Definition of Halotherapy/Salt Therapy
Halotherapy/Salt therapy refers to various treatments that involve being immersed in salt environments, including active and passive experiences. Salt therapy originated in Eastern Europe in the 12th century, and involved spending time in naturally occurring salt caves (speleotherapy). The dry, “active” method of halotherapy in our modern era is conducted in man-made, humidity-free salt rooms/caves where precise micro-particles of… Read more
Explore Halotherapy/Salt Therapy research in the following databases:
PubMed Trip Cochrane*
*The Cochrane database requires users to enter the search term manually. Enter “halotherapy”
Research Spotlight
The databases often return hundreds of medical studies for a single wellness approach. This section summarizes a sampling of five studies – providing just a taste of the available research.
- Halotherapy Improved Bronchial Constriction in Asthmatic Children
A small pilot study (2017) from Israeli medical researchers found halotherapy was associated with notable improvements in bronchial constriction in response to a stressor in children with asthma.
Access this study - Halotherapy Triggered Anti-Inflammatory Agents for Patients with Chronic Bronchial Conditions
A small 2014 study tested patients with chronic bronchial conditions and found that halotherapy triggered anti-inflammatory agents in the body that lowered the trend of the inflammatory process and stimulated phagocytosis, a process in which cells called phagocytes engulf bacterial or viral particles to destroy them. They concluded that the more time a patient spends in halotherapy treatment, the better the results will be.
Access this study - A Review of Studies on Halotherapy for Chronic Respiratory Disorders Suggests Positive Impact
A 2022 review of 13 studies on various methods of halotherapy indicates that it may have a positive effect on patients suffering from chronic respiratory diseases, improving mucociliary elimination and lung function in common chronic respiratory diseases, and also health-related quality of life. But the researchers stress that more randomized clinical trials are needed.
Access this study - Halotherapy-An Ancient Natural Ally in the Management of Asthma: A Review
A 2021 metareview of 18 studies on halotherapy’s impact on asthma in adults and children “seemed to sustain the overall positive effects of halotherapy as adjuvant therapy for asthma,” but further evidence-based studies on larger populations are needed.
Access this study - Inconclusive Evidence for Halotherapy’s Impact on COPD Symptoms
A 2014 meta-review of 151 studies by Imperial College-London and the Univ. of W. Sydney on the effects of halotherapy on the respiratory function and quality of life for patients with COPD found that the results were inconclusive because the majority of the studies were flawed and only one randomized controlled trial met the inclusion criteria.
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Studies-in-Progress/Clinical Trials Underway
A clinical trial is any research study that assigns people to health-related interventions to evaluate the outcomes. “Interventions” include drugs, surgical procedures, devices, behavioral treatments, preventive care, etc.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: explore trials underway in the U.S.
- World Health Organization: explore trials happening across the globe. When you reach WHO’s search page, please type in “halotherapy.”
Access all studies currently available for Halotherapy/Salt Therapy in these databases:
*The Cochrane database requires users to enter the search term manually. Enter “halotherapy”
