If you haven’t seen the signs for salt therapy, you might have heard the chatter. Dry salt therapy, or halotherapy, has become a popular therapeutic and wellness option.
Touted as a de-stressor that clears the sinuses and rejuvenates us, halotherapy can be found at spas, gyms, yoga studios and more.
But what’s real and what’s hype? It just so happens that Boca Raton is home to the Salt Therapy Association, a group of influencers and thought leaders in halotherapy. The nonprofit association’s goal is to raise awareness, set standards and educate businesses and consumers about halotherapy advancements.
I asked Salt Therapy Association Founder and Boca Raton Resident Ulle Pukk to educate Fit Life readers about dry salt therapy.
Boca Mag: What is halotherapy?
Ulle Pukk: Halotherapy is a natural form of providing dry salt therapy that has been micronized into precise sized particles into a room or chamber, where people breathe in the dry salt air.
BM: How does it work?
UP: Pure natural sodium chloride is placed in a device called a halogenerator that crushes and grinds the salt into micron-sized particles that are then dispersed into the air. Halotherapy is typically delivered in a salt facility, spa, wellness center, fitness clubs and other places in one of two ways: 1) in a group environment that usually has a unique and relaxing salt décor environment in a 45-60 minute session or, 2) in an individual and private chamber…. in as little as a 15 minute session. We have also designed and provided halotherapy solutions for home use.
[Note to readers: Pukk is in the salt therapy business.]
BM: Is it backed by studies? If yes, could you name a few that readers can research?
UP: There are a significant amount of documented and published studies and papers validating the effects of halotherapy from physicians, scientists and researchers. Most of the studies are from Eastern Europe, Russia, Poland and other countries where dry salt therapy has been utilized over the past several decades. There have been some more recent studies conducted in the United States and by Dr. Daniel Layish, who is a board certified pulmonologist and is also [on the board] of the Salt Therapy Association. He recently published a paper in the International Journal of Respiratory and Pulmonary Medicine on the effects of halotherapy with people with Cystic Fibrosis.
[Note to readers: I looked up a few studies on halotherapy and you can, too. Go to pubmed.gov and search for halotherapy.]
BM: What can halotherapy do to help my readers? Specifically, does it relieve stress, etc.?
UP: We all are familiar with taking care of our teeth and a great practice is going to see the dental hygienist a couple times a year. Likewise, we have many rituals and protocols to take care of our well-being. But what do we do for our lungs and respiratory system? We clean out and change our air filters in our home…why? Because of the dust, allergens, pollutants and bacteria in our environment. Today, there is more pollution, more airborne diseases, pollen and allergens in the air we breathe, and dry salt therapy is hygiene for your respiratory system. As the micro-sized dry salt particles are inhaled, they move down our respiratory system absorbing mucus, reducing inflammation and killing bacteria. Halotherapy benefits children to adults of all ages that have respiratory conditions such as allergies, asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis and others. Having your skin exposed to dry salt therapy also improves the skin’s microcirculation, rejuvenates the skin surface and has been [effective] with eczema, psoriasis and acne. Athletes know how … breathing the right way and using your lungs impact performance and endurance. Today, more people are learning the benefits of yoga, meditation and taking time to just breathe. Being in a salt room or salt chamber is relaxing and helps reduce stress and fatigue.
BM: What can’t it do? I’d like to give readers a heads up on claims that might not be true.
UP: It does not cure diseases, and it does not replace medications. Halotherapy is not a magic pill and, while most people experience and feel a difference in a single session, it is most effective with multiple sessions over a two to three week period of time. Some people do frequent sessions at the onset of colds or allergy season, and some people come more frequently and routinely based on their conditions.
BM: What should readers look for when going to a place that offers halotherapy? Does your organization offer credentials to these places?
UP: The Salt Therapy Association was created to help establish standards so that businesses are operating with the right type of equipment, the right type of salt and environments that offer effective halotherapy. There are some facilities that have opened in the United States that have unique rooms that resemble underground salt caves with tons of salt on the floors and wall, however, if they do not have a halogenerator device grinding and dispersing the pure dry salt particles in the air, it is not halotherapy. In addition, all of the worldwide halogenerator manufacturers state to use pure sodium chloride, not Dead Sea or Himalayan salt, in their devices. [Dead Sea and Himalayan salt can be used for décor purposes, but not in the halogenerator.]
BM: Why did you start the Salt Therapy Association, and how does it provide support, resources, and create consciousness about dry salt therapy for businesses and consumers?
UP: The Salt Therapy Association was created to provide resources, information, research and standards to support and promote and create awareness about salt therapy for the industry, businesses and consumers.
We have developed a range of educational and informational materials. We have created awareness campaigns about dry salt therapy. We have conducted webinars about getting into the business, and we are moving forward with additional clinical studies, specifically with additional research with cystic fibrosis and asthma.
After I received my degree in alternative medicine, I had a vision years ago after spending time back in my own country of Estonia, how dry salt therapy was impacting people’s lives. I traveled through the region and Russia seeing halotherapy facilities in hospitals, clinics, day care centers, fitness clubs and even airports. That inspired me to be one of the pioneers in bringing halotherapy to the United States. Over the past couple of years our company, Salt Chamber, has worked with over 100 facilities [getting] into the dry salt therapy business in the U.S. and Canada. We have been laying the groundwork for building a foundation of a whole new industry and modality that is gaining awareness and being embraced for its restorative and preventative benefits. As the leaders in the industry, we reached out to other manufacturers, business owners, researchers, medical professionals and others to work together to form the Salt Therapy Association to collaborate and work together to further the industry, the business and the benefits of dry salt therapy.
For more information, visit the Salt Therapy Association website or look up the association on Facebook.
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About Lisette
Lisette Hilton, president of Words Come Alive, has had the luxury of reporting on health, fitness and other hot topics for more than 23 years. The longtime Boca Raton resident, University of Florida graduate and fitness buff writes for local, regional and national publications and websites. Find out more on wordscomealive.com.
