Salt Cave & Café

What is a halotherapy salt cave? Salt therapy is nothing new. Back in the mid 1800s Polish physician Feliks Boczkowski noticed men who worked in the salt mines did not experience any respiratory issues or lung diseases unlike other miners. German Doctor Karl Hermann Spannagel noticed the health of his patients improved after hiding out in the salt mines while avoiding heavy bombing during WWII. From these experiences came the creation of halotherapy salt caves – a simulated salt mine above ground. Imagine reclining in a sun lounger by the ocean side, breathing in the natural salty air, with the subtle taste of salt on your lips. Now you can experience that feeling, and the endless health benefits that come from breathing in salty ocean air, right here in the North. Alive & Fit Body & Mind offers a full scale halotherapy salt room. The salt room’s walls, ceiling and floors are lined with thousands of pounds of Dead Sea salts and Himalayan rock salts, simulating a salt mine environment. Soft lighting and therapeutic music provide an environment for total body relaxation. With the use of a halogenerator, minute dry salt aerosol particles fill the air during the 60-minute session. The salt concentration is similar to that of being by the ocean side early in the morning. And its health benefits are plentiful. Salt therapy improves the immune system, alleviates respiratory conditions, detoxifies the body by removing impurities, reduces inflammation, normalizes blood pressure, helps with insomnia and more. The negative ion environment calms the nervous system to ease depression and anxiety. In some European countries, patients with stress, anxiety and depression are taken into abandoned salt mines for a walk to help them heal. Research on the Efficacy of Halotherapy A review of data from 15 Russian hospitals between 1991 and 1994 that evaluated the effectiveness of halotherapy in 4780 adults and children with pulmonary disease found significant improvements in respiratory conditions. The course of treatment for patients ranged from 10 to 20 halotherapy sessions. They determined improvement of clinical state in 85 per cent of mild to moderate asthma cases, 75 per cent of severe asthma cases and 97 per cent of chronic bronchitis cases. Halotherapy also had a long-term effect – one year or more – on the reduction in chronic symptoms and frequency of exacerbations. A 1995 clinical study published in the Journal of Aerosol Medicine indicated that after three to five sessions of halotherapy 70 to 80 per cent of patients with either chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma or cystic fibrosis experienced improvements in respiratory discomfort, less frequent occurrence of cough attacks and improved lung function.  After a full course of treatment – approximately 20 sessions – some individuals with asthma or chronic bronchitis experience complete recovery and are able to discontinue use of medications. Testimonials

“I have asthma and bad allergies and was taking a couple of different inhalers daily. For two days prior to doing halotherapy I had felt like there was an elephant on my chest because my asthma was so bad. I came in to do the halotherapy and that night I didn’t need to take my inhalers before going to bed, and now, two weeks later I still haven’t had to take my inhalers at all. My lungs feel much better. My allergies were really bad, too. My sinuses have been clear since doing halotherapy and I haven’t been stuffed up at all.” – Dan Poitras, Hanmer, ON

 

“My son has struggled with asthma since he was a toddler and he’s been on numerous puffers. They wanted us to do the steroid one continually, but I found it was changing his behaviour so when I heard about the salt cave I wanted to try it. After his first session I found it really helped and I didn’t give him a puffer that night and haven’t given him a puffer since. It’s been amazing – not just for his breathing, but for relaxation for both of us.” Kristal Abar, Greater Sudbury resident.

 

“My breathing is much better since doing halotherapy. I was taking 3 inhalers and pills for my asthma. Now I don’t take anything at all.” – Marie Ducharme, Sudbury, ON

 

“After 15 years of being ill – experiencing chronic sinusitis, asthma, COPD – I had a full night’s rest with no coughing for the first time in a long time after the first halotherapy treatment.” – Sheri Madison, North Bay

 

“We tried everything for my 9-year-old grandson’s eczema and nothing was helping. He would get so itchy that he just wanted to scratch his skin off. We tried halotherapy for a couple of months. The eczema disappeared and now, two years later, he still has no eczema.” Carole Pitre, Sudbury, ON

 

“My daughter had seasonal asthma and every year the number of inhalers she was using and how long she needed to take them kept increasing. We did four salt room sessions and her breathing problems were gone and all the environmental allergies stopped bothering her.” Leslie Ormerod, Sudbury, ON

 

“My son Brady will be four years old. He was diagnosed with asthma and allergies a few months ago. Brady has struggled with respiratory difficulties from a very young age, however, since having started attending the salt cave we have noticed a significant improvement with his breathing and coughing.” – Leslie McLeod, Hanmer, ON

 

“Since my son started halotherapy he’s completely off his inhalers. He used to be on the steroid inhaler taking two puffs two times a day, as well as the blue inhaler. Even on the inhalers he was up all night coughing. It wasn’t even managing his asthma. After two weeks of coming to the salt cave, three times a week, I stopped giving him the inhaler with the steroids and he’s been fine. Within the last two months he’s only had to take his blue inhaler twice, and that’s only because he had been really active.” – Danielle Munroe, Greater Sudbury, ON

 

“I started doing halotherapy and my lungs really improved. I don’t even feel like I have emphysema. I certainly didn’t need to be on oxygen anymore and I am able to breathe better and do so much more. Before, I’d be going up a set of stairs and I’d have to go up only a couple of steps at a time because I needed to catch my breath. Now I can go up and down the stairs and I have no problem.” – Rosemarie Genereux, Hanmer, ON

 

“Halotherapy has really helped my asthma. About three weeks into it I was no longer using my inhalers during the day, and was breathing a lot better and no longer feeling out of breath at work when doing heavy lifting.”  – Allan Raymond, Hanmer, ON

  Salt Cave & Café Hours of operation Mon. 12-7 p.m. Tues. 12-7 p.m. Wed. 12-7 p.m. Thurs. 12-7 p.m Sat. 12-4 p.m. Location Alive & Fit Body & Mind Salt Cave & Café 221 Regent St. (near Lougheeds) Sudbury, ON P3C 4C4 705-586-HALO (4256) info@aliveandfit.ca]]>