Halotherapy, also known as salt therapy, uses microscopic pharmaceutical-grade salt particles to improve both breathing issues and skin conditions. A special machine called a halo generator pulverizes the salt and then circulates it through the air. You literally breathe the salt into your lungs. While this might sound strange at first, it’s actually a practice that goes back many hundreds of years, back to when people in Eastern Europe would go into salt caves to meditate. In the 1800s, it was discovered that salt miners had fewer breathing problems compared to other people, which is when salt therapy began to be investigated as a possible treatment. Today, research shows that halotherapy can have a profoundly therapeutic effect on your lungs.
Halotherapy can help with the following ear, nose, and throat conditions:
● Infections in the lung
● COPD
● Throat issues/infections
● Seasonal allergies
● Sinusitis
● Snoring and sleep issues
● Cold/flu
● Cystic fibrosis
● Health problems from smoking
● Asthma
● Long term virus related breathing problems
● Rhinitis
● Ear infections
Interestingly, while breathing salt has many benefits, it’s also been found that salt therapy helps your skin as well.
Salt therapy may help with the following skin conditions:
● Acne
● Rashes
● Psoriasis
● Wrinkles/fine lines/age spots
● Dermatitis
● Eczema
● Skin allergies
● Fungal infections
It’s also possible that salt therapy helps with other issues, like stress, anxiety, and fatigue.
How Salt Therapy Works? It’s not entirely clear how salt therapy works. There are definitely some antimicrobial benefits and anti-inflammation benefits, but the actual mechanism behind them is not known. It’s possible the salt is causing the bacteria to die that are causing the inflammation in the body. It’s also possible the salt is directly reducing inflammation somehow. It’s also clear that the salt, for many people, is reducing their allergic reactions.
We do know that, when you breathe in the salt, your body absorbs it directly into the lining of your airways, which then draws water in your body into that airway. This makes whatever mucus you have there thinner, which makes it easier to get out of your body. Many believe that, as the airways are opened up, you’re able to get more oxygen into your body, which then helps your body to heal itself more effectively. People report relief in as little as one 15 minute session.
For halotherapy to be effective, you need regular treatments. To learn more about the benefits of salt therapy added to your functional medicine and natural hormone care and to see if it’s right for you, schedule an appointment today.