What is speleotherapy and does it work?

What is speleotherapy

This is the method of treatmentSpeleotherapy (exposure to salt air, usually underground) for asthma / Cochrane symptoms of various diseases using the air of caves, grottoes and salt mines. Speleotherapy is consideredClimatotherapy / Science Direct a kind of climatotherapy, which is based on the beneficial effects of weather and natural conditions on health. That is, something like health trips to a seaside or mountain resort.

What is the effect of speleotherapy based on?

At one time, experts from the research organization Cochrane became interested in speleotherapy. They analyzedSpeleotherapy for asthma / The Cochrane database of systematic reviews available (to put it frankly, meager) information and highlighted the main factors that make cave climates believed to be beneficial to health.

1. Air quality. It is loaded with aerosols that contain potentially beneficial salts. calcium, magnesium and potassium. Their concentration can be different and depends on the type of cave.
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2. Climatic conditions. First of all, temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure. The combination of these parameters creates a unique climate in each cave.
3. Exposure to natural radiation. There are four levels of radioactivity. High - if the walls of the cave contain radon, medium - due to potassium-40, normal - it is observed in ordinary karst rocks, and low - it gives rock salt.

Due to the combination of these three factors, the air in the caves acquires unusual properties. It is wet (or, on the contrary, dry), ionized and very clean - there is very little dust, pollen and other irritants in it, and there are practically no bacteria and other pathogens. It is assumed that being in such an atmosphere for an hour or more is not a bad idea.

Does speleotherapy really heal?

That's a moot point. Perhaps sessions in the caves can be useful. But the data that would allow to draw unambiguous conclusions is still not enough. Speleotherapy is widespread in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, but almost unknown at home evidence-based medicine in the US and the UK. Therefore, there are almost no really convincing studies that would have passed strict international peer review.

In general, it is believed that speleotherapy can help people with chronic respiratory diseases.Speleotherapy: a special kind of climatotherapy, its role in respiratory rehabilitation / Taylor&Francis Onlinesuch as asthma, bronchitis or sinusitis.

Dozens of small studies show that people who have undergone a course of speleotherapy really do find it easier to breathe. The only problem is that these studies are of dubious quality. Some involved too few people to draw serious conclusions. In others, speleotherapy has been added to medical treatment, so it is unclear whether the cave sessions played any role in improving symptoms.

The problem can be illustrated by the following fact. Cochrane experts, trying to collect information about the impact of speleotherapy on the condition of patients with asthma, foundSpeleotherapy for asthma / The Cochrane database of systematic reviews only one study that more or less meets the requirements of evidence-based medicine.

Its authors agreed on one thing: apparently, speleotherapy really reduces the symptoms associated with diseases of the respiratory system. However, the effect is observed only while the patient is undergoing a course of "cave" sessions. Scientists have not been able to find the slightest hint that speleotherapy can save a person from asthma or strengthen immunity, that is, to make respiratory diseases more rare.

When can speleotherapy be harmful?

According to Cochrane, there are no reports of side effects associated with speleotherapy. So in general, breathing cave air is most likely not harmful. But there are two nuances that need to be taken into account.

First, the effect of radiation. In radon caves, its level significantly exceeds the norm, and doctors have not yet decided how exactly this can affect health.

Secondly, the possible loss of time. The term "speleotherapy" hints that the procedure is curative. But in fact, the air in the caves does not eliminate diseases, but only alleviates the symptoms. Trying to cure serious conditions such as pneumonia or tuberculosis with speleotherapy is not only pointlessSpeleotherapy - treatment with underground air / Speleomedical portal of Russiabut also dangerous. Relying on the "healing" underground air, you can lose time - and the disease will acquire complications that could really be avoided.

In fact, sitting in a salt cave is about as healthy as breathing in the sea air. But don't expect miracles. If you suffer from asthma, permanent bronchitis or other chronic respiratory diseases, first consult a general practitioner, ENT, allergist, pulmonologist, and follow his recommendations. And it is better to treat salt caves as a pleasant addition.