Halotherapy: benefits of the procedure, indications and contraindications

23.11.2016

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Halotherapy

widely used in modern medical practice for the prevention and treatment of diseases of the respiratory system. This method of treatment is carried out without the use of drugs and is included in the list of services of many modern sanatoriums and medical institutions.

What is halotherapy?

Halotherapy is treatment in an artificially recreated microclimate of natural salt caves. Salts containing sodium ions and chlorides have a beneficial effect on the human body.

The halochambers maintain a constant air temperature without pressure drops and a low level of humidity in the complete absence of microorganisms. This kind of microclimate is hypoallergenic and allows you to effectively clean the airways without the use of medications.

Salt chambers are equipped with comfortable sun loungers and, as a rule, provide not only a therapeutic effect, but also high-quality psycho-emotional relief.

Therapeutic effects of the product

Honey is a natural product with a viscous consistency, pleasant aroma and unique healing properties. In the natural environment, honey is extracted by honey bees from pollen of flowers and herbs, and beekeepers collect the finished liquid from bee honeycombs.

For this reason, the amazing healing effects of the product are fully revealed during health procedures in the bathhouse and sauna.

The product contains a huge amount of microelements and vitamins that are beneficial to human health.
Honey in the sauna is used for active sweating. This helps detoxify the body and cleanse the skin.
A bath with honey and a fragrant broom is the best remedy against cellulite and excess weight. Preliminary application of honey helps to quickly warm up the skin and remove excess fluid from cells.
Hot steam in combination with heated honey has a beneficial effect on the upper respiratory tract, clearing the mucous membranes of pathogenic bacteria.
The product has a powerful anti-inflammatory and wound healing effect. If you use honey applications every time you visit the steam room, you can get rid of acne, blackheads, eczema, relieve inflammation, and cure various skin damage.
Honey bath procedures have a therapeutic and preventive effect on the heart muscle, blood supply system, muscle corset and spine.
The benefits and harms of bee nectar are determined by its chemical and physical characteristics.

Honey in a bathhouse is an effective and safe physiotherapy that a person of any age can afford.

Duration of halotherapy course

The first session of halotherapy does not always bring a tangible positive effect. During the procedure, many patients feel weak, slightly dizzy and slightly uncomfortable due to the unusual microclimate, but soon adapt to the conditions. After two or three sessions, the vast majority of patients feel cheerfulness, a surge of strength and a general improvement in well-being.

The number of sessions in each case is determined individually

, based on the characteristics of the disease.
As a rule, the recommended number of procedures varies from ten to twenty regular sessions
. If necessary, another course of halotherapy is carried out six months later.

DIY installation

Today, fonts are made not only from wood. And the containers no longer always look like a barrel. It might be something like a small swimming pool. Such containers are made from the following materials:

wood (original method);
plastic;
metal;
concrete;

These pools can be round, square or even oval in shape.

One of the simplest and cheapest ways to make a font for yourself is to simply purchase a plastic pool, place it at the exit from the bathhouse (you don’t even have to dig it in) and fill it with cold water.

But the healthiest option is a wooden font. Despite the fact that this is essentially a wooden barrel, there are many different options for such a container. A wooden pool can be designed for one or several people. In addition, modern fonts are not just wooden barrels in the stereotypical sense . Such containers (pools) may have:

bench;
ladder;
water filter;
hydromassage;
heating and so on.

That is, they can be quite functional. They can even be installed in a city apartment in the bathroom.

Construction of a concrete pool

Concrete fonts are often made at the exit from the bathhouse. In fact - ordinary swimming pools .

To build such a pool, a hole of the required depth and width is dug, the walls and bottom are perfectly aligned, which are later secured with special metal reinforcement. After laying the water supply, formwork is made, which is filled with concrete.

After the concrete has dried, the formwork is removed, the concrete walls are leveled and puttied. At the end of the work, the pool is painted or tiled. If desired, additional pleasant additions such as a hydromassage, stairs, and the like can be installed.

Methods for treating pneumonia

If pneumonia is bacterial in nature, antibiotics are prescribed. Their effectiveness can be assessed after 48-72 hours. If the temperature subsides, the cough becomes less frequent, and the patient begins to feel better, the treatment continues. You cannot interrupt the course of medications, and it is important to take them correctly as prescribed by your doctor. If antibiotics do not help, another treatment is prescribed or changed to a drug from another group.

For viral pneumonia, antibiotics are not effective, so antiviral drugs are prescribed. Vitamins and immunomodulators can be prescribed as auxiliary substances.

Once the patient's body temperature has returned to normal, physical therapy can be prescribed. It allows you to remove phlegm from the lungs. For this purpose, herbal medicines are often taken, for example, licorice root or complex breast mixtures.

