Content
- 1 The history of the appearance of the salt cave
- 2 How the salt cave works
- 3 Indications for visiting the salt caves
- 4 Why the salt room is useful
- 5 Salt caves in cosmetology
- 6 The benefits of salt caves for children
- 7 Why the salt cave is useful for the elderly
- 8 Is it possible for pregnant women to go to the salt cave
- 9 How is the procedure
- 10 How often can you visit the salt cave
- 11 Who is not recommended to visit the salt cave
- 12 Complications after visiting the halo chamber
- 13 Conclusion
- 14 Reviews of doctors and specialists
- 15 Feedback from visitors
Salt caves (medical name - halochambers) are very popular these days. These caves provide a room whose walls, floor and ceiling are completely covered with salt. Any layman knows that the vapors of this mineral have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system and the immune system. But not everyone knows the true benefits and harms of the salt cave.
The history of the appearance of the salt cave
The beneficial properties of inhaled salt vapors were known even in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Even then, it was understood that salt heals the body and strengthens the immune system.
The first artificial salt cave was built in 1976. It was designed by the doctor P.P. Gorbenko. The halo chamber was placed in a speleotherapeutic hospital in the village of Solotvino. Salt mines became more widespread in the 90s, when they began to be used for the purpose of recovery throughout Russia.
How the salt cave works
The benefits of treatment in the salt room are due to the presence of a special microclimate in it. Temperature, humidity, pressure, ion saturation - all these indicators are strictly verified. The air in the salt caves is completely sterile. Therefore, the multiplication of bacteria and other pathogenic microorganisms in it is excluded.
From the name it is clear that the main useful property of the halochamber is provided by the smallest particles of salt sprayed into the air. In artificially created salt caves, sodium and potassium chlorides are used. The size of the particles is from 1 to 5 microns. Due to this size, the salt freely penetrates the airways.
Indications for visiting the salt caves
It may seem that a visit to the salt cave will not do any harm. But it's still a medical procedure. Therefore, to get the most out of the salt chambers, you need to use it strictly according to the indications. These include:
- chronic diseases of the pulmonary system;
- allergic manifestations;
- skin diseases (dermatoses);
- pathology of the heart and blood vessels;
- mental disorders (chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression);
- hormonal disorders (diabetes mellitus, thyroid disease);
- recovery period after acute respiratory viral diseases, influenza.
Why the salt room is useful
The benefits and harms of salt mines are incomparable. With a reasonable approach and the absence of contraindications, they have a beneficial effect on human health. It is believed that 1 session in the salt cave is equivalent to 4 days of rest on the sea coast.
Inhalation of salt vapors improves overall well-being and improves mood. Already after 1 session, patients notice a decrease in fatigue, a release of internal stress.Due to the high concentration of negative ions in the air of the salt cave, metabolic processes are faster. This brings the body into tone.
Another useful property of the halochamber is an increase in general and local immunity. The resistance to pathogenic microbes increases, the activity of lymphocytes - the "guardians" of the body, increases.
Negative ions inhibit the production of inflammatory mediators in the respiratory tract mucosa. Due to this, the intensity of the inflammatory process decreases, tissue edema decreases, and less mucus is produced. In combination with medication, the salt caves fight the symptoms of chronic respiratory diseases:
- cough;
- shortness of breath;
- runny nose;
- sore throat.
The health benefits of the salt cave are not limited to the effects on the respiratory and immune systems. It has a beneficial effect on the processes of hematopoiesis. After several sessions of speleotherapy, the level of hemoglobin rises - a protein necessary for the transport of oxygen to tissues.
Salt caves in cosmetology
Salt treatment is also actively used in cosmetology practice. Salt caves can help get rid of acne or acne. Useful vapors dry the skin and disinfect it. This effect is useful for eczema, allergic rashes.
Salt particles from the halochambers help to rejuvenate the skin. Microcirculation in subcutaneous capillaries and hair follicles is improved. As a result, the cells of the surface of the face are renewed, it becomes smoother and more toned. The hair on the head grows more actively, the growth of new hair is stimulated.
Like no one else, the benefits of salt caves for the body will be appreciated by patients with psoriasis. With the regular passage of the procedure (every day for 30 minutes for 15 days), the severity of itching and the formation of scales are significantly reduced.
The benefits of salt caves for children
The benefits of a salt room are higher for a child than for an adult. The child's body is more labile and susceptible to changes. Therefore, in childhood, it is possible to prevent pathological changes that have already taken root in an adult.
This statement is especially true for mental health. Young hyperactive children in the salt cave relax and calm down. During a speleotherapy session, teenagers are distracted from problems at school, with peers.
For many children during puberty, a condition called vegetative-vascular dystonia (VVD) is characteristic. It is characterized by the instability of the vascular wall tone, sharp changes in blood pressure and heart rate, and emotional lability of the adolescent. In this condition, it is recommended to undergo a course of treatment in the halochamber.
The salt cave is indicated for all diseases of the ENT organs:
- rhinitis - inflammation of the nasal mucosa;
- tracheitis - inflammatory process in the trachea;
- laryngitis - laryngeal infections;
- bronchitis - inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bronchial tree;
- pneumonia - infectious pneumonia.
The benefits of the halochamber for a child are not limited to its medicinal properties. A periodic visit to the salt cave boosts immunity and is an effective prevention of viral and colds.
