26 Apr The therapeutic role of salt
The therapeutic role of salt has been known to mankind for centuries, but it was first documented in 1843 by the Polish therapist Felix Bochkowski. He noticed that the people working in the salt mines in Poland enjoyed excellent health and good spirits despite their harsh working conditions and meager diet.
This sparked Bochkowski’s interest, and after researching on salt caves, he found out the positive effects the miners were experiencing were due to the salt-saturated air they breathed daily. Thus, gradually, salt mines in Poland and Eastern Europe became popular sanatoriums, attracting visitors from around the world. But concerns about safety in the mines, difficult accessibility, and the high costs necessary to visit them lead to the development of halotherapy — salt therapy, in artificially created rooms equipped with special devices called halogenerators.
Many clinical studies have been conducted, and the results show that after a series of procedures completed within a certain period of time (at least twice a week), it becomes easier for patients to breathe, symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath are improved, and the need for medication decreases significantly.
There have been promising results from a study conducted in 15 Russian hospitals (between 1991-1994) with more than 4,700 patients (both adults and children) who suffered from various lung diseases. Halotherapy courses were conducted in 10 to 20-day sessions. And the study found that after the treatment, there was an improvement of the clinical conditions in:
– 85% of mild and moderate cases of asthma;
– 75% of severe cases of asthma;
– 97% of cases with chronic bronchitis and sinusitis.
The long-term follow-up of the condition of the same patients one year after the salt therapy found a decrease in the frequency of exacerbations and chronic symptoms.
What is the healing effect of salt caused by?
- Salt has antibacterial, anti-mycotic, and anti-inflammatory effects (it’s been established that the environment in salt rooms is three times more sterile than even the cleanest surgical room).
- Salt has the natural ability to emit negative ions, thus neutralizing the positive charge in our bodies. Positive ions are emitted by all the electrical devices we are surrounded by in our daily lives, creating the so-called electrosmog. They accumulate in the body, disrupting the natural balance of ions. The consequences are poor health, extreme fatigue, insomnia, stress, and irritability.
What happens when you inhale salt air? Salt molecules consist of one positive sodium ion and one negative chloride ion. When the salty air is inhaled, the salt molecule enters the moist airways of the lungs, where it breaks down, releasing the negative ion. Studies show that the release of negative ions during salt therapy:
- reduces stress, headache, fatigue, and depression;
- enhances energy and concentration;
- strengthens the immune system and the resistance forces of the body;
- stabilizes sleep
- improves mood.
You can read more about our salt rooms here and book a session.