Halotherapy - Anecdotal Evidence to Support Breathing Easy
If you’ve been to our Sewickley location, or our Instagram, you’ve probably noticed the beautiful yellow glow coming from the back wall of the salt cave. It’s a room that was designed for relaxation, but also serves a greater function…On the other side of the wall sits a Halogenerator.
Halotherapy, or salt therapy, is generally defined as ‘breathing in air with tiny salt particles to improve your respiratory function.’ The halogenator is the machine that makes this process possible by grinding up salt to distribute micronized salt particles into the air, allowing you easily and effortlessly breathe in…you guessed it, salty air.
There are companies that make a lot of claims about halotherapy, but to be honest, there aren’t enough quality studies available to back those claims. So, should you even bother trying it?
As with a lot of 21st century health and wellness claims, caveat emptor. Sometimes it takes time for science to prove or disprove these wive’s tales. But, here’s what we do know…
In the 12th century, visiting salt caves for therapeutic reasons was commonplace in Eastern Europe.
Fast forward to the 1800s Dr. Feliks Boczkowski,, a physician at the Wieeliczka salt mine, noticed “a remarkably low incidence of respiratory conditions in salt miners.” Without setting up a control group, like coal, silver, or gold miners, he couldn’t say for certain that it was the salt that was the cause of this potential phenomena.
Even more interesting, during WWII, German doctor Karl Hermann Spannagel noticed his parent’s health improved after hiding in the Kluterthohle karst salt cave in Germany to escape bombing. He noted that his parents’ and patients’ coughing subsided during this time. To this day, that same salt cave has been used for medical treatment of respiratory diseases.
So there is anecdotal evidence to support some type of efficacy of breathing in salt to aid in respiratory ailments. And from a modern day perspective, most people have been to the beach. And most can attest to breathing in that refreshing salty air that can put winter colds out of commission.
How does it work? While we don’t have the studies to show the exact mechanism, I’ll offer a perspective:
We do know that salt has antibacterial properties. According to Science Focus: “Salt kills some types of bacteria, effectively by sucking water out of them. In a process known as osmosis, water passes out of a bacterium so as to balance salt concentrations on each side of its cell membrane. Without water, bacterial proteins such as enzymes cannot function and eventually the cell collapses in on itself.”
If you remember high school biology, this makes total sense. So if you’re breathing in micronized salt, you could potentially be killing off pathogens that have already made their way into your body.
As with anything else, the proof is in the pudding. If you’re dealing with seasonal allergies, a stuffy nose, or some sinus troubles, consider hopping in the salt cave in Sewickley for a Halotherapy session. And let us know how it goes!