Do Salt Lamps Really Work?
Many Internet based companies are selling Salt Lamps as the Miracle Cure for all that ails you. While we understand that people are always looking for the latest advances in Medicine (or the oldest advances in Eastern Medicine) we find these 150-250 Million year old Himalayan Salt sculptures to be relatively ineffective at clearing the air of pollen, dander, smoke and other airborne pollutants but they are absolutely beautiful to look at.
Consumers Get Questionable Information on the Health Benefits Of Salt Lamps
OK…I’ll admit it. I’ve got allergies. But I am not alone. Misery indeed appears to love company.Unfortunately, some less than reputable Internet Salt Lamp companies are preying on innocent consumers who are seeking relief…that is how I first heard about Salt Lamps.
When the FDA gets wind of some of the Health claims being made by Internet Salt Lamp companies, there will be a lot of red faces and slapped hands. Claiming they can cure everything from Asthma to Sleep Disorders, they are the latest incarnation of the Snake Oil salesman of the past.
As reported by Reuters Health, findings published in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, clinical studies found that that more than half ( 54.3 percent ) of the U.S. population is sensitive to one or more common allergens, placing them at increased risk for the development of asthma, hay fever, and eczema. Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences ( NIEHS ) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, both components of the National Institutes of Health, conducted the studies.
So what do I do about my allergies? The list of possible side effects from popular allergy medications sounds just too risky. I’d rather sneeze!
I seek relief, but, like many others, try to avoid medications. Recently I tried fancy Negative Ion Generators from marketers like Sharper Image and Brookstone that boldly claim that they will quietly and unobtrusively rid the air I breathe of dander, pollen and other airborne allergens. With my machine placed in the optimal spot in my living room, as instructed in the directions that accompanied my “clean air machine”, I sat waiting for what they called the “post-thunderstorm effect”. It seems that the air is cleanest and purest just after a thunderstorm. This was due to the “fact” that Negative Ions were recoded at their highest level after these meteorological events.
SHAME ON THEM!
No such luck… Mine did nothing but attract dust to its replaceable filter from within a few foot radius of the machine. Even if they did do what they said they could, I would to have at least one in every room in my house and another strapped on my back for when I ventured outdoors. I was still sneezing… but now I was out over $300.00
Next try, the Natural approach. I was told that Salt Lamps ( Yes, lamps made from Natural Salt mined in the Himalayas ) were being advertised as Nature’s Ionizer, and that they were scientifically proven to clean and freshen the air in my “personal space”. According to the Internet ads, you just plug them in and immediately the air would be pure and allergies would disappear.
SHAME ON THEM TOO!
I experienced nothing more than with the machines. The Salt, which is a hygroscopic material ( pulls moisture from the air ), did indeed attract some airborne dust from the air. But I didn’t experience it “generating” Negative Ions that in any way purified the air. Upon doing more research, the fine print on some sites shows that you would need one lamp for every 6 square feet of space, or 20 of these $50 lamps for a small size bedroom.
Salt Lamps have only been sold in the US for about 5 years, and still most people have never heard of them. There are some 7,300,000 references to them on Google, and in Spain and Germany they are commonplace, often sold at Grocery stores, but ask anyone on the street if they have heard of a Salt Lamp and they will look at you with a blank stare!
So, they didn’t help my allergies one bit but I did find the lamps beautiful to look at…amazed that something “created” at the beginning of time, could be affordably mined, carved into Natural and Geometric shapes and offered to the public at affordable prices.
I was intrigued by the warm glow of these translucent rocks of salt crystal, cored to hold a bulb or a tea light candle that illuminates the striated colorations of the lamp from within. And all my friends wanted to know where they could get one.
So I created a company that would steer clear of most of the Health claims and focus instead on finding the source of the most beautiful colors and best carved lamps available. Today we sell top grade and beautifully colored Salt Lamps and Natural Salt Tea Lights, attractively packaged to sell to upscale “urban living” stores.
With pictures showing Salt Lamps in use as Night Lights in a child’s bedroom and as replacements for the cheap looking tea lights on restaurant tables, we are hopeful that people will appreciate these lamps for their Natural beauty. If indeed there are any Health benefits that will certainly be a plus.
In our research of the claims being made about the miracle Salt Lamp cure we did find some evidentiary information about the use of Salt in the bathtub for soothing sore muscles ( think Epsom Salts ) and some documentation about the use of Salt to reduce the irritation of Eczema and Psoriasis…so we sell Salt Bars and Bath Salts.
