#Halo therapy skin

One 2007 study published in the journal Pneumologia showed that dry salt inhalers, used up to 30 minutes each day, five days per week for three months, showed significantly improved symptoms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The effect that on anxiety and depression is considered to be a placebo effect.”īut that's not to say there's no promising research on it's effectiveness. “Most doctors are still skeptical, including myself. “Halotherapy may be a relaxing spa treatment, but there's little evidence about how well it works,” Sonpal says. Can Halotherapy heal respiratory ailments? As halotherapy gains popularity (an estimated 300 salt caves exist in the United States alone) some claim the treatment can improve acne, seasonal allergies, arthritis and even depression, although there has been no peer-reviewed research to support most of these claims. When other physicians started to notice the same, salt caves began popping up around Europe up as a therapy for lung ailments like pneumonia or bronchitis. Salt exposure as a therapeutic treatment developed after 1843, when Polish physician Feliks Boczowski noticed that his patients, who worked in salt mines, had no respiratory or lung problems compared to other miners. Niket Sonpal, assistant professor at Touro College of Medicine. Halotherapy - from the Greek “halos,” which means “salt' - uses dry aerosol micro-particles of salt or minerals inside of a large, arid space to simulate the microclimate of salt mines, says Dr. But increasingly, people (including medical practitioners) have been recognizing Himalayan sea salt as a mechanism for purifying and healing the body. They're beautiful, and mostly used for decoration. Whether it's in a local metaphysical center, a farmer's market or a big box store, Himalayan sea salt is sold in every form imaginable, from lamps to tea light holders to gigantic slabs. He assured me that the physical healing powers come from the halogenerator, not the décor, which is there for mentally therapeutic reasons.Unless you've been living in a cave (not made of salt) for three years, you've no doubt noticed that Himalayan sea salt - those peachy-pink, jagged slabs - are everywhere.

#Halo therapy skin

But a hot-second into rubbing the chalky salt residue into my skin (purportedly to help with psoriasis and eczema, which I don't have), I got obsessed with thinking how much better this experience would be if someone handed me a martini.Ĭlearly, the meditative aspect wasn’t for me, but the fanciful walls serve more as a pretty placebo, Tonkin says. Or, at least I was willing myself to believe that because I had nothing else going on.Īfter Alexandra Janelli, the founder of Modrn Sanctuary, instructed me to wiggle my toes into the chalky floor or to roll around in what seemed like the (sanitary) basement of a fish tank, I decided to lean into the experience. Similar to how post-nasal drip lingers in the back of your throat, the microns migrated through me and I could feel them 'working' as I swallowed. The warm salt particles started touching my lips and with every (shallow) breath, it was as if I was inhaling the essence of organic popcorn.

And cheese fries.Īfter, say, 16 minutes, when I finally put my phone down, I could feel the halogenerator cooking. I find nothing less relaxing than the prospect of having to relax, however, so alone in that exquisite place with surfaces so savory I almost licked them, all I could think about was work. Oh, and it smells how I imagine Natasha Richardson in the Parent Trap would-like a clean hotel infused with white jasmine that you can't afford to stay in. Instead of a moldy cavern, I entered a pink oasis with floor-to-ceiling backlit Himalayan salt walls, soft floors to bury my toes in, and plush chairs so comfortable I would have stolen one if I didn’t live in a studio apartment. But, I figured that regardless of the surroundings, I'd go in with an open mind in an attempt to clear my head and my sinuses. Before setting out, I was anxious that I'd be chilling in a dank cave-the kind your family drags you to on spring break to stare at stalactites when you really just want to be on a beach like the popular kids. To be fair, the salt room I had the honor of palpitating in at Modrn Sanctuary in New York was a literal dream. But all I walked away with was a few Boomerangs and some major anxiety. In order to test these claims on my own slight case of the sniffles, I spent 45 minutes inside one of these salt chambers.