Salt — that seasoning we are warned not to consume too much of — can bring healing powers to our skin and lungs.
It’s pretty simple. You sit in a room devoid of moisture and humidity and filled with salt as you relax, read, listen to music, meditate or perhaps sleep. And you breathe.
In halotherapy, the dry, micro, pure salt particles go deep into your respiratory system and reduce inflammation and absorb mucus in your airway while dissolving bacteria and pollutants. Pure sodium chloride is put into a device called a halogenerator that crushes and grinds the salt into micro-sized particles to disperse the salt aerosol.
In short, salt is extremely absorbent, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory.
This therapy is said to help such respiratory conditions as:
- Bronchitis
- COPD
- Cystic fibrosis
- Viral, sinus, ear infections
- Sinusitis, coughs, colds, flu
- Asthma, allergies
- Emphysema
And such skin conditions as:
- Acne
- Psoriasis
- Eczema
- Scaly skin
- Itching
Halotherapy, with its history tied to Polish salt miners who did not experience the respiratory issues or lung diseases of other types of miners, has shown itself to relieve stress and anxiety, headaches, lethargy and fatigue, and snoring and sleeping problems while elevating mood and mental alertness.
Athletes have reported increased fitness performance, improved breathing, increased lung capacity, shorten recovery time and increased endurance.
According to the Salt Therapy Association, based out of Boca Raton, Florida, children and animals also can benefit by halotherapy. For general respiratory hygiene, the association recommends once or twice weekly visits to a salt therapy facility “to enhance the lung capacity boost the immune system, reduce stress and aid better sleep.”
More information on halotherapy and other salt therapies can be found at www.salttherapyassociation.org.
