Ions are created when an atom gains or loses electrons or protons.
Trion:Z is one of many brands of negative ion bracelets. Negative ions are frequently touted by alternative medicine advocates for their many health benefits such as aiding the immune system and treating depression. Critics point out that there is no evidence that negative ion bracelets produce any real effects. Makers of some brands have even been sued for misleading claims.
Ions
An ion is an atom that has developed an electrical charge by gaining or losing one or more protons or electrons. An atom becomes a positively charged ion if it loses electrons or gains protons. Positively charged ions are also called cations. An atom becomes a negatively charged ion if it loses protons or gains electrons. Negatively charged ions are also called anions.
Supposed Benefits
Alternative health advocates have made a wide range of claims about the benefits of negative ions. Negative ions supposedly improve immunity, diminish fatigue, cure depression, increase concentration, relieve migraines, increase lung capacity and even stabilize the brain's alpha rhythms. On the other hand, exposure to positive ions from sources such as TVs, radiation and computers supposedly damage cells and have a role in cancer and aging. Alternative health advocates claim that negative ion bracelets relieve these problems by balancing positive ions with negative ions.
Trion:Z
On their website, Trion:Z points out that negative ions are abundant in the natural world and are created by sources such as plants, forests, rain storms and waterfalls. However, according to Trion:Z the abundance of modern technology depletes negative ions in urban areas. Trion:Z claims that their bracelets contain negative ion-producing minerals while their necklaces and wrist bands contain a special textile made from a fiber called Mineon that actually contains ion-producing minerals. Trion:Z claims that their bracelets help improve the performance of professional athletes such as golfers by reducing stress, relieving pain and improving concentration.
Do They Work
Trion:Z bracelets probably don't work. For example at the website Quackwatch, Dr. Stephen Barrett pointed out the preposterous nature of claims made by the manufacturers of the similar Q-Ray bracelet. The manufacturers of the Q-Ray claim that good health depends on an unimpeded flow of electrical energy that only occurs when positive and negative ions are in balance. However, as Barrett points out, ions exist throughout the body. He also points out that solid objects can't be ionized, so even if ionic imbalance did occur, so-called ionic bracelets wouldn't affect it. The results of a 2002 study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic suggested that ionic bracelets probably had no effect on pain. In 2003, the Federal Trade Commission charged the manufacturers of the Q-Ray with making false claims. In 2006, the federal circuit court in Chicago ruled in favor of the FTC and ordered the manufacturers of the Q-Ray to pay out $ 64.5 million in refunds. In 2004, the FTC made similar charges against the marketers of another negative ion bracelet called the Balance Bracelet.
Tags: negative ions, manufacturers Q-Ray, negative bracelets, that negative, also called, Alternative health, Alternative health advocates
