In 1843, a Polish surgeon was working in the famous salt mine in Wieliczka, near Krakow, studying the long-term effects that their operating enviroment had on the miners’ health. His name was Feliks Boczkowski and it was he who first determined that the microclimate rich in salt aerosol has positive effects on our health. In 1958, the world’s first salt sanatorium was built in Wieliczka.
The essence of halotherapy is being in an enclosed space (salt cave) filled with dry salt aerosol. The treatment has a wide spectrum of uses. Sodium chloride aerosol stimulates the movement of the cilia and supports the natural immune responses. It is recommended for almost all disease of the respiratory system. Lot of researches have been conducted to evaluate the method’s effectiveness. One of them tested 596 children with bronchial asthma. After 3-4 days of sessions in the salt cave, 92% of them feeled a significant improvement in their breathing.
Halotherapy is also beneficial in treating allergies. In patients with allergy to pollens were obtained 82 % improvement. Favourable effect of halotherapy has also been found in cases of recurring hives, psoriasis, purulent dermatitis, acne and mycotic diseases. It has also a positive influence on humoral and cellular immunity, as well as on the body’s non-specific immunological processes and it also helps to reduce susceptibility to allergies.
Halotherapy can also be helpful in the fight against the cardiovascular diseases to which more and more people are falling victim as the population ages. Visit in salt cave is very helpful for allergy. The active negative ions stimulate the metabolism and have a positive effect on the endocrine system, the gastrointestinal tract, the cardiovascular system and the mucous membranes of the respiratory system.
