Halotherapy, in essence, is a drug-free therapy that utilises Salt to help relieve a variety of ailments. You’ve probably seen lots of wellness clinics using the term speleotherapy or halotherapy, so what is the difference?
The difference is speleotherapy is a natural formed underground micro-climate found in caves and mines and Halotherapy is a man-made, artificially produced micro-climate or product that utilises salt.
It was the ‘father of western medicine’ Hippocrates (460BC – 370BC) who promoted the healing benefits of salt inhalation and for centuries salt has been used widely for healing internally and externally.
Whilst Halotherapy, in the form of a salt therapy room, is relatively new in the UK, it has been widely used in Eastern Europe and Russia since the 1980’s and slowly since that time the rest of the world has started to see the value of this form of therapy. In 2007, in Pakistan, within the Khewra Salt Mines, a 20 bed clinic was established to help with respiratory illnesses. It was also around this time that Halotherapy started to enter the SPA industries and Salt therapy rooms made their way into the Western world.