Along with drug treatment, patients need bed rest, meals containing protein and vitamins, and plenty of warm drinks. For the best effect, therapeutic methods are recommended - electrophoresis, inhalation, massage, magnetic therapy, etc.

Honey scrubs and peelings

An effective honey bath is a gentle cleansing using honey and salt. This is the fastest and safest way to get rid of dead cells and speed up metabolic processes in the epidermis. Himalayan salt can be used for scrubbing.

How to use honey-salt scrub to improve skin condition and remove signs of cellulite?

The main ingredients are mixed in the required proportions - 1:2 (one part honey, two parts salt) - to obtain a homogeneous composition. The finished mass is left in a warm place for 25 minutes to warm up.

Before using salt in the bath, the body must be thoroughly warmed by visiting the steam room 3-4 times. The next time I apply the warm mixture and leave it on for 5 minutes.

Honey and salt in a bath promote increased sweating and increased blood pressure - this is a normal process of detoxification and cleansing of the body. After completing the procedure, you must thoroughly rinse off the scrub, drink warm tea, water or fruit juice.

Contraindications

Although honey in a bathhouse is beneficial, it can sometimes be harmful. This applies to certain categories of people with an increased likelihood of side effects. Contraindications:

allergic reaction to beekeeping products;
acute course of inflammatory processes;
febrile state (high temperature);
severe respiratory diseases;
problems with blood vessels, heart, digestive disorders;
skin diseases, inflammatory lesions;
malignant neoplasms;
pregnancy, breastfeeding.

The combination of a bath or sauna with honey treatments is a popular option for healing the body. This method helps with coughs, age-related changes and skin damage, cellulite, and joint problems. They apply nectar to the entire body or just the face, make masks, scrubs or wraps.

Materials for making a font

The most popular material for building a font is wood. To build a wooden font, hardwood is used; larch, cedar, oak, beech. There is also a variety of bath tubs made of plastic; they are cheaper.

Advantages of a wooden font:

a wooden font supports the interior of a Russian bathhouse, which has a wooden frame;
wood is a practical material that can last for many years;
High-quality environmentally friendly wood is used for the manufacture of wooden hot tubs;
You can make a font of different shapes from wood.

Plastic baths have a number of advantages:

do not require complex assembly;
do not require special care;
fonts can be made in different shapes;
The cost of plastic baths is an order of magnitude lower than that of wooden ones.

The disadvantage of plastic bathtubs is that they must be additionally lined with a more noble material or built flush with the bathhouse floor.

One option for plastic hot tubs is fiberglass containers, which are much stronger than plastic. Fiberglass can imitate wood or natural stone. The cost of fiberglass hot tubs is quite high.

How does a sauna affect the skin?

Increased temperatures in the sauna lead to an increase in temperature in the skin area, which also affects the acceleration of blood circulation. During the first 2 minutes of being in such conditions, the skin becomes hot, then the mechanisms responsible for thermoregulation are activated. The body produces sweat, gets rid of heat and the skin cools down.

When discussing the beneficial and negative effects of a sauna, it is also worth considering that the skin can become very warm, including up to 41-42 degrees. In such a situation, the vessels in the skin are forced to expand, skin permeability increases, and blood flow increases faster. This leads to a softening of the top layer, improved breathing, increased sensitivity, and improved biological and immune processes. The measures also affect the normalization of oxidative processes (in the skin layer).

From everything that is written above, we can draw an unambiguous conclusion about the effect of the sauna on the skin layer - it has only a positive effect. In part, this type of influence has a good effect on the work of a number of other systems and organs, allows you to harden yourself and minimize the risks of developing cold-type diseases.

Design and features of the Finnish bath

The heating mechanism of the Finnish invention is another distinctive feature of their steam room. The main difference is in where the stones are placed. Our neighbors decided that the heat should flow from the cobblestones directly into the room, so they lie on top and are available for visitors to regulate the heat level themselves.

The stones in a Russian bath are hidden inside the combustion chamber; they are hotter and give off heat more slowly. This changes the entire heating process: the favorite place of the Russian knights gradually heats up and in the same way reluctantly gives off heat. The resting and cleansing rooms of the Baltic peoples, on the contrary, almost instantly become hot and the entire steaming process takes place in the cooling room.

Photo from the site Viesunamsjurmala.lv

How quickly will the body recover?

If the procedures are performed correctly, the condition of the heart and blood vessels will be restored within 20 minutes, and recovery may be accelerated. For this purpose, contrasting procedures are provided, including a warm shower or a dip in the pool. It is worth considering the additional load that comes from using cool water. It is not worth the risk for children without preparation for such events and for persons with diseases affecting the heart or blood vessels. Contrast exposure can also lead to hypothermia and colds.

