History

The origins of salt therapy lie in Eastern and Central Europe and can be traced back to the mid 19th Century, when a Polish health official, Dr. Felix Boczkowski, noticed that the workers of salt mines never became ill with any lung diseases.

Since that time, many salt sanatoriums were carved out in salt mountains all across Eastern and Central Europe (the Carpathians), hundreds of feet below the surface, specifically for asthmatics and patients with lung disease and allergies. The treatment of respiratory diseases by inhalation of fine rock salt particles and negative ions of sodium chloride, in salt caves or salt mines, is called Speleotherapy.

Speleotherapy has been recognized as an effective complementary treatment for patients with various forms of chronic pulmonary diseases and is covered by the Health Ministry in many European countries.

Salt Therapy, also known as Halotherapy, is a therapeutic method based on Speleotherapy, which is prolonged exposure to the specific microclimate of caves, salt mines, and grottos.

Many countries, including Austria, Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Kirgizia, Romania, Russia, Poland, Slovenia, and Ukraine among others have Speleotherapy clinics. Salt aerosol plays an important role in the relief of health problems, and is used for patients with respiratory diseases.

Salt Room

In the early 90’s of the last century the limited presence of suitable salt mines or salt caves in the world gave a reason to start exploring the possibilities of recreating the micro- climate above ground.

Halotherapy/Speleotherapy is now being reconstructed by creating identical micro-climate in surface-based salt rooms. Dry salt aerosol is combined with comfort conditions of procedure capability for wide application.

Halotherapy Studies

Chronic Lung Diseases, with controlled placebo studies have shown that the inclusion of halotherapy into the rehabilitation course of pulmonary pathology patients allows achieving the maximal therapeutic effects by 82-96% of patients along with the most optimal use of pharmacotherapy.

Dry sodium chloride aerosol results in the decrease or disappearance of lung disease symptoms in the pulmonary system.

Prevention of the common cold, during clinical observation of three month, there were fourteen cases of cold and 104 days marked by symptoms of acute respiratory viral infection. In the control group there were 55 cases of cold and 585 days of symptoms.

Pollen allergies, with dry sodium aerosol airborne eliminated pollen particles from the airways. The air composition strengthens the immune system and better immune system helps decrease allergic reaction to pollen.

Dermatology and Aesthetics, with dry sodium chloride aerosol increases the activity of skin cell ion channels and activates electrophysiological activity that determines skin protective properties. Normalizing the skin autoflora composition, bacteriostatic, antiedematous and anti-inflammatory effect after salt therapy is determined. Halotherapy has a revitalizing and cleansing effect of the skin.

Other data and studies of Halotherapy range from Bronchial Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Bronchitis, Chronic non-Obstructive bronchitis, acute bronchitis, Pneumonia, Bronchiectasis disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Pneumoconiosis, Pollinosis, Chronic Rhinitis and Rhinosinusopathy maxillary sinusitis, chronic pharyngitis, Tonsillitis, Laryngotracheitis and skin diseases.