Halotherapy is considered an alternative treatment for lung problems such as asthma, bronchitis, and cough.

Halotherapy is often done in spa-like salt rooms. This therapy can also help you relax and may help with skin conditions and allergies.

The History of Halotherapy

In the 12th century, the practice of visiting salt caves for therapeutic reasons, or speleotherapy, was common in Eastern Europe. In the 1800s, salt miners in Poland found a more modern version of what’s now halotherapy. Despite working in mines all day, a local physician noticed that the Polish miners didn’t have any respiratory conditions and were unusually healthy compared to the other locals that did not work down the mines.

Research showed that the salty air the miners breathed in would help keep their lungs free from infection and allergies by helping to remove them in the body’s mucus. Over time, Eastern European salt mines or caves became popular tourist destinations. People from all over the world visited to inhale the salty air and ease their lung problems.

Types of Halotherapy

‌Salt therapy is usually done in salt rooms, which can be active or passive.

• Active salt room. This room has a machine called a halo generator, to which salt is added. The equipment breaks down the salt into particles smaller than 5nm in width that circulate in the room.
• ‌Passive salt room. This type of room does not have a machine to break down the salt. Instead, the room is filled with different types of salts, such as Himalayan salt in walls and floors. It looks like a salt cave, with controlled temperature and humidity.

The salt concentration in passive salt rooms is lower than in active salt rooms. These rooms are usually used for relaxation and meditation rather than halotherapy.

Health Benefits of Halotherapy

‌Studies have found that halotherapy can have benefits for respiratory conditions, skin problems, and allergies.

Salt is a natural and safe ingredient. It does not have any notable side effects. It is also:

• Mucoactive, clearing up mucus from your airways
• Antibacterial, helping prevent infections
• Anti-inflammatory
• Immunity-boosting
• Anti-allergic

‌Research has found that because of these properties, halotherapy can be used as part of the treatment of:

• Lung infection
• Throat infection or pharyngitis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Smoking-related breathing problems
• Respiratory allergies
• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Cold or cough
• Pneumonia
• Sinusitis
• Rhinitis
• Tonsillitis
• Cystic fibrosis

Halotherapy can also be used to treat breathing problems caused by COVID-19, improving your breathing and the amount of oxygen in your blood.

Tiny salt particles used in halotherapy can also help repair your skin cells and protect your skin from aging and infection. This therapy can be used to treat:

• Acne and rosacea
• Skin allergies
• Rash
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Dermatitis
• Fungal infection such as onychomycosis
• Wrinkles and signs of aging skin

Tiny salt particles used in halotherapy can also help repair your skin cells and protect your skin from aging and infection. This therapy can be used to treat:

• Acne and rosacea
• Skin allergies
• Rash
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Dermatitis
• Fungal infection such as onychomycosis
• Wrinkles and signs of aging skin