Which honey to choose for a bath

The chemical composition of the varieties of beekeeping products is not homogeneous. This is influenced by climate, place and time of nectar collection by insects, and the number and variety of honey plants. Therefore, beneficial properties vary depending on the variety. Varieties for procedures in the bath:

floral – improves the condition of the integument, strengthens and nourishes hair follicles, normalizes blood circulation;
linden – fights rough skin, removes harmful compounds from the body, cleanses pores;
coriander – rejuvenation, toning of the epidermis, healing of wounds and cracks on the body, destructive effect on bacteria;
buckwheat – strengthens the hair shaft, gives tone, removes scales from the epidermis, nourishes cells, cleanses pores, removes toxins;
acacia – muscle relaxation, emotional relief.

Any variety is suitable for procedures in steam rooms. When compared, the listed types simply stand out as beneficial specifically for visiting a bathhouse. It is also recommended to use rapeseed, sweet clover, and euphorbia honey. An important condition for the results to appear is to take only a natural, fresh product.

Understanding the concepts

Our neighbors place an important place on the ritual of ablution. Finns believe that visiting this holy of holies will not only help heal the body, but also cleanse the soul. Beginners who have not found the right type of steam for themselves are interested in finding out what a Finnish sauna is.

Few people have thought about the fact that the word “sauna” in Finnish means nothing more than “bathhouse”. The popularity of this procedure among the Celtic peoples has spread throughout the world.

Photo from Heatmaster.com.ua

Initially, the exoticism of this method was perceived with caution, because the mechanism of action is that heat rises from the stones. Those present can increase the temperature in the Finnish sauna by adding water to the heated cobblestones.

There is a statement that a Finnish steam room is the opposite of a hammam. In a Turkish bath, you literally breathe water vapor and see nothing due to the dense whitish haze.

If we talk about what a Finnish sauna is, then it is hot dry air heated to 90 or even 110 degrees. It is not easy to bear such heat, so it is not recommended to sit on the highest benches.

Traditions of contrast procedures

Bath traditions began hundreds of years ago. Baths were built on the banks of rivers, and in winter, when the water froze, ice holes were made. They took water from the ice holes and plunged into them to freshen up after the hot steam room. If there was no river nearby, then water was collected from a well or poured into large wooden barrels in advance. They plunged into them or scooped up water and poured it on themselves from above. When there was a lot of snow, we dived straight into a snowdrift, receiving a huge charge of energy.

Fact! Children could bathe in the fonts, strengthening them and protecting them from diseases. As a result, children caught colds less often, slept better, and had a stable psyche.

Traditions are actively supported throughout Russia today, only the type of container has changed slightly. New manufacturing materials, methods of filling with water, and methods of maintaining the required temperature have appeared. The water in our rivers often leaves much to be desired, so the baths are filled from the water supply. To maintain the desired temperature, cooling or heating systems are installed.

Features of the Finnish sauna

It is worth noting that the principle of operation of the Finnish steam room is such a contrasting effect on the body. Traditionally, premises for these purposes were built on the banks of natural reservoirs. The Finns did not give each other a massage with a broom right away; first you need to sweat a lot.

Photo from the site Hotbanya.ru

Our compatriots do not recognize the significant differences between the Russian bath and the Finnish sauna and often make a choice in favor of the usual option, arguing for the following circumstances:

It’s easier to breathe in our steam room;
you can enjoy the aroma of wood resins;
water droplets soften the effects of high temperatures.

The main difference between a Finnish bath and a Russian one is indeed the level of humidity. If in the first case this figure barely reaches 15% of the water content in the air, then Russian heat tamers are no strangers to 70%.

No matter how strange it may sound, the philosophy of ablution is what also distinguishes a Russian bath from a Finnish sauna. Balts come to the steam room for relaxation and cleansing; they often chat about everyday affairs during the procedure. For Russian bathhouse attendants, this action is almost sacred; according to unspoken rules, they maintain silence in the steam room and enjoy the gradual heating of the room.

Photo from the site Saunaljux.ru

Benefit

With the right approach and following the recommendations described above, a Finnish sauna can bring the following benefits to the body:

Improving the functioning of the cardiovascular system (in the absence of contraindications).
Getting rid of waste and toxins.
Improving nutrition of internal organs.
Getting a boost of vigor and energy.
Improving the overall condition of the skin, cleansing pores, exfoliating dead cells.

Using our website, you can easily choose saunas in Moscow closer to home, because we have all their contacts: addresses and telephone numbers.

