Are Negative Ion Bracelets Good for One’s Health?

Nowadays, negative ion bracelets are a hot fad. The scientific term “negative ion” in conjunction with unfamiliar words such as tourmaline, titanium, and germanium, seem to make the “healthy bracelets” more mysterious.

A negative ion is a scientific term to describe an atom or molecule that gains electrons or loses protons. There are 110 elements and 37 million types of molecules known to mankind so far. In principle, all atoms or molecules can become negative ions, or anions, by gaining electrons. If they lose electrons then they become positive ions, or cations.

It is baseless that all anions are beneficial for the human body. As a matter of fact, there are various anions that are fatal to humans. Super oxide, a type of active oxygen, is one such fatal anion.

In addition, it is not easy to make jewels such as tourmaline, or metals such as titanium and germanium, which are used in the bracelets, into anions. That is because a great amount of energy is required. Furthermore, the symbol “Ge+” appearing in bracelet advertisements is not a chemical symbol meaning anion, rather, it means cation.

Cations and anions, which are charged with electricity, are too unstable to exist in the air. Advertisements claim that the number of anions radiating from the bracelet amounts to thousands of anions per 0.001 liter of air. However, the number of oxygen and nitrogen molecules in 0.001 liter of air amounts to 3000 quintillions. In other words, that equates to one anion for every three quintillion air molecules. It would be easier to find a needle in a haystack. Hence, it is insufficient to claim that anions, with their extremely minute existence, are beneficial to one’s health.

There are claims that the reason for feeling good when strolling in a dense forest is due to the mysterious anion. However, in truth, the effects of the forest come from the clean air and quiet environment. When one doesn’t know the exact meaning of scientific terms, it is difficult to stay healthy, and one might even lose money in the process.