At a teenaged cousin’s suggestion we created Cool Color Crystal Salt Lamps that come with 6 different colored bulbs so now you can change the color of your Salt Lamp to match your mood or your décor.
During Christmas a priest suggested a devotional series so we created 3 carved cross styles that have a verse plate with a quote from Matthew 5:13-14 - - You Are The Salt OF The Earth…. You Are The Light Of The World.
How appropriate!
The market for Salt Lamps is growing rapidly in the USA. Currently you will find them in Natural Food stores and Health Spas and some New Age Crystal shops.Soon they will reach the more mainstream market and these beautiful works of Nature will be the freshest new gift idea for any special occasion. A unique gift that will last forever.We named our Himalayan Crystal Salt Lamps “The Salt Of The Earth” and our company, Salt Lamp Creations, LLC sells 16 different styles on their website http://www.SaltLampCreations.com/
So…while some claim that the Salt Lamp is the perfect Natural cure for Allergies, be very skeptical. We like them because they are naturally beautiful.
Consumers Get Questionable Information on the Health Benefits Of Salt Lamps
OK…I’ll admit it. I’ve got allergies. But I am not alone. Misery indeed appears to love company.Unfortunately, some less than reputable Internet Salt Lamp companies are preying on innocent consumers who are seeking relief…that is how I first heard about Salt Lamps.
When the FDA gets wind of some of the Health claims being made by Internet Salt Lamp companies, there will be a lot of red faces and slapped hands. Claiming they can cure everything from Asthma to Sleep Disorders, they are the latest incarnation of the Snake Oil salesman of the past.
As reported by Reuters Health, findings published in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, clinical studies found that that more than half ( 54.3 percent ) of the U.S. population is sensitive to one or more common allergens, placing them at increased risk for the development of asthma, hay fever, and eczema. Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences ( NIEHS ) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, both components of the National Institutes of Health, conducted the studies.
So what do I do about my allergies? The list of possible side effects from popular allergy medications sounds just too risky. I’d rather sneeze!
I seek relief, but, like many others, try to avoid medications. Recently I tried fancy Negative Ion Generators from marketers like Sharper Image and Brookstone that boldly claim that they will quietly and unobtrusively rid the air I breathe of dander, pollen and other airborne allergens. With my machine placed in the optimal spot in my living room, as instructed in the directions that accompanied my “clean air machine”, I sat waiting for what they called the “post-thunderstorm effect”. It seems that the air is cleanest and purest just after a thunderstorm. This was due to the “fact” that Negative Ions were recoded at their highest level after these meteorological events.
SHAME ON THEM!
No such luck… Mine did nothing but attract dust to its replaceable filter from within a few foot radius of the machine. Even if they did do what they said they could, I would to have at least one in every room in my house and another strapped on my back for when I ventured outdoors. I was still sneezing… but now I was out over $300.00
Next try, the Natural approach. I was told that Salt Lamps ( Yes, lamps made from Natural Salt mined in the Himalayas ) were being advertised as Nature’s Ionizer, and that they were scientifically proven to clean and freshen the air in my “personal space”. According to the Internet ads, you just plug them in and immediately the air would be pure and allergies would disappear.
SHAME ON THEM TOO!
I experienced nothing more than with the machines. The Salt, which is a hygroscopic material ( pulls moisture from the air ), did indeed attract some airborne dust from the air. But I didn’t experience it “generating” Negative Ions that in any way purified the air. Upon doing more research, the fine print on some sites shows that you would need one lamp for every 6 square feet of space, or 20 of these $50 lamps for a small size bedroom.
Salt Lamps have only been sold in the US for about 5 years, and still most people have never heard of them. There are some 7,300,000 references to them on Google, and in Spain and Germany they are commonplace, often sold at Grocery stores, but ask anyone on the street if they have heard of a Salt Lamp and they will look at you with a blank stare!
So, they didn’t help my allergies one bit but I did find the lamps beautiful to look at…amazed that something “created” at the beginning of time, could be affordably mined, carved into Natural and Geometric shapes and offered to the public at affordable prices.
I was intrigued by the warm glow of these translucent rocks of salt crystal, cored to hold a bulb or a tea light candle that illuminates the striated colorations of the lamp from within. And all my friends wanted to know where they could get one.
So I created a company that would steer clear of most of the Health claims and focus instead on finding the source of the most beautiful colors and best carved lamps available. Today we sell top grade and beautifully colored Salt Lamps and Natural Salt Tea Lights, attractively packaged to sell to upscale “urban living” stores.
