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Balneotherapy and Hydrotherapy
Published in Mehwish Iqbal, Complementary and Alternative Medicinal Approaches for Enhancing Immunity, 2023
Balneotherapy is the collection of practices and techniques which is established upon scientific indication, rationally utilised and therapeutically identified medicinal-mineral waters, natural gases and peloids or muds from springs for medicinal reasons under the thermal spa facility centres. Principally, peloids are developed suspensions of mud comprised of a compound blend of adequately grained constituents of geologic derivation, mineral water and typically organic constituents from natural metabolic activity. Therefore, pelotherapy or mud therapy is one of the interventions in balneology that comprise the application of mud externally for healing purposes (Gomes et al., 2013). The term ‘balneo' or ‘balneum' is a Latin word, which indicates ‘bath' in English. Contemporary balneotherapy is carried out by amalgamations of bathing from hot water along with sauna, outdoor or indoor exercises, inhalations, different thermotherapies, drinking, physical therapies and hydrotherapies as a compound approach. The patients who are suffering from any ailment leave their daily chores to visit the spa to get some fresh and pure air and stay there for a specific duration of time (Agishi, 2001).
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Rheumatic Disease
Published in Jason Liebowitz, Philip Seo, David Hellmann, Michael Zeide, Clinical Innovation in Rheumatology, 2023
Balneotherapy is the relaxing use of thermal mineral baths with or without the use of mudpacks. Use of this popular modality has been mostly studied in RA, although the quality of evidence is low. A Cochrane Systematic Review was conducted in 2015 which included nine studies involving 579 participants.27 Overall, there was insufficient evidence to show that balneotherapy was more effective than usual care or other forms of mudpacks and relaxation therapies. A meta-analysis was also conducted for clinical trials which included people living with fibromyalgia.28 The authors concluded that the studies were of low quality; however, there was moderate to strong evidence for a reduction in pain and improvement in health-related quality of life.
Fungi and Water
Published in Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy, Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy
For the efficacy of thermal therapy, the results varied with the concerned disease and the thermal station. Therapeutic effects of thermal waters are due to the combination of chemical, physical, immunological, and microbiological properties. Dermatologic diseases frequently treated by balneotherapy with a high rate of success are psoriasis and atopic dermatitis (198). Other conditions treated by balneotherapy include acne vulgaris, lichen planus, pruritus, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, and xerosis (198). However, for non-specific chronic low back pain, the effect of thermal therapy on short-term pain reduction is not superior to any control treatment except for ultra-sound treatment (197). Low back pain is another non-inflammatory musculoskeletal disease that benefits from short and long-term effects of spa therapy (196).
Short-term benefits of balneotherapy for patients with chronic pelvic pain: a pilot study in Korea
Published in Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2020
Kyung-Jin Min, Hoon Choi, Bum Sik Tae, Min-Goo Lee, Sung-Jae Lee, Kwang Dae Hong
The effects of balneotherapy might result from a combination of several factors including thermal stimuli, chemical stimuli and change of environment. A physical mechanism can result from thermal stimuli, as it has been found that local heat application using hot water and mud can decrease muscle tone and increase pain thresholds (Bagdatli et al. 2015). Gate-control theory may explain the pain-relieving effect of balneotherapy (Moayedi and Davis 2013). Absorption of biologically active chemicals through the skin may also play a role in the effectiveness of balneotherapy. Although studies are limited to the specific environment of the Dead Sea and treatment of psoriasis patients, it has been shown that some water-soluble elements can penetrate through skin and be beneficial in dermatology and rheumatology therapies (Sukenik et al. 1994; Halevy et al. 2001). As mineral water and mud around the world have varying chemical composition, more research is needed to determine which is most effective for each pathology, and which concentrations of each element are necessary for obtaining optimal biological and clinical outcomes (Galvez et al. 2018). Environmental change may also contribute to the positive effects of balneotherapy. Pleasant scenery, rest away from work duty, and a peaceful atmosphere naturally can be beneficial in patients who suffer from chronic pain (van Tubergen and Hidding 2002). Patients who participated in this study had the opportunity to escape the stress of everyday life by staying at a beachfront resort away from their usual places of residence and work.
Effects of various types of ultrasound therapy in hip osteoarthritis - a double-blind, randomized, controlled, follow-up study
Published in Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 2022
Márta Király, Edina Gömöri, Rita Kiss, Noémi Nógrádi, Nóra Nusser, Katalin Hodosi, Tamás Bender
In our study, patients in the placebo group receiving only conventional therapy demonstrated improvement as regards pain, function and quality of life in the same way as those patients who received UST as well. The improvement of the studied parameters underpins the beneficial effect of the combination of exercise, massage, and balneotherapy.
The effect of balneotherapy on the oxidative system and changes in anxiety behavior, enhanced by low doses of radon
Published in International Journal of Radiation Biology, 2021
Khatuna Dondoladze, Marina Nikolaishvili, David Zurabashvili
Balneotherapy is also known to have a positive effect on anxiety and stress. Anxiety reactions, or inappropriate emotions of fear caused by a relatively small amount of stimulus, are diminished during balneotherapy (Rapolienė et al. 2016). The exact mechanism through which balneotherapy reduces anxiety is unknown.