The rich source of high-quality salt in Eastern Europe has recently led to a global interest in the curative and palliative properties of salt. Yet, halotherapy is an ancient and widely used natural treatment that comes from the Greek word “halos”, meaning salt. Halotherapy involves breathing in particles of salt that mix naturally with the air inside a salt cave. The healing methods of the famous Hippocrates (460 BC) made frequent use of salt for tinctures. This forefather of medicine particularly mentioned inhalation of steam from salt-water as a way to improve one’s breathing, making this the earliest scientific mention of halotherapy.
In 1843, Polish physician Felix Boczkowski studied men working in salt mines at Wieliczka and found that salt miners rarely suffered from tuberculosis or respiratory diseases. Boczkowski’s research confirmed that inhaling salt dust yielded positive results for miner’s skin and respiratory health. His successor, Dr. Mstislav Poljakowski, opened the first official halotherapy spa in a salt cave near Krakow, Poland. That spa operates to this day.
Although consistent efforts have been made to scientifically determine the best use of halotherapy, science has yet to catch up with halotherapy’s full potential. Research examining the benefits of halotherapy are not as well documented as research examining other lung and skin treatments. Although more research is needed to conclude the positive benefits of halotherapy, research has not shown that halotherapy has negative effects, except where people misuse the treatment.
How does halotherapy work?
The Problem..
The Solution..
Sodium Chloride or NaCl, the basic chemical that makes up salt (with varying mineral levels depending on the salt’s source and formation), is one of the elements that regulates the dynamic of mucus in your lungs and airways. When the amount of sodium chloride in your respiratory system decreases, the natural production of mucus increases. This may cause your lungs’ breathing capacity to suffer, and can affect the quality of the air you breathe in, especially if you suffer from chronic lung disease like asthma. The natural salt dust that you breathe in from halotherapy functions like a dust brush: it gently cleans the airways and lungs of mucus, allergens, pollutants and other impurities. The sodium chloride you inhale, via halotherapy, also changes the consistency of your mucus, making it thinner and less sticky, therefore easier to clear out.
Halotherapy seeks to enhance the amount of salt that you inhale to increase your respiratory health. Despite these benefits, going to salt caves in Eastern Europe can be time consuming and very costly, meaning that it may be impossible to frequently receive halotherapy. At Salt Cave Halotherapy, we offer a unique alternative to underground salt caves: we source 100% natural salt from Eastern Europe’s most renowned salt mines, to create salt tiles that replicate the exact palliative conditions found in Eastern European salt caves.
Different types of Salt?
Sea Salt
Rock Salt (Halit)
Himalayan Salt
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Formed through evaporation of water that is extracted from seas and oceans, which are often affected by pollution
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Chemically refined after solidification, by the removal of minerals such as calcium and potassium (which are often wrongfully considered as impurities)
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Reaches your table after it is even further enhanced by the addition of antiaglomerant and, in some cases, preservatives
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Does not have any therapeutic effect in a Salt Cave
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Formed in ancient bedrock across the world, where large extinct salt lakes and seas evaporated in a pure atmosphere, millions of years ago
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The purest natural salt available, with over 97% NaCl
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Neutral acidity
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Naturally contains other minerals such as calcium, magnesium & potassium, which are good for your health
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Can be consumed in your food without industrial refinement
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It is the only form of salt suitable for halotherapy
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The concentration of salt is not as high as the concentration of elements such as chromium, iron, zinc, lead, and copper, which are much higher than in any other type of salt
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The high content of hydrogen in this type of salt makes it acidic
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It is suitable for food consumption only after industrial refinement
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Does not have any therapeutic effect in halotherapy