With pictures showing Salt Lamps in use as Night Lights in a child’s bedroom and as replacements for the cheap looking tea lights on restaurant tables, we are hopeful that people will appreciate these lamps for their Natural beauty. If indeed there are any Health benefits that will certainly be a plus.
In our research of the claims being made about the miracle Salt Lamp cure we did find some evidentiary information about the use of Salt in the bathtub for soothing sore muscles ( think Epsom Salts ) and some documentation about the use of Salt to reduce the irritation of Eczema and Psoriasis…so we sell Salt Bars and Bath Salts.
At a teenaged cousin’s suggestion we created Cool Color Crystal Salt Lamps that come with 6 different colored bulbs so now you can change the color of your Salt Lamp to match your mood or your décor.
During Christmas a priest suggested a devotional series so we created 3 carved cross styles that have a verse plate with a quote from Matthew 5:13-14 - - You Are The Salt OF The Earth…. You Are The Light Of The World.
How appropriate!
The market for Salt Lamps is growing rapidly in the USA. Currently you will find them in Natural Food stores and Health Spas and some New Age Crystal shops.Soon they will reach the more mainstream market and these beautiful works of Nature will be the freshest new gift idea for any special occasion. A unique gift that will last forever.We named our Himalayan Crystal Salt Lamps “The Salt Of The Earth” and our company, Salt Lamp Creations, LLC sells 16 different styles on their website http://www.SaltLampCreations.com/
So…while some claim that the Salt Lamp is the perfect Natural cure for Allergies, be very skeptical. We like them because they are naturally beautiful.
posted by Jerry | 10:29 AM
5 Comments:
I have heard of people who swear by them as "healing" asthma and of others who say that the air is purer since they started using a Salt Lamp.
All I have seen is that the people who work with the salt lamps (loading and unloading them from trucks or packing them as shipments to customers) have had skin conditions improve. And I have felt good after a bath in the Natural Salt Crystals dissolved in hot water.
Other than that I am still a skeptic.
Hi Falkon
It would seem that more people would be turned on by how cool these lamps look...they are a natural piece of art!
The reality is that the majority of consumers are always searching for "the magic cure" and the Salt Lamp joins the list of hopefuls.
I don't believe that the sellers who promote what the customers want to hear are evil, or even snake oil salesmen (purveyors of the original cure all).
I think the issue is that each new Salt Lamp company that comes along just piggybacks on to the "prevailing theory" that is being presented by other Salt lamp companies.
With regard to your question about moisture on the lamps...Salt is, by nature, hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture from the air. I am sure you have noticed that when it is humid, the table salt you use will get clumpy. Just keeping your lamp illuminated and warm will prevent most moisture from accumulating. You can also dry them off with a cotton towel.
With regard to your question about dust accumulation...didn't your Mom teach you to keep your house clean! Just kidding... the dust is a result of the negative ion charge that is emitted from the lamps. I don't deny that Salt Lamps produce negative ions, only how much they are able to produce and what effect the limited amount that are produced by a single Salt Lamp can do to improve your health.
Never said they didn't help clear the air in their direct vicinity!
You can read about Salt Lamps and find answers to other questions here:
http://www.saltlampcreations.com/faq.html
Just a quick update. The world is going crazy with battles raging everywhere. We often forget that the people who are just trying to survive are bunched together with the extremists in their countries. Underneath all the headlines there are regular people... all seeking a peaceful safe life for themselves and their families. Most Salt Lmaps come from Pakistan, an ally of the USA but also much in the news being labeled a terrorist training ground. We assure you that the suppliers used by www.SaltLampCreations.com are peace loving people with a messy situation all around them.
Just an update. SOme new sites are saying that Salt Lamps reduce snoring. I just asked my wife if my snoring has been reduced suince I started having Salt Lamps in the bedroom and guess what? She said yes. (Of course I wouldn't know...I am sound asleep!) Check them out at www.SaltLampCrations.com
Free Shipping now too!
Today I received a question from a woman who wanted me to compare the effects of an electronic Ionizer to the Aire Cleansing effects of Salt Lamps. If you have been reading my blog you know I am more appreciative of the aesthetic qualities inherent in Salt Lamps than the curative claims being made on so many of the sites on line.
If there is some healthful help provided by the salt lamps, and indeed many of the people that buy them on the www.SaltLampCreations.com site send testimonials about their healthful effects, so be it.
But... and this is a BIG BUT... for us as lay "marketers" and not licensed physicians, to make claims that people may rely on, despite advice from their doctors, is foolish at best and potentially harmful.
Let's just promote Salt Lamps as Natures Gift!
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