Salt therapy was discovered in the mid 18th century by Polish health official named Felix Botchkowski. Salt therapy was originally discovered as Speleotherapy or cave therapy, 'Spelenos' being the Greek term for 'cave'. Felix Botchkowski found that salt miners in Poland had not experienced lung-related ailments such as asthma, pneumonia, or chronic bronchitis. Even miners who had respiratory disease before they began working in the mines felt better and had fewer symptoms as they spent more and more time in the caves. Felix Botchkowski published a book in 1843 on his findings. His predecessor Mstislav Poljokowski founded the first Salt Spa in Velicko, which is still in operation today.
The benefits of salt were also noticed in the 1940's, around the end of World War II. Abandoned salt mines were frequently used as bomb shelters. Those who sought safety in these mines found a reduction in respiratory symptoms <a href="https://vivasalt-halogenerator.eu/equine-salt-therapies/">equine salt therapies</a>. Soon after, salt sanatoriums opened in European countries such as Germany, Hungary, and Yugoslavia. In 1968 the Hospital of Allergic Diseases officially authorized the scientific foundation of Spelenotherapy.
Speleotherapy is the treatment of respiratory diseases, as well as some skin diseases, utilizing salt-rich air in underground caves. Natural salt microns and ions have been proven effective in calming an agitated respiratory track. Salt has a natural anti-inflammatory effect; it reduces swelling and edema in the air passages, making it less difficult and less painful to breath. Inhaling the salt-saturated air destroys fungus and bacteria in the mucosal lining of the respiratory tract. Breathing the salted air thins the mucous in the lungs so it is more easily expectorated. It has also being proven to remove remaining tar from the lungs of smokers. The salt ions produce a negative electrical charge in the air, which improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety, decrease fatigue, and have many other curative effects.
During a treatment, the patient is allowed to relax in the salt cave for the duration of the session. Each session last from twenty to forty five minutes, and is repeated daily for up to fifteen days. Treatments are recommended up to three times per year. Speleotherapy treatments are typically not private; patients usually can share a treatment cave with as many as thirty other individuals.