Himalayan salt lamps, made of large chunks of pink salt mined from the Punjab region of Pakistan near the Himalayan mountain range, emit a soft, warm glow. And depending on who you ask, they also offer a range of therapeutic effects. Online stores and wellness sites claim that the lamps release negative ions, absorb positive ones, and ease health issues as diverse as asthma and mood disorders.
Holistic health practitioner Kimberly Petree, says that this is because when the lamps release ions, they’re filtering the air. When pressed to explain, she says, these “are the same negative ions that are released by a moving body of water or during a thunderstorm. The salt is attracted to water. These small amounts of water carry bacteria, mold, and allergens. The salt lamp traps the water and the substance it carries and cleans the air.”
[quote position="left" is_quote="true"]I don’t think that the ions coming off of one lamp are enough to have a major effect on physical ailments.[/quote]
For this reason, Petree tells her clients to use the lamps for a better night’s sleep and for help with ailments like allergies or even anxiety. But Dr. Stephania Sciamano, a naturopathic physician and shaman, has a different perspective. Though the lamps do in fact give off negative ions, “I don’t think that the ions coming off of one lamp are enough to have a major effect on physical ailments. You would need several lamps to flood the room with ions.”
Sciamano isn’t alone. In the medical community, it would be an understatement to suggest that there are doubts as to whether the salt lamps offer any scientifically viable health benefits. As noted in Alex Kasprak’s recent salt lamp fact-check on Snopes.com, one of the most shared papers touting the lamps’ supposed effects, published in 2010 in the Pakistan Journal of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, wasn’t peer-reviewed—while an exhaustive 2013 review of relevant experiments found that “exposure to negative or positive air ions does not appear to play an appreciable role in respiratory function.”
Dr. James Giordano, professor in the departments of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center, points out that the lamps’ negative ions may not be the only reason they make people feel better. “As even the most ardent skeptics will note, these lamps do indeed produce a rather pleasant ambient light. A number of well-controlled studies have examined the effects of varying wavelengths of light on brain functions. There is good evidence that affecting the type and quality of ambient lighting can evoke some reasonably strong neurophysiological effects.”
Our bodies respond to a variety of environmental stimuli and cues, says Giordano—and our responses can be “bottom-up,” which means that they can start with our bodily sensations and then travel to our brain, where our moods can be improved. “It is also possible that such changes in brain network and chemical activity induce ‘top-down’ effects, which, in turn, can engage neurological mechanisms that control a variety of bodily functions to change our physiology.”
In layman’s terms: A Himalayan salt lamp is technically producing a placebo effect, which is generally defined as “a physiopsychological response to factors that we find pleasing,” he says.
Dr. Giordano’s extensive research into the neurocognitive functions of placebo effects has demonstrated to him that, although many people equate placebo effects with “sham” or bogus medicine, that isn’t quite the right way to view it. A growing body of research suggests “that a host of differing factors in our environments can induce such changes in brain activity, and these responses can be conditioned, learned, and, in some cases, be rather powerful,” he says.
[quote position="right" is_quote="true"]If something as simple and natural as a salt lamp makes people feel better, why not try it?[/quote]
Dr. Sciamano agrees with this view. “My approach is that if something makes you feel better, without any harm, then it counts as medicine,” she says. “If something as simple and natural as a salt lamp makes people feel better, why not try it?”
Although Himalayan salt lamps do not have much science to back up any claims that they work, that doesn’t mean that they are wholly ineffectual. It would be inappropriate to equate anecdotal evidence with scientific evidence—but that doesn’t mean we should entirely dismiss anecdotal evidence. If you find that a salt lamp reduces your stress, don’t overthink it. As long as it isn’t actively damaging your physical or mental health, use the method that soothes what ails you.
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Why do some folks use social media but don't engage?
Psychologist says people who never comment on social media share these 5 positive traits
For over 20 years, social media has developed into a staple in many people’s day-to-day lives. Whether it’s to keep in communication with friends and family, following the thoughts of celebrities, or watching cat videos while sipping your morning coffee, there seem to be two types of social media users: commenters and lurkers.
The term “lurker” sounds equally mysterious and insidious, with some social media users writing them off as non-participants at best or voyeurs at worst. However, mindfulness expert Lachlan Brown believes these non-commenters have some very psychologically positive and healthy traits. Let’s take a look at how each one of these traits could be beneficial and see how fruitful lurking might be even though it can drive content creators crazy.
