Generality
Also known as salt therapy, halotherapy is an alternative treatment that consists of the exposure and subsequent absorption of sodium chloride particles in order to obtain a health benefit.
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Salt therapy uses artificial or natural microclimates saturated with sodium chloride, such as brackish caves and rock salt mines (speleotherapy). The halotherapeutic treatment has shown substantial advantages for diseases affecting the respiratory tract, in particular it can be useful in case of viral infections, coughs, allergic colds, asthma, sinusitis, bronchitis, etc.
Halotherapy can be indicated as a complementary treatment due to the benefits it can bring, but it must not replace drug therapy, especially in the case of chronic diseases.
What is halotherapia?
Salt therapy has very ancient roots. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates advised the inhalation of salt water vapors to relieve inflammation of the respiratory tract, while medieval monks took patients deep into the brackish caves, where they smashed the stalactites to infuse the air with particles. of salt.
Today, halotherapy basically consists in the inhalation of an aerosol made up of micronized sodium chloride. In a modern halotherapy session, the patient is in a "salt room" specially designed to recreate the microclimate present inside a natural brackish cave. In general, the walls and floor of this confined space are also covered with salt. In order to make the atmosphere saturated with sodium chloride, special medical devices are used (halogenerators or salt micronizers) which dry the pharmaceutical grade salt into micrometric particles, which are subsequently ionized. The halogenator is programmed to synchronize particle size, concentration, temperature (18 ° -24 °) and humidity (40-60%). The artificial salt cave, in fact, must generate a controlled microclimate so that the salt therapy can have an optimal effect An unmonitored high salt concentration could cause, for example, fluid retention (lymphedema). The microclimate generator micronizes the salt and mixes it carefully with a regulated stream of air, which is then uniformly dispersed throughout the salt chamber. The tiny negatively ionized salt particles create an aerosol, capable of traveling deep into the respiratory system and also reaching the lungs at the alveolar level.
Based on clinical studies, the inhaled saline air has an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory action in the entire respiratory tract, absorbs the edema (swelling) of the mucous membranes, makes the airways open and loosens phlegm, thus restoring the normal functioning of the eyelashes that cover the respiratory tract. Normally, people who undergo a therapeutic session do not report negative effects, but on some occasions the salt particles can trigger coughing attacks and the expulsion of mucus (which in other respects represents one of the alleged desired results).
A halotherapy session for an adult subject lasts approximately 45 minutes, while the session for children lasts approximately 25 minutes. Some patients achieve significant symptom relief within 4-5 sessions, but the therapeutic outcome is subjective. There is currently insufficient evidence to determine whether salt therapy is really effective. It is important to remember that salt is a complementary therapy: it helps to manage and control the pathological condition, but it should not "be considered" an alternative to drug treatment.
Mechanism of action
The negatively charged aerosol is easily inhaled with the natural breathing rhythm, as the salt particles are very small and almost imperceptible. The salt can be inhaled at the deepest level of the lungs, where it dissolves and attracts the positive charges, as small impurities, air pollutants or allergens, which are then excreted through the cough, the bloodstream or leave the body via other metabolic processes.
Hypertonic saline inhalation aerosol therapy can potentially:
- Eliminate the mucus from the airways, in order to restore the correct respiratory flow;
- Produce an anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effect;
- Reduce bronchial hyper-reactivity;
- Improve lung function;
- Help eliminate unwanted inhaled particles from the lungs.
Contraindications and side effects
In rare cases, temporary phenomena such as itching, irritation of the skin, throat and eyes may arise during treatment.
However, halotherapy is not recommended for patients suffering from one of the following conditions:
- Acute states of respiratory diseases;
- Intoxication due to alcohol or drugs;
- heart failure;
- Recent bleeding or nosebleeds
- Hemoptysis;
- Severe systemic hypertension.
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