Speleotherapy and climatotherapy ..

[bindeweede]

are new to me. Speleotherapy is also called salt-mine therapy, I believe.

One device claims

Dry Salt Inhaler Saltpipe
Dry Salt Inhaler Saltpipe is a salt therapy device for home use. It has been designed to deliver the benefits offered by breathing the dry salty air just as in the natural salt mines or underground salt caves. Dry Salt Inhaler saltpipe utilises the simple curative principles of breathing salty air, but without the inconvenience and expense of trips to salt therapy centres, such as the Therapy Centre in the Praid Salt Mine. The patent pending Dry Salt Inhaler saltpipe is a handy 'pipe like' inhaler that offers you the benefits of salt mine therapy whenever you need it or wherever you are.
The Dry Salt Inhaler saltpipe features the unique safety valve that teaches the user to breathe out correctly through the nose, whilst also preserving the quality and integrity of the therapeutic dry salt crystals in its inner chamber of the salt pipe.
The Dry Salt Inhaler Saltpipe can be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of acute and chronic allergic or infectious respiratory conditions in people suffering the following problems:
asthmabronchitisrhinitisnasal polypssinusitispharyngitistonsillitislaryngitistracheatiscystic fibrosissilicosisbronchiectasis pollen allergiescommon coldproblems caused by smokingsnoring

And the claimed benefits.......

CE marked Class 1 Medical DevicePatent pendingUnique elegant design with integral safety valveClinically tested and provenNatural product containing only pure salt crystals from the Transylvanian Praid Salt MineDrug free natural treatment modalitySafe and easy to useWell tolerated treatmentNon systemic local mechanism of actionNo side effectsNo drug interactionCan be used alone or alongside other therapiesReduces asthma attacksActivates body's own defences Does not require doctor's prescription

I have tried to find some genuine testing of this device/therapy, but have failed.

Can anyone help out please?

Also,

I went to de-stress and did in fact feel faintly rejuvenated 45 minutes later. Anecdotally, it seems to have further health benefits, such as soothing asthma and other lung conditions, but there is a lack of empirical research.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/ma...7/hsalt117.xml

[bindeweede]

I forgot to post the original link.

http://www.winhealth.co.uk/Saltpipe.htm

[bindeweede]

[quote=bindeweede;41916]I forgot to post the original link.

http://www.winhealth.co.uk/Saltpipe.htm

The Dry Salt Inhaler saltpipe features the unique safety valve that teaches the user to breathe out correctly through the nose, whilst also preserving the quality and integrity of the therapeutic dry salt crystals in its inner chamber. The Dry Salt Inhaler Saltpipe can be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of acute and chronic allergic or infectious respiratory conditions in people suffering the following problems: asthma - bronchitis - rhinitis - nasal polyps - sinusitis - pharyngitis - tonsillitis - laryngitis - tracheatis - cystic fibrosis - silicosis - bronchiectasis -

My bolding.

Can they really claim that?

Well,....
What's the treatment?

There's no cure for silicosis. It's essential, however, that the person affected removes himself from risk of further silica exposure and stops smoking. In the winter, immunisation against flu is recommended. People with silicosis should also be vaccinated against pneumococcal infection, a common cause of pneumonia.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/silicosis1.shtml




http://winhealth.co.uk/acatalog/salt_mine_therapy.html

[Mongrel]

My bolding.

Can they really claim that?

Well,....
What's the treatment?

There's no cure for silicosis. It's essential, however, that the person affected removes himself from risk of further silica exposure and stops smoking. In the winter, immunisation against flu is recommended. People with silicosis should also be vaccinated against pneumococcal infection, a common cause of pneumonia.

It's worse for the CF sufferers, they're born with it.

Passed this on to the CF Trust

[Matt]

"The Dry Salt Inhaler Saltpipe can be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of acute and chronic allergic or infectious respiratory conditions in people suffering the following problems: ..."

So it doesn't actually claim to treat "'the following problems" only chronic allergies and respiratory infections.

It's a bit like saying asprin can help treat a headache if you have cancer or even an oil change may improve you car's performance if you are dead.

The relavence of these seperate conditions is not stated though it may be a worthwhile claim if...

1) The device is demonstrably of some benefit for people with chronic allergies or respiratory infections.

2) People with these other conditions are significantly more likely to suffer from chronic allergies or respiratory infections.

[Pebble]

[quote=bindeweede;41912]

I have tried to find some genuine testing of this device/therapy, but have failed.

Can anyone help out please?

[QUOTE]

Pubmed to the rescue: Mainly very poor qulaity russian trials.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000;(2):CD001741.[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Cathal/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG] Links
Update in:
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2001;(2):CD001741.
Speleotherapy for asthma.
Beamon S, Falkenbach A, Fainburg G, Linde K.
2 Morton Street, Royston, Herts., UK, SG8 7AZ.
BACKGROUND: Speleotherapy, the use of subterranean environments, is a therapeutic measure in the treatment of chronic obstructive airways diseases. It is virtually unknown in the UK or the US, but has considerable widespread use in some Central and Eastern European countries. OBJECTIVES: To review evidence for the efficacy of speleotherapy in the treatment of asthma. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane Airways group database), contacted speleotherapy centres and experts in the field, hand searched proceedings, and checked bibliographies of articles obtained to identify possible relevant publications. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included controlled clinical trials (i.e., both randomized and those not reporting the method of allocation) that compared clinical effects of speleotherapy with another intervention or no intervention in patients with chronic asthma. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Information concerning patients, interventions, results, and methodology were extracted in standardized manner by two independent reviewers and summarized descriptively. MAIN RESULTS: Three trials including a total of 124 asthmatic children met the inclusion criteria, but only one trial had reasonable methodological quality. Two trials reported that speleotherapy had a beneficial short-term effect on lung function. Other outcomes could not be assessed in a reliable manner. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence does not permit a reliable conclusion as to whether speleo-therapeutic interventions are effective for the treatment of chronic asthma. Randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up are necessary.


more recently

Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2004 Jan;10(1):37-43.[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Cathal/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG] Links
Complementary and alternative medicine for bronchial asthma: is there new evidence?
Györik SA, Brutsche MH.
Division of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Complementary and alternative medicine is widely used in bronchial asthma. Data on efficacy of these treatment modalities are lacking. RECENT FINDINGS: Studies published since June 2002 on complementary and alternative medicine in bronchial asthma were systematically reviewed. SUMMARY: Studies do not support the use of homeopathy, air ionizers, manual therapy, or acupuncture for asthma. These methods bear some risks to patients related to undertreatment and side effects. There might be a possible, but so far not clearly established, role for antioxidant dietary supplementation, and some natural antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory remedies. However, their effect size compared with the classical treatment and side-effect profile is not clearly established. Strategies influencing breathing technique or perception, such as breathing or retraining exercises, need to be studied over the next few years to establish their additive role in the treatment of asthma. Breathing exercises could improve lung function and quality of life in different studies. Psychotherapy-related methods such as relaxation, hypnosis, autogenic training, speleotherapy, and biofeedback might have a small effect in selected cases, but have not proven to be superior to placebo. Nevertheless, more randomized controlled trials of good methodological quality are required to allow firm conclusions.

[Cuddles]

natural salt mines

Really? The salt naturally digs itself up and ships itself off around the world?

[Croydon Bob]

Really? The salt naturally digs itself up and ships itself off around the world?

It's probably the same as the "Organic Salt" that my local health food shop sells. I'd like to know the chemical composition of that stuff.

[bindeweede]

[quote=Pebble;41938][quote=bindeweede;41912]

I have tried to find some genuine testing of this device/therapy, but have failed.

Can anyone help out please?

Pubmed to the rescue: Mainly very poor qulaity russian trials.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000;(2):CD001741.[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Cathal/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG] Links
Update in:
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2001;(2):CD001741.
Speleotherapy for asthma.
Beamon S, Falkenbach A, Fainburg G, Linde K.
2 Morton Street, Royston, Herts., UK, SG8 7AZ.
BACKGROUND: Speleotherapy, the use of subterranean environments, is a therapeutic measure in the treatment of chronic obstructive airways diseases. It is virtually unknown in the UK or the US, but has considerable widespread use in some Central and Eastern European countries. OBJECTIVES: To review evidence for the efficacy of speleotherapy in the treatment of asthma. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane Airways group database), contacted speleotherapy centres and experts in the field, hand searched proceedings, and checked bibliographies of articles obtained to identify possible relevant publications. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included controlled clinical trials (i.e., both randomized and those not reporting the method of allocation) that compared clinical effects of speleotherapy with another intervention or no intervention in patients with chronic asthma. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Information concerning patients, interventions, results, and methodology were extracted in standardized manner by two independent reviewers and summarized descriptively. MAIN RESULTS: Three trials including a total of 124 asthmatic children met the inclusion criteria, but only one trial had reasonable methodological quality. Two trials reported that speleotherapy had a beneficial short-term effect on lung function. Other outcomes could not be assessed in a reliable manner. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence does not permit a reliable conclusion as to whether speleo-therapeutic interventions are effective for the treatment of chronic asthma. Randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up are necessary.


more recently

Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2004 Jan;10(1):37-43.[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Cathal/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG] Links
Complementary and alternative medicine for bronchial asthma: is there new evidence?
Györik SA, Brutsche MH.
Division of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Complementary and alternative medicine is widely used in bronchial asthma. Data on efficacy of these treatment modalities are lacking. RECENT FINDINGS: Studies published since June 2002 on complementary and alternative medicine in bronchial asthma were systematically reviewed. SUMMARY: Studies do not support the use of homeopathy, air ionizers, manual therapy, or acupuncture for asthma. These methods bear some risks to patients related to undertreatment and side effects. There might be a possible, but so far not clearly established, role for antioxidant dietary supplementation, and some natural antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory remedies. However, their effect size compared with the classical treatment and side-effect profile is not clearly established. Strategies influencing breathing technique or perception, such as breathing or retraining exercises, need to be studied over the next few years to establish their additive role in the treatment of asthma. Breathing exercises could improve lung function and quality of life in different studies. Psychotherapy-related methods such as relaxation, hypnosis, autogenic training, speleotherapy, and biofeedback might have a small effect in selected cases, but have not proven to be superior to placebo. Nevertheless, more randomized controlled trials of good methodological quality are required to allow firm conclusions.

Pebble,

Thanks for your efforts.

bw

[Mongrel]

[QUOTE=bindeweede;42032][quote=Pebble;41938]

I have tried to find some genuine testing of this device/therapy, but have failed.


bw

Generally if it's not in the normal clinical literature take that as a big red flag. Some items may not be there as they really are revolutionary, in which case it's a judgement call based on the plausibility of any technical info that's supplied.

Wanna guess were my call goes?

Oh, and for the record a one way valve is not unique...