A question we are asked more and more often in the age of Halotherapy is: is it safe for children?
Halotherapy is an alternative holistic therapy which allows you to breathe in medical grade dry salt aerosol for a variety of health benefits involving respiratory health, skin health, and immune boosting effects.
Whereas most clinical trials and studies on the effects of Halotherapy are on human health, there are a few studies that specifically address the effects of Halotherapy on children, in various double-blind clinical trials.
Listed at the bottom of this article are just a few studies that reference children.
Effects of Salt Therapy on Children
If you’re a parent, naturally you will be concerned when trying new therapeutic treatments with your children, especially when the results are not widely known. Are there any side effects?
And rightly so. The respiratory and immune systems of adolescent children are not fully developed until the age of 10. Therefore, it’s imperative to know the implications of Halotherapy on children.
As of the writing of this article, there are no known negative side effects towards children and Halotherapy.
Studies have conclusively shown that Halotherapy is not only safe for adults, but also for children of all ages — including babies and expectant mothers.
The Scientific Evidence of Halotherapy and Children
Listed below, we’ve cited the scientific and medical journals with the abstracts of clinical trials related to halotherapy, specifically with regards to children.
The Clinical Studies in Chronological Order
- The Effect of Salt Space on Clinical Findings and Peak Expiratory Flow in Children with Mild to Moderate Asthma: A Randomized Crossover Trial (2017)
“This study showed the significant effect of salt therapy on PEF rate of the patients in the second week. However, further studies with different frequency and time of salt therapy on respiratory disorders are recommended.”
- The promising directions for the further development of halotherapy in pediatric medicine (2016)
“Halotherapy has been shown to produce well apparent anti-inflammatory, draining, mucolytic, immunomodulatory, and sanogenetic action. The high effectiveness of halotherapy for the prophylactic application in the frequently ill children is emphasized together with the possibility of its extensive use for the treatment of acute respiratory diseases and combined medical rehabilitation of the children presenting with chronic ENT disorders, respiratory and skin diseases.”
- Halotherapy as asthma treatment in children: A randomized, controlled, prospective pilot study (2016)
“Our pilot study suggests that salt room with halogenerator, may have some beneficial effects in mild asthmatic children.”
- Evaluation of Halotherapy as Asthma Treatment in Children (2016)
“Provocative concentration causing a 20% fall in the forced expiratory volume at one second (PC20-FEV1) as assessed by Methacholine Challenge Test [ Time Frame: Study visit 1,2 (7 wks) ]”
- Hypertonic Saline and Acute Wheezing in Preschool Children (2012)
Using HS inhalations significantly shortens LOS and lowers AR in preschool children presenting with an acute wheezing episode to the emergency department.
- The use of halotherapy for the health improvement in children at institutions of general education (2012)
“The application of halotherapy was shown to produce well-apparent anti-inflammatory, draining, and sanogenic effects. Observations during 1, 3, 5, and 12 month follow-up periods confirmed the persistence of prophylactic and therapeutic effects of salt therapy. The results of the study were used to develop differential schemes of halotherapy taking into consideration the initial conditions of the children.”
- Speleotherapy for asthma (2001)
“Three trials including a total of 124 asthmatic children met the inclusion criteria, but only one trial had reasonable methodological quality. Two trials reported that speleotherapy had a beneficial short-term effect on lung function. “
- The dynamics of the persistence characteristics of staphylococci under the action of the microclimate of a speleotherapy mine (1996)
“Clinical investigations have confirmed the capacity of speleotherapy to decrease the microbial contamination of the upper respiratory tract and to inhibit the persistence properties of staphylococcal microflora in children with respiratory allergosis, which seems to be the basis of the positive effect achieved by treatment with microclimate in a spelean pit.”
- The efficacy of speleotherapy in atopic dermatitis in children (1994)
“During the treatment positive trends were observed in the patients’ dermatological status and immune homeostasis. A complete 6-24-month response was reported in 58%, partial in 20%, no response in 6.9% of patients. The method [speleotherapy] is recommended for treatment of atopic dermatitis.”
- The efficacy of speleotherapy in salt mines in children with bronchial asthma based on the data from immediate and late observations (1993)
“Speleotherapy courses noticeably diminished broncho-obstructive syndrome, improved pulmonary ventilation. The improvement proved stable in the majority of the patients. It is recommended to include speleotherapy in salt mines into combined rehabilitation treatment of pediatric asthmatics.”
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