How to do salt therapy at home:
Salt therapy, often called halotherapy is a drug- free way of treating chronic respiratory illnesses like asthma, bronchitis, sinus infections, cystic fibrosis and many more.
A lot of people around the globe are looking for alternative treatment methods owing to the number of health risks and side effects that come as a package with oral medications. Surprisingly, the concept of salt therapy is not the latest discovery by scientists in the field of medicine. This therapy dates back to olden times. People used to travel to faraway places where natural salt caves were located. They used to spend a considerable amount of time sitting in those caves for therapy.
Having this said, a good share of credit goes to the scientists working day and night to devise out new and easy ways for the benefit of mankind. Since traveling to far-flung places salt cave therapy is not possible in this age, different devices have been invented to do salt therapy at home easily and conveniently.
How to do salt therapy:
The basic concept behind salt therapy is to inhale the miraculous salt particles by going to salt therapy rooms or salt cave spa. To do this at home, two types of devices are readily available in the market.
The first type of device is in the shape of a small salt inhaler. This inhaler can be filled with beneficial salt. The inhaler turns the salt into minuscule particles which can be inhaled easily. This inhaler can be used for short intervals of 10-15 minutes several times a day. The target group of users for such an inhaler is the people who are not suffering from serious respiratory conditions.
The second type of device is in the shape of a small portable air purifier, called a salt salinizer. It works on the same pattern as the inhaler. This device is beneficial when salt therapy is needed to cure chronic respiratory illness. This device is sound free and can be easily set up at a place in the house where the most time of the day is passed.
These salt inhalers and salinizers can even be used in combination for optimum health benefits. The salinizer can be set up near the bed to benefit from it while sleeping at night. The only condition is to set it up in a closed environment and with the vents facing you so the minuscule salt particles can be inhaled.
Other than these two methods of salt therapy, salt is being used in a number of other therapeutic ways.
- Himalayan Salt Lamps: These amazing salt lamps have incredible health benefits. These are made with pure Himalayan salt crystals and help in clearing the environment of positive ions and pollutants.
- Neti Pot: Also called nasal irrigation. This method involves salt water to be inhaled from one nostril and drained out of the other. The saltwater clears away the sinuses and relaxes the track.
- Brine Baths: These are warm water baths in water mixed with salt. It helps in muscle relaxation.
- Crenotherapy: This involves the consumption of salt water called the sole.
- Salt Room: You can get salt room therapy at home by constructing your own salt room according to your budget and requirements. In this way, you can get salt spa benefits anytime at your place without any hassle.
How does salt therapy work?
The salt therapy works in a very simple manner. Respiratory illnesses are due to a number of reasons. Often the pollutants and allergens in the air cause inflammation in the respiratory tract. The respiratory tract, lungs, and ears are lined with small hair-like structures called cilia. Cilia help in filtering the air inhaled and keep the respiratory tract free from dirt and mucus. When the pollutants and allergens are inhaled, they hinder in the functioning of the cilia.
The salt particles inhaled through the salt therapy help in easing away the inflammation of the respiratory tract. These salt particles also clear away the pollutants and allergens from the respiratory tract and help cilia in better functioning.
According to the lung institute, salt has some amazing properties like:
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antibacterial
- Loosens excessive mucus
- Speeds up mucociliary transport
- Removes pathogens
- Reduces IgE levels
The salt particles are not only beneficial in treating respiratory illnesses but, also help in stress alleviation and better sleep. These salt particles give out negative ions that neutralize the excessive positive ions in the environment making it healthier to live in.
There is a general misconception about salt being harmful to health. All these theories refer to the salt which is consumed. Hence, the inhaled salt does not pose any risk to the health.
Benefits of salt therapy:
Some of the noticeable benefits of salt therapy are as follows:
- Cures respiratory ailments: According to research, many people who have added halotherapy as a part of their daily life have experienced relief from a number of respiratory ailments such as:
- Asthma
- Cystic fibrosis
- Common cold
- Bronchitis
- COPD
- Sinusitis
- Allergies
- Ear infections
- Smokers cough
- Skin ailments: dry salt therapy has been found beneficial for many users in dealing with:
- Aging
- Dermatitis
- Acne
- dry, flaky skin
- Eczema
- Itching
- Psoriasis
- Rashes
- Rosacea
- Swollen skin
Wet salt therapy is also being suggested for people suffering from extremely dry skin conditions. Dipping the affected body parts in a brine solution has revealed positive results.
- Boosts immune system: Studies have shown that halotherapy not only cures respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis but has successfully normalized reduced measurements of the immune system in patients.
There is a valid reason why salt is widely known as a food preservative. Salt has very impressive antimicrobial properties. It helps in eliminating food contamination by bacteria that are also responsible for causing sickness in humans.
- Reduces inflammation: warm salt water baths and hot spring baths are known for curing inflammatory conditions of joints, muscles, and tissues thus, improving pain. It has been seen that warm brine water baths produce an osmotic gradient. This osmotic gradient exerts pressure created by water molecules that force water to move from high water potential areas to low water potential area. This explains why you people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis feel relieved after dipping in salty hot water springs.
Which salt is best for salt therapy?
The amazing benefits of Himalayan salt make it the best salt to be used in salt therapy. This salt exists in the purest form, free from all the impurities. Moreover, the Himalayan salt contains as many as 84 trace minerals. All these minerals are very beneficial for the functioning of the human body. Some of these minerals are quite helpful from the medical point of view as well. Instead of going to Himalayan salt cave, you can do Himalayan salt therapy at home by using salt lamps, salt inhalers, and neti pots as mentioned above.