The material was prepared with the assistance and informative support by Olha Lemko, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor at the Medical Faculty of Uzhgorod National University, who has valuable experience in the scientific substantiation of speleotherapy and its practical use for treatment of patients with bronchopulmonary diseases in the conditions of Solotvino salt mines (Transcarpathia, Ukraine).
Being a doctor who has treated many patients with asthma, I have always searched for drugs that are not always inhalers and steroids. I had an unintended discovery on a medical visit to an underground salt mine, for which people with respiratory problems were being observed, so as not to visit the salt mine as a tourist attraction.
I did not believe it initially, as it was more of a folklore than a fact. However, as I observed how the patients with asthma would spend time in the cool and dry air accompanied by microscopic salt compositions, I started becoming aware of something distinct. They became less frequent in their cough, slower in their breathing, and some of them even described that they had fewer attacks during the nighttime.
I could see that I should dig even deeper. It was not clean air but a special microclimate that acted like medications alone were incapable of doing. I started wondering: indeed, is there an underground salt mine that can be the answer to treating asthma symptoms more naturally? This is when my adventure of salt mine therapy started.
Exploring Salt Mines for Asthma Treatment
I visited a deep-underground salt mine not because I was curious, but because I wanted to know whether it was in reality good for asthma patients. I have had years of experience with both bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids to treat asthma, though I was interested in rumors of people finding it easier to breathe underground. Initially, I was not convinced. The air in the mine was different, though, dry and non-humid.
I observed fewer coughs from the patients and easier breathing. There was not merely the lack of allergens, but there was something in the air itself. I started to understand that this atmosphere could cause inflammation and relax spasms of the bronchi. It is not a substitute for medical therapy. However, I feel it provides a promising complementary method of dealing with asthma.
How Underground Salt Mines Help Asthma Sufferers Breathe Easier
I have witnessed many asthma cases where people still had a hard time although they took all the proper drugs. This is why I have decided to visit underground salt mines; I wanted to know the reason why some people felt improved after visiting these places. I anticipated clean air, and I got more than I anticipated. Constant temperature, low humidity levels, and salt particles drifting in the air relieved the airway inflammation.
I observed patients who were breathing without wheezing, and others decreased their rescue inhalers. It was not a miracle, but it was real. Being a physician, I approach evidence but also rely on what I see. It is thanks to this that I currently view salt mine exposure as a helpful, favorable alternative in asthma treatment: as a reasonable alternative when symptoms seem to go out of control.
What Makes Salt Mine Air Different for Asthmatics?
When I came inside the salt mine, I assumed that it was just a mine where there is only dry air, but I understood soon that it was not so. It was still, and new, and a little moist with little crystals of salt. I recognized it was not normal air because I even felt a clearness in my breathing. To asthma patients, this climate has more to offer besides comfort.
The particles in the salt might reduce inflammations and mucus secretions, and the low humidity will not lead to airway opening up. I have witnessed patients complaining of fewer flare-ups in only a few sessions. It is not an alternative to medical treatment, but I am sure that the air in the mine forms a kind of microclimate, which is medically beneficial. That is, that is what makes it so unique: it takes care of the lungs not only with medication but also with the environment itself.
Asthma Patients Share Salt Mine Success Stories
Through the years, I have talked to hundreds of patients with asthma, but some of the most interesting accounts I have heard of are the kind that came out of people who were in underground salt mines. One patient informed me I did not have to use my rescue inhaler for days. First, I held back my word due to the inability of personal experiences to substitute for clinical trials.
As I continued hearing the same story being relayed by more and more patients, I started lending more ears. They had not cured them, but they had breathing more easily, were sleeping better, and were not having so many experiences of wheezing. I was able to meet some of these people and also pay a visit to the mine with them and I saw the difference myself. However, I do not ignore science as a physician; I listen to my patients. And well could not be disregarded their relief.
Medical Views: Can Speleotherapy Truly Help Asthma?
Being a doctor, I have never resorted to non-evidence-based treatment of asthma since accurate treatment of asthma involves control of inflammation of the airways and spasms of the bronchi. However, the experience with speleotherapy in underground salt mines made me reconsider my point of view. At first, I was not convinced, as there are few controlled trials, and the mechanism is not positively familiar. But then, I could not deny that some of the patients had improved in many ways.
They could stop wheezing, took fewer medications, and were able to control their illness better. I have done a review of emerging research, and I have observed the patients who were taking part. It cannot be used alone, yet now I consider it a potential supportive therapy. Since conventional care does not go anywhere, we have to remain receptive. Air mined in Akhaltsikhe cannot substitute inhalers; however, it could become a solution to enable asthmatics to take a more comfortable breath.
Speleotherapy in Modern Healthcare
During my clinical practice, I speculate what can assist asthma patients to breathe easier; in most instances, that would be drugs, inhalers, and control of triggers. However, after watching the condition of some of the patients improve after attending an underground salt mine, I was led to the question as to whether speleotherapy could fit into modern-day medical care. I was apprehensive as it is not considered a regular treatment yet.
However, I could not overlook the fact that classical symptoms have already decreased, there are fewer nocturnal attacks, and bronchodilator usage is also less. I have since tracked patients who have had salt mine exposure combined with traditional care, and the results are encouraging. Speleotherapy itself is not some kind of replacement, since it is a new supplement to the system. Since in the field of medicine, any phenomenon providing real relief with no harm is worth further consideration.
Conclusion
I had never imagined that an underground salt mine could do more than provide minerals, and my experience proved me wrong. I also had cases of asthmatics who have to breathe more easily, which is not due to more powerful medicine but due to the environment alone. I still think that inhalers and correct treatment are needed, but I think that we cannot neglect what is offered to us by nature silently. These mines, where we inhale the dry, salt air, appear to calm down the inflamed airways in an unexpected manner. This is the reason why I have started persuading patients to consider this possibility these days, but with caution in mind.
FAQs
How is the air in a salt mine different from regular air?
The air in underground salt mines is not humid, not allergic, and rich in fine salt particles that could cure airway inflammation and relieve asthma.
Can salt mine therapy replace my asthma medication?
No. Salt mine therapy cannot replace asthma medicine. It is sometimes used in combination with this therapy, but never before consulting with a prescribed care management of your doctor.
Are there any risks or side effects of visiting a salt mine for asthma?
People handle it pretty well, unless one has severe asthma, in which his/her doctor must be consulted.
Why do some people feel better after visiting a salt mine?
The majority report easy breathing, reduction in frequency of coughs and a reduction in tightness in the chest. This might be explained by cleaner air, ant-inflammatory effects of salt, and a decreasing number of allergens.
How does the salt in the mine affect the lungs?
Inhaling particles of salt can reduce bronchial inflammation and improve the airway clearance in the absence of other allergens.
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