The heavier the lamp, the better it's supposed to work. I've never really had the common allergies(sneezing, coughing, etc), so I'm not sure if it has had any effect in that department. It's definitely relaxing though, and when I have it on all day the room doesn't smell/feel stale. Hard to describe. Go to your local Marshalls and look in the home goods section, that's where I found mine and they were cheap.