What is Mineral Therapy?

Mineral therapy has been around for a long time. Most water used in mineral therapy comes from the earth and contains natural minerals and also has some radioactive properties. The main minerals contained within the mineral water are some of the halogens like iodine, sodium chloride and other minerals inorganic minerals like hydrogen carbonate. One theory on the effectiveness of the mineral therapy is based on the possibility that the minerals in minute quantities enter the skin and may either help relieve thyroid function which is seen to be slightly off in patients with joint problems or that the minerals enter the blood stream as a gas and help expand the blood vessels effectively improving circulation.

Types of Mineral Therapy

Mineral therapy can be a form of mud therapy that uses a mud that is rich in organic matter and dissolved in mineral water. The mud contains both organic and inorganic clays and is held together with mineral water or salso-bromo-iodic water. The composition of the soil is averagely 53 percent clay, 36 percent minerals and 4 percent water. Individuals seeking the treatment can either receive a full body bath, a partial body bath or a partial body wrap. The treatment promises many beneficial effects which include an anti-inflammatory response, pain relief, improved circulation, muscle relaxation and after a mud treatment the individuals feel vitalized. These effects offer relief to various joint ailments such as arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, spondylitis and fibrositis. The minerals in the mud are also supposed to help people suffering from skin problems such as eczema, acne and psoriasis. Mineral therapy helps to clean and exfoliate the skin, by removing dead skin cells resulting in a youthful vigorous skin.

Mineral therapy can also be a straight water mineral therapy without the mud. In this case the therapy employs water that contains minerals and salts. The person in placed in the water in a spa setting and allowed to soak, relax while enveloped in the mineral water. These treatments are also said to be beneficial to the body by increasing circulation which in turns helps relieve symptoms associated with arthritis and other joint and vascular related ailments.

Drinking mineral water is another common form of mineral therapy. In this form the water is said to help with such ailments like gout, liver problems, nephritis and gastritis. These claims are yet to be proven scientifically but on a traditional basis, consumption of mineral water has historically shown benefits.

Scientific Proof that Immersion Mineral Therapy Works

In a study published in the Journal Rheumatology International, scientists took 80 patients who suffered from fibromyalgia syndrome and exposed them to mud packs. Half were considered control patients. For 16 weeks the patients had their tender areas exposed to the packs and significant improvement was noted among those who used the therapy. In another study 30 patients suffering from osteoarthritis were treated daily with mud packs and mineral bath water. This study published in the same journal showed that the mineral therapy and the mud therapy were both viable non-pharmacological treatments to managing osteoarthritis.

Experts however point out that mineral therapy does not cure the ailments but may help alleviate symptoms, making the illnesses easier to live with. In a nut shell, people undergoing mineral therapy have less painful symptoms associated with their disease.

Maybe mineral therapy sounds like the right treatment for your ailment. If so then contact Aquafit. They are a professional hydrotherapy clinic in Canada.