Salt is essential for the human body, whether to regulate blood pressure or to control water and nutrient levels. But this nondescript mineral has also been used as a remedy for millennia, primarily in dissolved form as saltwater.
"By saltwater one understands salty water of natural origin with a high mineral salt content, such as iodine, sulphur and radium," says Karin Lehmann of the natural spa association in the eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Saltwater is a recognised medication that is used both externally - in the form of baths or packs - and internally for drinking, irrigation or inhalation. It helps with digestive problems, metabolism ailments and with bladder and urinary tract infections.
The main areas of application for the "white nurse", as salt water is known, are however for skin ailments, bronchial problems and for assisting with mobility.
"Extremely good results are achieved with saltwater therapy for a wide range of skin diseases," Bernd Salzer of the professional association of German dermatologists says. The application of saltwater has long-term effects in treating illnesses like Neurodermitis and Psoriasis.
"In these cases bathing with highly concentrated saltwater is indicated, best combined with ultra-violet radiation," says Professor Juergen Kleinschmidt, vice-president of the German spa association. This so-called Saltwater Phototherapy, in which the patient is given a dose of sun while still encrusted with salt directly after a bath, works for between three and 12 months, depending on the severity of the illness. German health insurers now pay for the treatment.
"The healing effect lasts a long time, but is not permanent. Symptoms may return after six months, and then a renewed course of treatment is required," Salzer says. It is also worth giving saltwater a chance in the case of acute and chronic bronchial ailments, such as asthma, bronchitis and sinusitis. "Inhaling saltwater causes swelling in the mucus membranes to decline and inhibits inflammation. It has the effect that secretions can be coughed up more easily and the irritation that causes coughing reduced," Kleinschmidt says.
Regular treatment can thus alleviate existing illnesses. "Saltwater can also have a positive effect in the case of joint ailments, such as rheumatism, arthritis or degenerative conditions affecting the spine," Lehmann says, noting the third area where the application of saltwater could help.
This kind of therapy takes place primarily by bathing in hot saltwater with a concentration of at least 4 per cent. Saltwater packs are also used, the dissolved salt reacting with the skin and causing the blood vessels to dilate.