Salt Therapy

People & Places

By Rosie Rockets on May 29, 2015 • ( 16 Comments )

What is Salt Therapy I hear you ask?! “Salt therapy” is exposure to salt air, with the aim of improving various health issues. Salt rooms are designed to replicate the conditions found in the ancient salt caves of Eastern Europe where it was believed that those who worked in the mines had less breathing issues. Sounds a little hippy-dippy but when you suffer from these health issues you’ll try anything.

I’d tried nasal sprays and potions prescribed by my naturopath as well as acupuncture to cure my sinusitis. They all worked to varying degrees but I was after the “miracle” cure. I read about Salt Therapy and was curious to try it out but couldn’t find any local salt rooms in my area until I saw a friend on Facebook mention that there was a new one in my suburb.

Some of the many supposed benefits of salt therapy include:

• Increased lung function
• Improved breathing
• Breakdown and clearance of phlegm, mucus and toxins from the lungs and airways
• Decrease in nasal congestion (hallelujah!) 
• Decrease in allergic reactions due to widening of the airways
• Reduction of anxiety and stress and improved sleep
• Prevention of colds and flus
• Improved skin complexion and healing
• Improved energy and well-being
• Improved sports performance and recovery
• Reduction in prescribed medicines (following reassessment by your doctor)

All sounds fabulous, doesn’t it?!

Basically, you sit in a room (that’s my local salt room above, with vibrating chairs no less!) for approximately 45 minutes, the lights dim and a slight hum begins as a fan* starts to  dispense, at low concentration, finely ground salt into the atmosphere. At first I thought it was extremely odd but then relaxed right into it!

You’re encouraged to take long, deep breaths in to help the salt into your lungs. At times I’d lick my lips and taste the salt and wondered whether I could get a margarita while I was in there! It’s all very soothing, especially as your butt is getting a massage too and I may have nodded off for a second. At the end of the session I didn’t feel any differently, just relaxed.

I’ve had two sessions and haven’t experienced anything dramatic but I’ve noticed little things like no sinus pain when I flew to Sydney recently, which could be a coincidence, but fabulous nonetheless. I think I’ll continue to go perhaps once or twice a month to see if there are any other improvements. If anything it allows me to check out for 45 minutes and relax which isn’t a bad thing in my books.

Fact or Fiction? Can Salt Therapy really help?

Have you tried Salt Therapy? How did you find it? Or if you suffer from sinusitis what are some of your cures?

*It’s actually called a halogenerator

Categories: People & Places

Tagged as: Allergies, Alternative Therapy, Asthma, Salt, Salt Therapy, Sinusitis