
credibility to these claims.

The website you linked about the medical studies of LED light
(http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/975450257.html) doesn't seem to apply to
the color of the salt lamps. The wavelength of the LED's are much longer
than that of mid-orange, in fact, they're at the other side of red from
orange, near-infrared. "The near-infrared light emitted by these LEDs seems
to be perfect for increasing energy inside cells." As we know, infrared
light is essentially heat. While it isn't enough to feel, as the article
states, they're cool to the touch, the cells are absorbing light energy in
the form of heat. So, lighting the injured area with an LED close to the
wound seems to speed up cell reproduction. Yes, skin cells increase activity
with increased energy,or heat, in this case. A "mid-orange" colored lamp
across the room is not the same as a "near-infrared LED" close to the wound
itself. I don't see how this arcticle supports the claim that "...various
colors of the lamp have positive effects. The therapeutic wavelengths of the
colors of these crystals are visible to our eyes and affect reorganization
of the epidermal skin tissue" I acknowledge that proper room lighting and
soothing colors do improve mood, and can improve the emotional state of a
person, and find that to be a great thing to experiment with, however the
regenerative claims seem suspect to me. Unless it is just relying on the
placebo effect that positive emotions tend to speed the healing process and
decrees discomfort due to the release of endorphins, which any pleasantly
colored lamp in a calm environment could also produce.

I guess my main concern is that the claims on the website go against
everything I've learned in science classes in high school and at college,
and I would like to see the scientific evidence that these counter-intuitive
claims are true. I googled the title of the book, "Water & Salt-The Essence
of Life" and found reviews about the book claiming; "The authors lead you on
a physical and metaphysical exploration..." which is alarming from a
scientific viewpoint. Talking about things that can be tested in a lab is
one thing, but talking about beliefs and feelings is not my purpose

I truly appreciate your time in answering my questions, and look forward to
any further responses.
Take care,
Chris

 

[Chris O.]

And his reply:

Chris:

We are not scientists. We do not sell medical equipment, nor do we offer
medical advice. We are also not a debate forum for people named beavis from
anonymous email addresses. ;-)

In my previous email I gave you links and names of REAL doctors and
scientists who studied salt lamps, negative ions, and/or bio-physics. Learn
more about free radicals, valence electrons, cellular function along with
all else mentioned, and either you'll understand or still consider it
baloney - we do not accept it as our duty to convince anyone of anything; we
present the information and the product. We've sold thousands of salt
crystal products and have NEVER had one returned....ever, for any reason,
especially "it doesn't work". We began to research after owning a few salt
lamps and found that everyone can benefit from having one around....and a
business was born.

On a cellular level, sensitivities to EM and light radiation are
well-documented. Debate on this subject is left to you and scholars.

You asked about the "reorganization of the epidermal skin tissue" phrase,
the link provided was an example the light not only affect skin tissue, but
varying wavelengths can affect other tissues and organs on a cellular level
and stimulate healing and "reorganization".

You ask for studies, I gave you resources to lead you on your way. We do
not have the time to spoon-feed common, documented information for the sake
of argument. Yes Beavis, there really are studies that reflect the
information we put forth. You'll learn much more along the way by your own
investigation - or not.

If our claims go against what you were taught in school, then this is a good
thing. There's much more in this world than is currently taught in
educational institutions of any level. How foolish to assume everything we
can know or need to know is in a textbook and tought in a school, don't you
think? (rhetorical)

The book "Water and Salt..." is an excellent resource an Himalayan salt
crystal written by doctors who did the actual research and study - not just
new age quacks. If you base your conclusions of books and movies based on
the reviews, I bet you save a lot of money. All one needs to know in half of
a sentence. How very scientific.

Good luck!

Darrin

Already the personal attacks!!

 

[CFLarsen]

Good work!

Send it to Randi.

 

[DrMatt]

This roundy round is almost identical to my experience with Bill Wirtz at Florsheim when Florsheim was selling Magneforce shoes with magnets in them--a revamping of Mesmer's long-since-disproved ideas, which you can read at
http://www.umich.edu/~fields/mag.txt

 

[jmercer]

Great job!

 

[Chris O.]

What address do I send it to Randi at? After that last email, I backed off quite a bit, because I don't like to seem like an aggressor, so my next email was quite defensive.

 

[Jas]

That's awesome. Oddly enough, I saw one of those salt lamps at a bedroom/bath store, with the same claims, the day before Randi's commentary came.

I can't believe that anyone would buy (in both senses of the word), that crap.

 

[Chris O.]

Last two emails, and that was the end of it.

My reply:

Darrin:

The personal attacks in your email say quite a bit, while I may have a
strange email address, I gave my real, full name at the end of each one.
That's all I'll say about the unproffesionalism and sarcasm in your last
email.

I'm sorry you're so upset about my questions, that wasn't the intent. I
have, however learned quite a bit about asking for information. I looked for
the studies you refer to on my own, but the only mention of studies about
ADHD are on sites selling Salt Lamps, and they never say where I can read
the study, or who performed it, they just say generally "studies" and
"tests." I just wanted to know, who and where they were performed and to see
the results, in a nice published form, and you were my only source of
information, since you replied to my first email. So, again, thanks for the
help, sorry to have been so confrontational.

Chris

And then his:

You are mistaken, there were no personal attacks in any of my statements.
Your opinion concerning professionalism is a moot point; I've been more than
patient and forthcoming with information amid your badgering and
argumentative style - whether intended or not. Unfortunately you didn't
notice the smilie at the end of the first line indicating humor rather than
a personal assualt.

What is looking at a study about ADHD and salt lamps going to tell you? X
number of kids in Y-sized rooms with Z number of salt lamps of a certain
size. In separate rooms, there were x number of similar kids in
similar-sized room with no salt lamps present. Noted observation that kids
with salt lamps better behaved, more attentive. In the separate rooms of
kids, no change in behavior.
Anyone can write a study. My intent was to point you in the right direction
so not only will you find the studies you seek, but you will have a good
understanding of what makes a salt lamp work the way it does and in as many
ways as it does. Ultimately, if you had to explain it to someone you could
do so - this was my intent. If you want to know, then KNOW.

Virtually all documented studies have been performed in Europe, where salt
lamps have enjoy popularity for several years. The ADHD results were reached
by scientists in Germany, if memory serves me correctly. If I run across the
actual study data, I'll forward a link to you. It is not readily accessible
over the Web, as is most hard scientific data which is meant for peer review
rather than public consumption - in Europe.

The only way to appreciate these lamps is to own one, and 80% of our
customers return for more of our products. This is because they surpass
expectations.

Perhaps a university near you would like to perfom a scientific study of
their own to either confirm or refute the conclusions of the European
science community.
Again, I've given you adequate information for you to educate yourself - if
that was indeed your goal. Your initial email compares apples to oranges,
and jumps to misinformed conclusions based on the measure of your own
knowledge...more or less looking for a fight rather than information.

Try other salt lamp websites and see how much they can tell you, if they
respond at all. Your questions go well over the head of most, I'm quite
sure.

Regards,

Darrin Wright
Ionicsalts.com

 

[Desertphile]

We are not scientists. We do not sell medical equipment, nor do we offer medical advice.

The first statement is certainly true. The latter two appear to be gross, blatant lies.

 

[Chris O.]

The rest is some excellent dodging and weaving. Float like a butterfly, and run like hell.