1. Cautious about vulnerability
Consciously or not, making a post online or commenting on one puts you and your words out there. It’s a statement that everyone can see, even if it’s as simple as clicking “like.” Doing so opens yourself up to judgment, with all the good, bad, and potential misinterpretation that comes with it. Non-commenters would rather not open themselves up to that.
These silent users are connected to a concept of self-protection by simply not engaging. By just scrolling past posts or just reading/watching them without commentary, they’re preventing themselves from any downsides of sharing an opinion such as rejection, misunderstanding, or embarrassment. They also have more control on how much of themselves they’re willing to reveal to the general public, and tend to be more open face-to-face or during one-on-one/one-on-few private chats or DMs. This can be seen as a healthy boundary and prevents unnecessary exposure.
Considering many comment sections, especially involving political topics, are meant to stir negative emotional responses to increase engagement, being extra mindful about where, when, and what you comment might not be a bad idea. They might not even take the engagement bait at all. Or if they see a friend of theirs post something vulnerable, they feel more motivated to engage with them personally one-on-one rather than use social media to publicly check in on them.
2. Analytical and reflective mindset
How many times have you gone onto Reddit, YouTube, or any other site and just skimmed past comments that are just different versions of “yes, and,” “no, but,” or “yes, but”? Or the ever insightful, formerly popular comment “First!” in a thread? These silent browsers lean against adding to such noise unless they have some valid and thoughtful contribution (if they bother to comment period).
These non-posters are likely wired on reflective thinking rather than their initial intuition. Not to say that all those who comment aren’t thoughtful, but many tend to react quickly and comment based on their initial feelings rather than absorbing the information, thinking it over, researching or testing their belief, and then posting it. For "lurkers," it could by their very nature to just do all of that and not post it at all, or share their thoughts and findings privately with a friend. All in all, it’s a preference of substance over speed.
3. High sense of self-awareness
Carried over from the first two listed traits, these silent social media users incorporate their concern over their vulnerability and their reflective mindset into digital self-awareness. They know what triggers responses out of them and what causes them to engage in impulsive behavior. It could be that they have engaged with a troll in the past and felt foolish. Or that they just felt sad after a post or got into an unnecessary argument that impacted them offline. By knowing themselves and seeing what’s being discussed, they choose to weigh their words carefully or just not participate at all. It’s a form of self-preservation through restraint.
4. Prefer to observe rather than perform
Some folks treat social media as information, entertainment, or a mix of both, and commenting can feel like they’re yelling at the TV, clapping alone in a movie theater when the credits roll, or yelling “That’s not true!” to a news anchor that will never hear them. But contrary to that, social media is a place where those yells, claps, and accusations can be seen and get a response. By its design, social media is considered by experts and the media as performative, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. Taking all of the previously mentioned traits into account, one can see why they would prefer to “observe the play” rather than get up on the stage of Facebook or X.
On top of that, these non-commenters could be using social media differently than those who choose to fully engage with it. Using this type of navigation, there may be nothing for them to comment about. Some commenters are even vying for this for their mental health. There are articles about how to better curate your social media feeds and manipulate algorithms to create a better social media experience to avoid unnecessary conflict or mentally tiring debate.
If you go on a blocking spree on all of your accounts and just follow the posters that boost you, it could turn your social media into a nice part of your routine as you mainly engage with others face-to-face or privately. In terms of commenting, if your curated Instagram is just following cute dogs and all you have to offer for a comment is “cute dog,” you might just enjoy the picture and then move on with your day rather than join in the noise. These non-commenters aren’t in the show and they’re fine with it.
5. Less motivated by social validation
The last trait that Brown showcases is that social media users who browse without posting tend to be independent from external validation, at least online. Social media is built to grow through feedback loops such as awarding likes, shares, and reposts of your content along with notifications letting you know that a new person follows you or wants to connect. This can lead many people to connect their activity on social media with their sense of self worth, especially with adolescents who are still figuring out their place in the world and have still-developing brains.
Engaging in social media via likes, shares, comments, and posts rewards our brains by having them release dopamine, which makes us feel good and can easily become addictive. For whatever reason, non-commenters don’t rely on social media as a means to gauge their social capital or self worth. This doesn’t make them better than those who do. While some non-commenters could have healthier ways to boost their self worth or release dopamine into their systems, many get that validation from equally unhealthy sources offline. That said, many non-commenters’ silence could be a display of independence and self confidence.
Whether you frequently comment online or don’t, it’s good to understand why you do or don’t. Analyzing your habits can help you determine whether your online engagement is healthy, or needs to be tweaked. With that information, you can then create a healthy social media experience that works for you.