Halotherapy is a term for healing treatments that use salt. Specifically, halotherapy refers to introducing small particles of salt dispersed into air or water to promote healing and well-being.
Many Types of Halotherapy
Perhaps you’ve seen or even have a salt lamp. Many believe that the warmth of electricity or a candle inside a salt lamp will help the salt release health-promoting negative ions that clean the air and promote relaxation and well-being.
While a salt lamp could be considered a form of halotherapy, there are actually whole rooms paneled with sheets of salt, or caves and caverns dug into salt deposits. These are chambers where eager devotees can visit for salt therapy. The salt surrounds you, infusing the air you breathe with negative ions and small particles of salt.
Salt caves and salt rooms are very popular in Eastern Europe. Salt rooms are now accessible in most large cities, and you can book an hour or two to just relax inside and breathe in the salty air. Some are heated, like a sauna, to enhance the effect.
In addition to walls of salt in a salt room or cave, there are also rooms augmented with machines known as halogenerators. These mechanically disperse microscopic particles of salt into the air. While salt caves or salt rooms on their own are known as “passive” salt therapy, using a halogenerator is known as “active” salt therapy.
Health Benefits of Halotherapy
Halotherapy is sought out most by people with lung problems such as coughing, asthma, or bronchitis. This is because more than 2 centuries ago, eastern Europeans observed that Polish miners who dug deep into salt deposits rarely had respiratory problems. They credited the salt mines for the miners’ healthy lungs.
Research supports that halotherapy can trigger an anti-inflammatory response in those with lung disease. This includes those whose lung inflammation was the result of an allergic reaction. Salt is also an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent, which may also contribute to healing.
Halotherapy for Skin Health
Halotherapy providers advertise that spending time in a salt room or salt cave can help eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, and other skin conditions. While evidence-based research is weak on whether halotherapy reduces symptoms of serious skin conditions, anecdotal success stories are common.
Although salt does have antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties, it doesn’t destroy the skin’s natural microbiome (good bacteria). Advocates say that infusing the halotherapy environment with micro salt particles delivers these benefits directly to your skin.
There is no harm in spending a session in a salt room to see if it helps your symptoms. At the very least, a halotherapy session can provide the time and environment to relax and de-stress.
Salt Baths and Skin
Another form of halotherapy is a salt bath. If you are suffering from a mild case of eczema, psoriasis or TSW, adding a cup of salt to your bathwater, whether it’s table salt, sea salt, or Epsom salts, can be a way to soothe stinging and itchiness. Epsom salts, unlike table or sea salt, also infuse your bath water with magnesium, which can relax muscles and offer stress relief.
A salt bath can also help treat dry skin. However, it’s important to rinse off after a salt bath as excess salt on dry skin can be drying. Follow your salt bath with a rinse and a moisturizer.
Salt is also an excellent natural exfoliant. You can smooth a spoonful or two over your skin during your shower.
Watch out during a severe flare-up, though. A salt bath might sting too much if you have open lesions.
Conclusion
Salt caves, salt baths, and salty soaks are forms of traditional and natural healing that go back centuries. While in our opinion halotherapy isn’t a cure-all, it can serve as a relaxing adjunct therapy and stress-reliever, and may have soothing skin benefits in mild cases of eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, and other skin conditions.
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About the Author
Olivia Hsu Friedman, LAc, Dipl.OM, DACM, Cert. TCMDerm, is the owner of Amethyst Holistic Skin Solutions and treats Acne, Eczema, Psoriasis, and TSW. Olivia treats patients via video conferencing using only herbal medicine. Olivia is Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Acupuncturists, serves on the Advisory Board of LearnSkin, and is a faculty member of the Chicago Integrative Eczema Group sponsored by the National Eczema Association.