Forced Indoor Air Ionization by Salt Sublimation May Improve Respiratory Symptoms in Cystic Fibrosis

VIENNA, AUSTRIA — June 8, 2001 — Forced ionization of indoor air by salt sublimation may improve respiratory symptoms in cystic fibrosis (CF), said a researcher in a presentation at the 24th European Cystic Fibrosis conference in Vienna, Austria.

The use of speleotherapy in many Central and Eastern European countries is well spread and well-known and in these countries doctors recommend this therapy to their patients.

The term speleotherapy comes from the Greek ‘speleo’ that means ‘cave’ – the therapy in a salt mine. Many, many people with all kinds of respiratory diseases use this therapy as a complementary or alternative therapy to the classical drug therapy and find great relief.

Being very effective but in the same time costly by having fixed location and the treatment implying multiple sessions, this physical therapy has been practiced in Balkans for over 150 years.

In an effort to find a way to use this therapy at home, a Romanian chemist engineer have researched and developed a device that is able to simulate the salt mine micro-environment in the comfort of your home. He have analyzed the air composition in a salt mine and found the way to grow salt micro particles as those found in a salt mine, using only natural mineral halite salt crystals formed in the Middle Miocene era from the salt mine.

All the research work was followed by clinical studies at different clinics in Romania. Now, the device uses forced indoor air ionization by salt sublimation and give so much relief in many respiratory conditions.

One of the clinical studies that have been done is regarding the effect of Salin device in patients with cystic fibrosis. Doctor Ioan Popa and his colleagues from a pediatric clinic in Buzau, Romania, investigated 18 patients with their age between 3 and 17 years old, with mild to severe cystic fibrosis.

This study has been realized within a 6 months interval on the two lots that were created. Seventy percent were diagnosed as having mild cystic fibrosis and thirty percent were severe. The two lots were created based on the stage of the diseases, their FEV1, colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and/or Staphylococcus aureus and other respiratory conditions.

The first lot used the Salin device approximately 8-10 hours/day. The control lot used the Salin for the same period of time but the device worked without the salt plates, so without forced ionization of the indoor air by salt sublimation.

In the lot I was noted a significant improvement of the clinical state and a subjective estimation “for better” have been seen by the patients, respectively by their parents especially in those that have been more seriously affected.

Objective symptoms of the disease, as sputum analysis, respiratory function, crackles at auscultation and FEV1, showed improvements from pretreatment. In the control lot there were no changes similar to those from lot I.

On clinical examination, the patients receiving the active treatment were noted to have an increase of the sputum elimination at first stage followed by a significant reducing of its quantity, improvement of the respiratory functional syndrome, less crackles at auscultation and an improvement of FEV1. No patients receiving the active treatment have showed acute episodes of respiratory disease that should require another hospitalization for the duration of the treatment.

The authors concluded that forced ionization of the indoor air represents a natural and efficient treatment for respiratory diseases in patients with cystic fibrosis. This treatment could be used alongside with the classical therapy, doesn’t have any side effects and has a quite modest cost.

For more information, clinical studies and testimonials please click on salt therapy.

Livia Tiba
Web Site: salinetherapy.com
Phone: +1 / 519-641-SALT (7258)

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