Help me please!

[ecoli]

Hey guys,

 

I was wondering if anyone could direct me (or help me tackle directly) to information.

 

My mother is dangerously close into buying into this particular bit of pseudoscience:

http://www.naturalsaltcrystallamps.com/how-salt-lamps-work.html

 

I need to create a scientifically sound argument to present to her before she falls further off the ladder.

[insane_alien]

well for one. a TV is 60Hz, you could make an arguement for computer monitors being 120Hz is suppose.

 

the brain produces many frequencies upto around 50Hz and it'll go below the 8Hz stated at the site.

 

also, a salt crystal will not ionize the air unless one(or more) of these conditions is true

 

1/ the crystal has a very large negative charge

 

2/ it is incredibly(and we're talking thousands of degrees here) hot.

 

also crystals have never been proven to have an effect on the body(and their resonant frequencies tend to be incredibly high a few kHz is more likely than 8-10Hz)

[JillSwift]

Oh my goodness gracious that page is one of the best examples I've ever seen of words that don't mean much of anything.

 

More than solid science, critical thinking skills are what's needed to take that page apart.

 

One primary thing to note about what they're up to, is they carefully make no claims. For instance:

 

To what extent a salt crystal lamp can be employed for natural irradiation therapy, is yet to be seen without further research. However, salt crystal lamps have been used therapeutically for years.

This sounds impressive, but what they're saying is, there's no research to back their claims, and all they have going for them is that others have "used it therapeutically", which leaves any level of success unclaimed while sounding like it's an established therapy.

 

It's bunk not just because of the pseudoscience, but because they're clever little liars.

[Mr Skeptic]

Eh, the lamps look pretty.

 

How about the last bit of this one: http://www.chamberofcommerce.pl/ionization/

Edited September 14, 2009 by Mr Skeptic

[ecoli]

She already bought the lamp. It has a very pretty warm orange glow. Also, it's nice and salty to lick.

 

Thanks for the references, guys.

[JillSwift]

She already bought the lamp. It has a very pretty warm orange glow. Also, it's nice and salty to lick.

 

Thanks for the references, guys.

Oh no! Not the orange one! That will interfere with the feng shui of her left bilateral chakra's chi flow!

 

...

 

Where's that come from? =>.>=

 

[insane_alien]

wellat least if you end up short on salt in your salt shaker...