Balneology, or how water restores health. Indications and balneological treatments

Referred to as health resort medicine or nature therapy, balneology is one of the oldest methods of therapy known to humanity. It is based on the therapeutic effects of groundwater, as well as natural raw materials, such as clay, peat, and medicated gases. Balneology and physical medicine also use the benefits of climatic conditions. This is why they are often used by health resorts and spas.

The scope of balneotherapy includes both drinking medicinal waters and taking medicinal baths in e.g. brine, carbonic acid, hydrogen sulfide and radonium, inhalations, as well as a wide range of balneological treatments.

The term ‘balneology’ is used interchangeably with the word ‘hydrotherapy’. However, balneology encompasses a much wider range of treatments. Hydrotherapy is strictly based on the action of water, while balneotherapy can combine the benefits of many natural substances, including the mud or gases mentioned earlier.

In order to achieve the expected result therough balneotherapy, it must be performed under the supervision of a doctor. Used as an adjunctive treatment of chronic diseases and various ailments, it brings relief when applied long-term. To get a true feel of the beneficial effect of water, it is best to apply balneological methods for at least 3 weeks. However, there is no need to stay in a spa or health resort at that time. Places like Sense Med Concept provide a sense of staying close to nature, without having to give up everyday activities.

At Sense Med Concept, all patients have various methods of therapy at their disposal - from conventional treatment, through physiotherapy, aesthetic medicine treatments, to natural supportive solutions such as balneology or hydrotherapy. The frequency of sessions, their intensity and types of balneological treatments are always selected by a doctor. It should be remembered that some of them entail certain contraindications.

Using the beneficial effects of alternatingly used hot and cold water streams, water-jet massage stimulates blood pressure and nerve endings, firm the skin and reduce muscle tone. Being a type of treatment in hydrotherapy, water-jet massage is recommended for patients struggling with obesity, cellulite, but also muscle pain and neuralgia, chronic muscle and joint diseases, sciatica and mild circulatory disorders.

In the case of water-jet massage, the methodology of treatment consists in directing a strong stream of water onto the patient - alternatingly cold and warm. Performed in a special room, the hydrotherapy treatment is based on the action of temperature and pressure. As a result, the patient feels muscle relaxation and pain reduction. When water-jet massage is needed, Warsaw offers an extensive range of services similarly to popular spas.

Fangotherapy is nothing more than a mud therapy (fango means mud in Italian). However, it is not just ordinary mud - in balneology treatments we use a type of peloid - a double sediment that has a similar effect to peat - anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, bacteriostatic and astringent effects.

In this beneficial mud, there are many substances showing therapeutic action. It is, first and foremost, hummic acids, amino acids, waxes, resins, proteins, mineral salts, as well as "good" bacteria and fungi. The range of indications for fangotherapy is very wide - from post-traumatic orthopedic conditions, through osteoporosis, sciatica, muscle stiffness, rheumatism and arthritis, to chronic diseases of internal organs. This type of balneology treatment is also indicated for psoriasis, scarring and adhesions, as well as stress and psychosomatic disorders.

At Sense Med Concept during a fangotherapy treatment, the patient lies in a Thermo-Spa bed. It not only enables precision of performance, but also soothes and relaxes due to a sense of weightlessness.

When the need for treatments is at stake, hydrotherapy turns out to be a very broad term. At Sense Med Concept you will use the Medica bath for this purpose. It was equipped with the functions of underwater hydromassage and several underwater treatments. Hydrotherapy and physiotherapy come together - both relaxation and physiotherapy treatments may be performed. The latter are particularly indicated for patients struggling with muscle and rheumatic pains, as well as diseases of the spine.

In fact, indications in this area of hydrotherapy are very wide. At Sense Med Concept we recommend them for ailments such as muscle atrophy, contractures of various origins, diseases of the joints and spine of a degenerative and inflammatory nature, spinal pain syndromes, as well as serious conditions such as flaccid paralysis and spastic paralysis. 

The baths for hydrotherapy can also be used additionally in eliminating chronic fatigue, obesity, sleep disorders or cellulite. Hydrotherapy also supports the treatment of diabetes and internal organ disorders. Interestingly, hydrotherapy for children is also available, e.g. in the treatment of increased muscle tone.

The hydrotherapy baths at Sense Med Concept have been equipped with a colour therapy system - an interesting solution that additionally affects the autonomic nervous system.  

Treatments in hydrotherapy help Sense Med Concept patients regain not only health and fitness, but also well-being. Water in any form has a positive effect not only on the body, but also on the mind and emotions. Balneotherapy is part of the holistic medicine ideology - a comprehensive approach to the patient, which is characteristic of the Sense Med Concept specialists.

Source:

Wielka Księga Balneologii, Medycyny Fizykalnej i Uzdrowiskowej, ed. Kochański J., Ponikowska I. Volume 1, Konstancin-Jeziorna 2017, pp. 22-24, 34, 59-77, 104-124, 155-178.