Beneficial properties of using honey in a bath

The bee product is saturated with useful substances (microelements and vitamins, amino acids, enzymes). This gives nectar its healing properties. Steam room (sauna, bathhouse) helps enhance the beneficial effect. Properties:

opening of pores through which more components of the bee product penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin;
activation of blood circulation, which carries healing substances to tissues and organs;
stimulation of the sweat glands, with the secretion of which toxins, waste, and harmful compounds are removed from the body;
acceleration of tissue regeneration, wound healing, damage to the integument;
preventing the development of inflammatory processes;
restoration of respiratory function, that is, inhalations that help normalize the flow of healing components into the bloodstream.

Separately, it is worth noting the benefits for joints. Rubbing sore spots in the steam room with honey helps the substances penetrate deep into the tissue and eliminate the symptoms of the disease. The combination of a bath, treatment with a broom from branches from plants and nectar is effective against cellulite.

How does a sauna affect thermoregulation?

This type of regulation is one of the important processes in the body; thermoregulation is responsible for returning to normal temperature values, taking into account all influencing factors. The processes of creating, releasing, and receiving heat take place on an ongoing basis, so the body creates a constant level of temperature.

When the temperature around a person rises, the processes responsible for removing excess heat are activated. At the same time, sweat is actively released, created by skin cells. The amount of sweat varies and depends on several factors, including temperature level and humidity level. In most cases, you can go to the bathhouse with a temperature of 37 degrees, but it is better to consult a doctor in advance.

The right choice of honey for bath procedures

To properly steam in a honey bath, you need to know which product is suitable for such purposes. Many experts believe that honey in a bath should be soft and viscous, unsugared.

The soft structure of the liquid ensures ease of application and rapid absorption. When using the product as an anti-cellulite product, it is better to give preference to candied bee nectar. In this case, its consumption will be much less, and the positive effect will be higher: you will get a mild cleanser that will help warm up the muscles, disperse the blood and improve metabolic processes.

The choice of the most suitable type of honey is determined by the end result that needs to be achieved. Often, any bee nectar is used in baths and saunas, but the following products are in demand:

from linden – has antibacterial, wound-healing and rejuvenating effects;
from buckwheat – accelerates metabolism, improves immunity, promotes detoxification;
from wildflowers – has a sedative effect, improves the functioning of the heart and lungs;
from acacia - used in the treatment of various skin diseases;
from rapeseed – promotes regeneration and rejuvenation of the skin, slowing down the aging process.

Important! An aromatic composition based on honey and propolis, heated on bath stones, saturates the air with useful elements that help cleanse the lungs and upper respiratory tract. A similar effect is created when using honey and essential oils.

How to use honey and other natural products to get the maximum effect from bath procedures? Honey in the bath has found its use as drinks, scrubs, rubs, massages and masks.

General recommendations

In order not to spoil your sauna holiday, it is not recommended to do the following things:

Drink alcohol or smoke. Otherwise, the cardiovascular system receives increased stress, which is fraught with serious consequences.
Eat heavily before visiting the sauna.
Sit on the top shelves with your feet hanging down. There is a high chance of overheating.
Go outside immediately after the procedure. If you do not allow your body to cool down after a sauna, there is a high risk of catching a cold.

While in the sauna, you need to drink plenty of fluids. Also try to listen to your body in order to avoid exposing it to excessive stress.

Methods for installing hot tubs

If the font is installed inside a bathhouse, then for its installation it is necessary to dig a recess in the floor of the bathhouse that corresponds to its dimensions. Then the font is mounted flush with the floor. If such a device is installed outdoors, then it is mounted on a small platform elevated above the ground. An outdoor swimming pool must have water supply and sewerage connections.

Anti-cellulite and relaxing massage

Honey massage in a bathhouse is one of the most popular and sought-after procedures in reflexology. It promotes the rapid removal of toxins and waste, eliminating puffiness and cellulite deposits. The procedure should be carried out on a well-warmed body using a bath broom made of oak leaves.

To get a tangible result, you need to know how to take a steam bath and smear yourself with honey correctly.

The body is thoroughly warmed up in the steam room and refreshed under a warm shower.
Perform light scrubbing and cleansing of the skin. For this, sea salt with the addition of 2-3 drops of orange, rosemary or cardamom aromatic oils is suitable.
Using gentle movements, apply a layer of honey to all problem areas.
The body is gently patted with an oak broom to improve blood circulation and speed up the absorption of honey.
Without washing off the honey impregnation, apply tonic cocoa butter.
The procedure of patting with a broom is repeated 2-3 times.

After all the manipulations, you need to take a comfortable position on the couch for 15 minutes.

In order for a honey massage to give maximum effect, you should not immediately wash off the impregnation. After a short rest, the body is thoroughly rinsed with warm water and lubricated with moisturizer. It is recommended to repeat this procedure 5 to 10 times monthly.