Why the salt cave is useful for the elderly
Elderly people should weigh the benefits and harms before visiting the salt cave. After all, the elderly are more prone to the development of problems of a vascular, endocrine nature. They have these diseases in a more severe form. And the presence of heart failure, decompensated diseases of the endocrine system are direct contraindications to salt caves. Therefore, it is advisable to consult a doctor before visiting the halochamber.
If there are no contraindications, the benefits of the salt cave for the elderly are very great.Halocamera is an effective prevention of the development of neurodegenerative diseases. These pathologies include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, discirculatory encephalopathy. Inhalation of salt vapors promotes better oxygen supply to the brain, improves the activity of nerve cells and conduction in nerve fibers.
Is it possible for pregnant women to go to the salt cave
The expediency of visiting the halo chamber of a pregnant woman should be decided with her obstetrician-gynecologist. Only the attending physician is able to fully assess the state of health of the girl. You need to be especially careful in the first trimester of pregnancy, when the internal organs of the child are laid. Any impact on the fetus at this moment can lead to serious consequences.
If a woman feels great and her tests are normal, the doctor may recommend visiting a halochamber in order to prevent toxicosis.
How is the procedure
For the client, the passage of the treatment procedure in the halochamber is not difficult. He just needs to go into a special room, lie down on a sun lounger and relax. To make the client feel as comfortable as possible, quiet pleasant music plays in the room and dim light comes out. Just one photo of the salt cave evokes a feeling of calmness and relaxation.
There is an operator's room next to the salt cave. Dry aerosol comes out of this room through a special device - a halogen generator. The air enters the cave after passing through several degrees of filtration in the salt blocks. You need to breathe slowly, calmly. The air saturated with salts passes even into the narrowest bronchi, thoroughly clearing the airways.
How often can you visit the salt cave
The frequency of visiting the salt cave and the duration of the course are strictly individual. They vary depending on the desired effect, the severity of the patient's condition. The doctor, having evaluated all the useful properties and possible harm, will recommend the patient the required duration of the course. This is especially true for young children. The benefits and harms of the salt room for children should be evaluated by a pediatrician.
If we talk about visiting the cave for preventive purposes, it is necessary to undergo a course of treatment every six months to a year. 1 standard course includes 10 procedures. They are done every day or every 2 days. The duration of 1 procedure for adults is from 40 to 60 minutes, for children - from 20 to 30 minutes.
Who is not recommended to visit the salt cave
The commensurability of the benefits and harms of the salt chamber depends on the state in which a person visits it. It is not allowed to visit the cave in the presence of an active inflammatory process, high temperature, severe general condition of the patient.
As for diseases of the cardiovascular, endocrine systems, it is allowed to visit the halochamber only at the stage of compensation of the pathological process. This implies the absence of symptoms of the disease, normal laboratory values. If you go to a salt cave in the presence of heart failure, diabetes mellitus in the stage of decompensation, all the beneficial properties are leveled. This will do a lot of harm, aggravating the course of the underlying disease.
It was mentioned earlier that skin diseases are an indication for the procedure. But in the presence of purulent infections of the skin (phlegmon, abscess), bleeding wounds, erosions and ulcers, it is better to refrain from visiting the halochamber.
Oncological diseases (especially malignant), severe mental disorders, alcohol and drug addiction - in all these conditions, the procedure will only bring harm.
An absolute contraindication to visiting salt mines is hypersensitivity to haloaerosol. In this case, the person will have an allergic reaction. It can be mild (allergic rhinitis, skin rash) or life-threatening (anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema).
Complications after visiting the halo chamber
Although the useful properties of the halochamber are great, in rare cases complications develop after visiting it. This is usually due to the fact that people undergo the procedure, despite the presence of contraindications. But even in their absence, unpleasant symptoms may appear. Most often they are short-lived and go away on their own.
Cough
A cough after a halotherapy session is not uncommon. This is a completely natural effect of the first procedures. A useful property of aerosol is the discharge of stagnant sputum and its dilution. As a result, a wet cough begins. Most often, the symptom appears after the first 2-3 sessions. The cough disappears when the bulk of the sputum has passed and the body is used to the microclimate of the salt room.
The symptom is more typical for small patients. After all, their body is more sensitive to any changes in the environment.
If the cough does not go away after a couple of sessions or if the patient is very worried, it is better to cancel the halotherapy sessions. This could be a sign of aerosol intolerance. Then the procedure will do much more harm than good.
Temperature
An increase in temperature to subfebrile numbers (up to 37.5 ° C) is a normal phenomenon for people with chronic infectious processes. After visiting the salt cave, the body begins to actively fight the infection, which leads to an increase in body temperature.
Runny nose
A runny nose is even more common than a cough. The mechanism of development of these symptoms is similar. A dry aerosol thinns the secretions of the nasal mucosa and promotes its excretion. A runny nose develops after the first halotherapy session. Therefore, it is recommended to take handkerchiefs before undergoing the procedure.
Conclusion
The benefits and harms of the salt cave are incomparable. The beneficial properties that it possesses significantly exceed the possible negative consequences. But before visiting, you must definitely exclude the presence of contraindications. Then the procedure will be a pleasure!
Reviews of doctors and specialists
