Can Sitting in a Salt Room Help in Relieving Asthma?

As the number of asthma cases are rising due to the deteriorating air quality, health experts have suggested a new form of therapy that may be beneficial in treating respiratory diseases. According to them, salt room therapy is helpful and has been tested in various parts of the world. It is completely natural and can provide symptomatic relief to patients suffering from respiratory problems.“Dangerously high levels of pollution have taken a toll on the health of many people. In this form of therapy, patients are asked to relax in a room with walls thickly lined with salt. Light air is continuously blown into the room, helping the minute salt particles mix in the air which is breathed by the patient," said Animesh Ray, Consultant Pulmonologist at Fortis Vasant Kunj. According to doctors, the salt particles after reaching the nose and the respiratory tract remove all debris and bacteria. They also help in the abatement of bronchial inflammation and strengthening of the immune system that decreases allergic reaction to pollen.Varsa, a Delhi-based respiratory expert, explains that the passage of air through the bronchial tubes, leads to widening of the airway passages, restores the normal transport of mucus and unclogs blockages in the bronchi, thereby controlling asthmatic attacks.Anju Chandra, founder of Salt Room Therapy in New Delhi, says in agreement, "Salt room therapy is a drug-free treatment for asthma, chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, allergic and skin ailments. I am hopeful that this initiative will not just help people with respiratory and skin conditions but will offer them an effective and natural treatment option to fight the rising pollution around us."Salt therapy is also known as Halotherapy, a spa-type therapy which claims to bring health benefits by surrounding a person with salt in real or simulated salt caves. It also takes the form of salt rooms and breathing through salt pipes, called SpeleoTherapy. Supporters of the salt therapy say that simply sitting in a space surrounded by salt creates a micro-climate that may be beneficial to some respiratory and skin conditions.
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