A Guide To Halo Therapy: 3 Amazing Benefits To Know

With the advancement in technology, many types of research and studies going on in the medical field for the betterment of life. No one wants to take medicines or syringes to get better from any disease or health problem. That’s why people’s attention is moving towards natural therapies, acupuncture, or Ayurveda.

Similarly, halo therapy gets lots of attention. It is nothing grand but a kind of relaxing spa treatment for various health conditions. Research has found therapeutic effects of halo/salt therapy on the skin and respiratory problems. Hence, it is quite popular in the US, Europe, and Australia.

American Lung Association also finds Halo therapy¹ effective for breathing problems. Inhaling tiny salt particles in a salt room reduces respiratory allergies. Without any doubt, it is clear that the use of halo therapy is fruitful for respiratory and skin health benefits.

Although it is not a new therapy, most people still do not know about it. If you are one of them, then this article is good to know about it.

So, let’s dive into “A Guide To Halo Therapy” to know everything about it.

1. Halo Therapy

A kind of alternative treatment for breathing problems. People with respiratory issues or lung problems inhale salty air in salt rooms. The use of salt for breathing problems, cough, and other respiratory conditions has been common since ancient times.

Halo therapy is also beneficial to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress levels. In this way, salt therapy has various health benefits that you will get only by sitting in a salt room. No need to take medicines, or go through surgical procedures, just sit and breathe.

During a 45-minute session of salt therapy, you will get a salt cave spa ²treatment. You feel calm and relaxed with a complete focus on breathing. This results in an improvement in breathing issues.

1.1. History of Halo Therapy

It was discovered by a Polish physician Dr Felix Boczkowski in 1843. He found that salt mine workers show fewer respiratory issues than others. Then, he concluded that salt particles help in it.

After that, the use of salt mines for health conditions increased in Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and Armenia.

2. Types of Salt Therapy

Salt therapy completely depends on the way of using salt. Therefore, its types are based on the way of administration of salt during salt therapy sessions.

2.1. Dry Salt Therapy

Halotherapy is a type of dry salt therapy. In this case, salt particles are introduced into the air to create a salt cave-like environment. The level of humidity in these man-made salt caves is zero and the temperature is cool below 20•c.

This therapy is conducted in controlled salt rooms, salt caves, or salt chambers with artificial salt. Just like halotherapy, speleotherapy is also a kind of dry salt therapy with the only difference is natural salt caves are used in it. Salt mines are not considered for therapy.

According to the Salt Therapy Association, two kinds of rooms are used for the administration of this therapy.

2.2. Active Salt Rooms

In active salt rooms, a machine called a halogenerator is used for the diffusion of tiny salt particles in the air. Sodium chloride gets converted into tiny particles by the halogenerator³.

Hence the room contains salty air which you inhale. Your skin also gets exposed to this air as a result it is beneficial for skin conditions.

2.3. Passive Salt Rooms

A passive salt room is completely different from an active salt room. No machines or devices are used to create an artificial salt mine environment. Instead that large size of salt pieces are placed all over the room from floor to walls.

This man-made salt environment is used for speleotherapy ⁴(cave therapy) popular in Eastern Europe. Speleotherapy is usually done in a natural salt cave. The main object of passive salt rooms is to provide as much as possible natural environment.

Temperature, humidity, pressure everything is controlled in the passive salt room. It gives a relaxing and soothing space for meditation as well.

2.4. Wet Salt Therapy

Wet salt therapy is another kind of administration of halotherapy where the mixing of water with salt has been done. This technique provides therapeutic effects on respiratory health issues.

The administration of this therapy through the following ways;

• Drinking salty water
• Gargling salt water
• Salt water bath

This therapy has been popular for health benefits since the twelfth century in Poland. Even the use of the Dead Sea for its salty water characteristics is quite admirable.

2.5. Kinds of Salts Used in Halo Therapy

It is essential to consider the kinds of salt used during halotherapy. Salt particles get absorbed by the skin cells or enter into the respiratory system reduce inflammations, and fight against any infections.

The most popular salt options for halotherapy are sea salt, pink Himalayan salt, Epsom salt, rock salt, and table salt mixed with calcium silicate, magnesium silicate, and magnesium phosphate.

3. Amazing Health Benefits of Halo Therapy

According to many wellness professionals, it is very effective for chronic allergenic respiratory pathologies and infectious inflammatory pathologies. Scientific evidence proves that salt has the following properties;

• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-bacterial
• Fighting against allergies
• Mucokinetic

Let’s see how these salt properties are used to cure seasonal allergies, chronic bronchitis, or skin conditions.

3.1. Benefits in Respiratory Conditions

In many patients, it has been found that salt therapies provide benefits for respiratory diseases. But still, more research needs to be done in this area for more clarity.

3.1.1. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a chronic lung disease, in which air passage gets obstructed. Excess mucus secretion and chronic cough are the main reasons.

Therefore, inhaling salty air helps in reducing cough and mucus.

3.1.2. Asthma

Its benefits for asthma have been proven through a study made on rats in 2014. For that study, researchers placed the rats in a halotherapy chamber with an artificial salt mine-like environment. And then they found it helps in rat’s respiratory conditions.

