Halotherapy in respiratory diseases of children - results

Conclusion

WRITTEN BY

Dr Greta Gunek Mačukat, dr.med. spec. Pedijatar (Poliklinika za dječje bolesti „Helena“, 10000 Zagreb)

Irena Majica (Natalis slana soba, Samobor)

Nina Bencek (Natalis slana soba, Samobor)

  

Halotherapy is a method of treatment, especially effective for respiratory diseases. The most commonly used as a complementary form of therapy in asthma, often independently of respiratory infections, particularly upper respiratory tract. Parents are interested in this form of therapy when it comes to their children, since it is a treatment method that has a small number of contraindications and side effects and children does not constitute trauma. From our experience, most patients are children of kindergarten age. Halotherapy is effective on infants, especially in eliminating the accumulated mucus in the upper airways, during banal respiratory infection. Given the specificity of infancy we suggest caution and the mandatory inspection and good cooperation by the personal physician before you begin halotherapy. There is also a need for constant medical supervision which is necessary for medically trained personnel in the salt rooms. To achieve a therapeutic effect suggest 15-20 treatments (certainly not less than 10).After first few treatments there may be an initial worsening of symptoms in terms of intense coughing, wheezing, that is in most cases, the expected transient response after reaching the elimination of secretions from the respiratory tract and does not require discontinuation of therapy. Access to the patient should be individual, in this sense of salt concentration, frequency, length of therapy depends on age, type of disease and response of the individual. Most of the research of halotherapy effect on respiratory diseases have been conducted on adults. Since children are more frequent users of halotherapy, further research should be in the pediatric population.