SPELEOTHERAPY - scientific relevance in the last five years (2013 – 2017) – A systematic review

Abstract

Speleotherapy, the use of the climate of salt mines and caves, is an accepted but not widely known therapeutic measure in the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases, especially for asthma. The microclimate of some caves and salt mine can beneficially affect respiratory disorders and should be considered as an optimal environment for complex respiratory rehabilitation. Main therapeutic indications of salt mines and caves are represented by respiratory diseases, especially asthma. Asthma is a disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways which make them hyperresponsive and change in their architecture, a process called remodeling. This paper shows the international scientific interest for speleotherapy in the last five years. During this period, only 21 uniques articles were found in the selected data bases which were interogated after the term "SPELEOTHERAPY".