Key Takeaway
Halotherapy shows positive effects on chronic respiratory diseases including improved FEV1 and mucociliary clearance, but no official guidelines exist and more RCTs are needed.
Summary
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.
Methods
Narrative literature review searching electronic databases for studies on halotherapy in chronic respiratory diseases. Included studies examining salt room therapy and dry salt inhalers across multiple respiratory conditions. Thirteen manuscripts met inclusion criteria.
Key Results
- 13 manuscripts included in the review
- Improvements seen in FEV1, FVC, and peak expiratory flow across studies
- Enhanced mucociliary clearance documented
- Positive effects in COPD, asthma, bronchiectasis, and cystic fibrosis
- No serious adverse events reported across studies
- No official guidelines established for halotherapy use
Limitations
- Narrative review rather than systematic review with formal methodology
- Most included studies had small sample sizes
- Heterogeneous study designs and halotherapy protocols
- Lack of large-scale RCTs in the literature
- Potential for publication bias toward positive results