However, there is little evidence of the benefits of halotherapy for bronchial asthma⁵. Still, some patients reported positive results of it on their asthma.

3.1.3. Bronchiectasis

Inflammation in the inner side of bronchial tubes results in blockage of air passage to and from the lungs. This condition is termed bronchiectasis. Pulmonary function tests are used for its diagnosis. It can be treated through this therapy.

3.1.4. Respiratory Allergies

Smoking or inhaling something that causes inflammation and itching in nasal tracts. This results in shortness of breath, coughing, or runny nose. Respiratory allergies are common respiratory issues that occur in most people.

Many people with respiratory allergies report positive results from this therapy. Even most doctors also recommend the use of salt in this case. Its antibacterial properties help to fight against infectious inflammatory pathologies.

3.1.5. Cystic Fibrosis

It is quite related to bronchiectasis. As it is also a chronic lung disease that causes abnormal widening and scarring in the bronchial tubes. Thick deposition of mucus in the air passage results in blockage of the air passage.

This causes breathing issues and also affects lung function. The microkinetic ⁶activity of salt clears the mucus and opens up the air passage. That’s why this therapy is effective for its treatment.

3.2. Halo Therapy For Skin Conditions

Most skin issues occur due to infections and ageing. In both cases, halotherapy is the best treatment method. The anti-inflammatory properties of salt particles are very effective in curing skin problems.

3.2.1. Skin Allergies

There might be a variety of factors that cause skin allergies. No matter what it is you can get relief from any kind of skin allergy through salt cave spa treatment.

3.2.2. Psoriasis

Halo therapy is also effective in reducing rashes and itchiness due to psoriasis. Salt’s antiseptic properties play a significant role in its treatment.

3.2.3. Ageing Skin

This therapy also protects your skin cells from free radicals and reduces the ageing effect. Hence, it is good to go for halotherapy to keep your skin healthy and free from any ageing signs.

3.3. Halo Therapy For Anxiety and Depression

It also helps in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression levels. It relaxes and calms down your mood. After each session, you will feel peaceful and satisfied. This results in the improvement of the mental state and sleeping cycle.

4. Risks of Halo Therapy

Out of all its amazing health benefits, it still causes some side effects. That’s why it is essential to be aware of them before taking a session.

Here are some conditions in which you have to avoid it.

• Respiratory failure
• Fever
• Open wounds
• Infectious diseases
• Hyperthyroidism
• Tuberculosis
• Anaemia
• Cancer
• Hypertension

If you don’t have such health issues, then only you can take halo salt therapy. But it is always recommended to go for a doctor’s guidance before trying it. As there is little research conducted on how it works. Therefore some doctors are still doubtful about its health benefits.

5. In The End

Hope you liked this guide on halotherapy. Now, you have enough information about this therapy and its benefits. So, let us know in the comments what you think about it.

Read more from us here.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What Is Halo Therapy Good For?

It helps in the treatment of lung problems like asthma, bronchitis and cough.

Q2. Is Breathing Salt Air Good for You?

The detoxifying effects of breathing in salt-rich air can reduce symptoms of various respiratory illnesses and skin conditions, reduce inflammation, strengthen the immune system, and reduce the signs of ageing. When salt therapy is practised on a regular basis, it can help improve our well-being and quality of life.

Q3. Who Should Not Do Salt Therapy?

Those who have chronic issues should not do salt therapy.

Q4. Why Is It Called Halotherapy?

Halotherapy comes from the Greek word, “halos” which means “salt”. Halotherapy is a natural wellness treatment around the world today that mimics the microclimate of a salt cave.

1. Crisan-Dabija, Radu, et al. “Halotherapy—An Ancient Natural Ally in the Management of Asthma: A Comprehensive Review.” Healthcare. Vol. 9. No. 11. MDPI, 2021. ↩︎
2. Çılgınoğlu, Hakkı, and Iryna Yazgan. “Speleotherapy in the scope of health tourism: case of Çankırı salt cave in Turkey.” International Journal of Tourism Policy 12.3 (2022): 333-350. ↩︎
3. Çılgınoğlu, Hakkı, and Iryna Yazgan. “Speleotherapy in the scope of health tourism: case of Çankırı salt cave in Turkey.” International Journal of Tourism Policy 12.3 (2022): 333-350. ↩︎
4. Freidl, Johanna, et al. “Winter exercise and speleotherapy for allergy and asthma: A randomized controlled clinical trial.” Journal of clinical medicine 9.10 (2020): 3311. ↩︎
5. Mandlik, Deepa S., and Satish K. Mandlik. “New perspectives in bronchial asthma: pathological, immunological alterations, biological targets, and pharmacotherapy.” Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology 42.6 (2020): 521-544. ↩︎
6. Motagamwala, Ali Hussain, and James A. Dumesic. “Microkinetic modeling: a tool for rational catalyst design.” Chemical Reviews 121.2 (2020): 1049-1076. ↩︎

Last Updated on July 26, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology