Balneotherapy is the presumed benefit from disease by bathing, a traditional medicine technique usually practiced at spas. While it is considered distinct from hydrotherapy, there are some overlaps in practice and in underlying principles.
Below you will find some of our frequently asked questions about balneotherapy. If your question is not answered, please feel free to contact us!
The term balneotherapy refers to any spa treatment that you might get that is associated with water, assuming there is a medical benefit to the treatment. This means that the term “balneotherapy” is generally applied to everything that we usually experience during our spa treatments, since the majority of spa treatments do have mental and physical health benefits.
Everything you do while your at the spa, that has a medical benefit and involves water, from drinking water at the spa, to soaking or taking a steam bath can be considered balneotherapy.
Benefits of balneotherapy include:
- accelerating cell activity
- increasing cell oxygenation
- boosting the immune system
- increasing body metabolism
- improving blood circulation
- eliminating toxins
- nourishing vital organs and tissues
- promoting relaxation
- decreasing inflammation
- relieving pain.
Health conditions balneotherapy is said to be useful in treating include:
- skin diseases, including psoriasis and eczema
- mild respiratory diseases
- metabolic diseases, especially gout and diabetes
- autonomic nervous system dysfunction
- gynecological diseases
- gastrointestinal diseases
- circulatory diseases, mostly mild to moderate hypertension
- fibromyalgia
- Parkinson’s disease
- stress-related diseases
- low back pain
- varicose veins
- osteoarthritis
- rheumatoid arthritis
In a 2005 study from Research in Complementary and Natural Classical Medicine, scientists found that bathing in sulfurous mineral water may help alleviate low back pain. Compared to 30 back-pain patients who underwent a tap-water-based hydrotherapy treatment, the 30 patients in the balneotherapy group showed greater improvements in muscle spasms, tenderness, and flexibility.
