Why dry salt therapy or halotherapy?
Today, more and more people are suffering from respiratory issues. From pollution and smog to airborne diseases, pollens and toxins; never before has our society been faced with a growing epidemic of respiratory ailments. Salt therapy also enhances and impacts various skin conditions. Salt therapy has been researched over the past few decades and even centuries in history as proven to be a safe alternative and compliments other treatments to produce sustainable results.
About dry salt therapy or halotherapy
Most people are familiar with ‘wet’ salt therapy. Whether you’ve put salt in a bath, had a saline solution treatment, used a Nettie pot to clear your nasal passages, or gargled with salt water, wet salt has its benefits. Dry salt is different and the drier the salt the better. That is why S.A.L.T. Chamber’s protocols include heating the salt prior to putting it into the salt chamber. Heat ensures that all moisture is evaporated so when it is crushed and ground into microparticles and inhaled, the salt particles can do their best job.
How it works
Dry pharmaceutical grade salt is heated and then it is ground and crushed into very tiny microparticles. These dry aerosol microparticles of salt are then dispersed into the salt room during a typical session. As the person relaxes in the salt room, the microparticles are inhaled. The particles penetrate deep into the lungs, bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli. While inside the salt room, the non-inhaled salt particles fall onto the skin.
Benefits of dry salt therapy
Who benefits
Halotherapy benefits adults and children alike, as well as athletes and animals. It is natural and safe and there are no side effects. A majority of people who visit salt rooms on a regular basis may find relief from a variety of respiratory conditions such as asthma, allergies, common cold, bronchitis, COPD, cystic fibrosis, and more. Dry salt therapy is great for people who also have particular skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, and recovering from cosmetic surgery.
However, one does not need to have any conditions since dry salt therapy is very beneficial for overall general wellness by removing the toxicity from the respiratory system. People are exposed on a daily basis to pollutants, airborne diseases, bacteria, allergens and other irritating and harmful factors. Halotherapy is an excellent way to cleanse and detox the lungs as well as invigorate the whole body with increased lung capacity and oxygen intake.
For general respiratory hygiene, once or twice a week visiting your local salt therapy facility will enhance the lung capacity, boost the immune system, reduce stress, and aid better sleep.
More chronic and acute respiratory conditions require increased frequency and consistency of the sessions. Experiencing salt therapy three to seven times a week for a period of 14 to 21 days will help to manage the symptoms and provide relief over time.
For more information on the benefits of dry salt therapy or halotherapy: https://www.salttherapyassociation.org/about-salt-therapy/benefits/
Contraindications
Halotherapy is recognized as a safe and effective wellness practice for preventive and restorative health care. It is not a medical treatment and does not offer a cure! Halotherapy is not recommended for people with contagious diseases, fever, open wounds, cancer, severe hypertension, mental disorders, and active tuberculosis.
Pregnant women should consult with their doctor before using halotherapy. Anyone with serious health concerns needs to seek proper medical advice and care. There are many clinical studies and research, along with testimonials from customers, as to the health benefits and efficacy of salt therapy.
Many countries around the world have varying ways they govern and regulate their citizen’s health-related matters. In some countries, Halotherapy is covered by their Government’s Health Care system or insurance companies.
Information credit: https://www.saltchamberinc.com/salt-therapy-halotherapy/
For more information on the history and background of halotherapy: https://www.salttherapyassociation.org/about-salt-therapy/history-background/
From the American Lung Association:
“Turns out, salt therapy isn’t new at all. Back in 1843, a Polish physician by the name of Feliks Boczkowski noticed that salt mine workers did not experience respiratory issues or lung disease vs other miners. Almost a hundred years later, a German named Karl Hermann Spannagel noticed that his patients’ health improved after hiding out in the salt caves while avoiding heavy bombing during WWII. The news of the benefits of salt therapy spread across Eastern Europe where you can find many locations offering these giant salt rooms today, from Poland to Germany to the UK. It’s even catching on in the States at Korean bath houses where you can sit back, relax and breathe in the salty air while in a room made entirely out of giant slabs of Himalayan sea salt.
So how does it work? Well, the scientific community isn’t really sure. There are a lot of theories on the how, from the tiny salt particles being inhaled killing off microorganisms in the lungs to reducing inflammation and decreasing mucus, or a mixture of these hypothesis.
Dr. Norman Edelman, Senior Scientific Advisor to the American Lung Association, suggests that potentially, it could be more than just a placebo effect. Most people with obstructive lung disease such as asthma or COPD cough sputum (a thick mixture of saliva and mucus), and trying to bring it up can be distressing. (Think about the last time you had bronchitis, for instance.) Dr. Edelman suggests that it’s possible that salt therapy offers relief to these symptoms.
“When fine salt particles are inhaled, they will fall on the airway linings and draw water into the airway, thinning the mucous and making it easier to raise, thus making people feel better,” said Dr. Edelman. “Also, these environments are allergen-free and thus good for people with allergies affecting their lungs.””
– http://www.lung.org/about-us/blog/2016/06/promising-placebo-salt-halotherapy.html
At Bee Happy Wellness we plan to have an active salt room or active halotherapy. This is very different from a sauna with salt on the walls or simply just a room decorated with salt.
“Active salt rooms include a halogenerator and are primarily based on providing a controlled way of providing micro-particles of salt in the air to be inhaled and exposed to the skin. This can be achieved only by a special piece of equipment known as a halogenerator. Pure sodium chloride is placed into the halogenerator, which then crushes and grinds the salt into micro-sized particles and disperses the salt aerosol into the air. This type of dry salt therapy is known as Halotherapy.”
– https://www.salttherapyassociation.org/about-salt-therapy/types-of-salt-therapy/
Follow us on:“Active dry salt therapy is simple to understand. There are three primary characteristics of pure sodium chloride, NaCl, known as salt:
- Salt is super absorbent (especially when it is completely dry)
- Salt is anti-bacterial
- Salt is anti-inflammatory
This type of dry salt is placed into a halogenerator that then precisely grinds the salt into specific micro-sized particles and then disperses the salt aerosol into the air in a closed environment such as a room or chamber.
As the salt travels in the salt room, these salt particles of dry sodium chloride are inhaled into the respiratory system. The dry salt naturally starts absorbing allergens, toxins and foreign substances into your lungs and throughout your respiratory tract. Dry salt may help to reduce inflammation and open airway passages. The micro-sized crystal structure of pure NaCl particles breaks loose and clears out all of the ‘bad stuff’. This is the basis for how dry salt therapy can impact people suffering from respiratory conditions like allergies, asthma, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, COPD and others.
The properties of dry salt also absorb impurities and provide anti-bacterial properties that benefit the skin such as acne, psoriasis and eczema as well as regulates the skin’s micro-circulation. The smaller particles can reach beneath the skin’s surface and absorb moisture towards the skin. The larger salt particles land on the skin and absorb any bacterial and foreign substances. The dry salt accelerates cell rejuvenation and improves skin rigidity.
The climate conditions in a dry salt room therefore must maintain certain temperature and humidity levels and proper ventilation to ensure the efficacy of the salt therapy and provide a ‘clean-air’ environment for the consumer.”
– https://www.salttherapyassociation.org/about-salt-therapy/how-and-why-it-works/
