Salt Therapy (Halotherapy) Research

This large-scale Italian survey assessed the perceived effectiveness of halotherapy (salt room therapy) among users across Italy. The study collected responses from over 4,000 participants who had undergone halotherapy sessions at various facilities, making it one of the largest surveys on salt therapy to date.

Respondents reported on their experiences with halotherapy for a range of respiratory and ENT conditions, including chronic rhinosinusitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and recurrent upper respiratory infections. The survey captured subjective symptom improvements, overall satisfaction, and perceived changes in medication use and quality of life.

The majority of respondents reported positive outcomes, with high satisfaction rates and self-reported improvements in nasal breathing, mucus clearance, and frequency of respiratory infections. Many participants also noted reduced reliance on pharmacological treatments following regular halotherapy sessions.

As a survey-based observational study, the findings are limited by self-selection bias, lack of objective clinical measurements, and the absence of a control group. However, the large sample size and consistent pattern of reported benefits provide useful real-world data on patient experiences with halotherapy, supporting further investigation through controlled clinical trials.

This review compiled existing literature on halotherapy's use across various chronic respiratory disorders, examining both salt room therapy and dry salt inhaler devices. The literature search yielded 13 relevant manuscripts spanning conditions including COPD, asthma, bronchiectasis, and cystic fibrosis.

Studies overwhelmingly showed improvement in pulmonary function measures including FEV1, forced vital capacity, and peak expiratory flow. The review traced halotherapy from its origins in Eastern European salt mines to modern clinical applications, noting its proposed mechanisms including mucolytic, anti-inflammatory, and bacteriostatic effects.

Despite the generally positive findings, the authors emphasized that no official clinical guidelines exist for halotherapy, and the evidence base remains composed of mostly small or poorly controlled studies. They called for more rigorous randomized clinical trials to establish halotherapy's role in respiratory medicine.

This comprehensive review examined halotherapy's role in asthma management, searching PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases for original research. Eighteen articles met inclusion criteria, spanning studies in both adults and children.

Five studies assessed halotherapy effects in adults and five in children with asthma. Three papers evaluated the therapy's impact on mucociliary clearance, and one documented its preventive role in hindering nocturnal asthma exacerbations. The review also covered hypertonic saline bronchial challenges, providing mechanistic context for salt-based airway interventions.

All included studies supported overall positive effects of halotherapy as an adjuvant therapy for asthma, with no reported adverse events. However, the authors noted significant limitations in the existing evidence base and concluded that larger, well-designed studies on bigger populations are needed to move halotherapy from traditional practice to systematic inclusion in clinical guidelines.

This narrative review examined the evidence for salt therapy (halotherapy and speleotherapy) as a complementary treatment for respiratory tract diseases, with special attention to mold-related respiratory illness. The authors surveyed existing clinical studies, mechanistic data, and historical use of salt-based therapies across Eastern Europe and beyond.

The review highlighted several proposed mechanisms by which inhaled salt aerosol may benefit respiratory health: mucolytic effects that improve mucus clearance, antimicrobial properties of hypertonic saline environments, anti-inflammatory modulation of airway tissue, and improved mucociliary transport. These mechanisms are particularly relevant for mold-exposed patients, who often suffer from chronic airway inflammation, mucus hypersecretion, and recurrent infections.

The authors reviewed available clinical evidence for salt therapy in conditions including asthma, COPD, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, and rhinosinusitis, noting generally positive findings but acknowledging the low overall quality of evidence. Most studies were observational, small, or lacked adequate controls.

The review concluded that salt therapy shows promise as a low-risk complementary approach, especially for patients with chronic respiratory conditions who have not responded fully to conventional treatment. The authors called for larger, well-designed randomized controlled trials to establish efficacy and optimal treatment protocols, particularly for the underserved population of mold-illness patients.

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of speleotherapy -- therapy conducted in underground salt mines -- combined with winter exercise on patients with allergy and asthma. The study was conducted in the Gastein healing gallery in Austria, a well-known speleotherapy site with naturally occurring salt aerosol, radon, and elevated humidity.

Participants were randomized to either a speleotherapy-plus-exercise group or a control group. The primary outcome was fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a well-validated biomarker of eosinophilic airway inflammation commonly elevated in allergic asthma. Secondary outcomes included white blood cell differentials and other inflammatory markers.

Results showed that the speleotherapy group experienced significant short-term reductions in FeNO levels compared to the control group, indicating meaningful decreases in airway inflammation. Changes in white blood cell counts also suggested an anti-inflammatory immune response. The authors noted the complex, multi-factorial nature of speleotherapy environments, where salt aerosol, humidity, temperature, and trace elements may all contribute to therapeutic effects.

While the study was limited by a relatively small sample size, and the authors acknowledged the difficulty of blinding participants to the intervention, the RCT design represents a meaningful step toward higher-quality evidence for salt-based therapies in respiratory conditions.

This study evaluated halotherapy's effects on children with mild persistent asthma.

Study design:

• Children with mild asthma
• Halotherapy sessions (salt room exposure)
• Standard care continued for all participants
• Measured bronchial responsiveness and symptoms

Key findings:

• Modest improvement in bronchial hyperresponsiveness
• Symptom scores improved in halotherapy group
• No adverse events reported
• Benefits complemented standard medications

Asthma measures:

• Reduced bronchial sensitivity
• Improved peak flow readings
• Fewer daytime symptoms
• Less rescue inhaler use

Symptom improvements:

• Cough reduction
• Better nighttime sleeping
• Improved activity tolerance
• Parents reported quality of life benefits

Safety:

• Well tolerated by children
• No serious side effects
• Compatible with asthma medications
• Parents found sessions enjoyable

Limitations:

• Small study size
• Difficulty with blinding
• Short-term follow-up
• Placebo effect possible

Clinical significance:

Suggests halotherapy may be a safe complementary approach for mild childhood asthma, though should not replace standard medical management.

This systematic review searched for evidence supporting halotherapy as a treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Of 151 articles retrieved from multiple databases, only one randomized controlled trial met the inclusion criteria.

The single qualifying RCT showed some improvements in quality of life measures and 6-minute walk distance in COPD patients receiving halotherapy. However, the extremely limited evidence base -- just one trial -- precluded any meta-analysis or firm conclusions about efficacy.

The authors concluded that recommendations for or against halotherapy in COPD cannot be made based on existing evidence, and highlighted a critical need for well-designed, large-scale randomized controlled trials to determine whether halotherapy offers meaningful clinical benefits for COPD patients.