Key Takeaway
Halotherapy shows overall positive effects as adjuvant therapy for asthma with no reported adverse events, but larger evidence-based studies are needed before inclusion in clinical guidelines.
Summary
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.
Methods
Searched PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases for original research articles on halotherapy and asthma. Included 18 studies spanning adult and pediatric populations. Assessed evidence for therapeutic effects, mucociliary clearance, and preventive applications.
Key Results
- 18 original articles included
- 5 adult studies and 5 pediatric studies assessed halotherapy effects
- 3 papers evaluated mucociliary clearance improvements
- 1 paper documented prevention of nocturnal asthma exacerbations
- All studies reported positive effects as adjuvant therapy
- No adverse events reported across any included studies
Limitations
- Most studies had small sample sizes
- Heterogeneity in halotherapy protocols and salt concentrations
- Difficulty blinding participants to salt room interventions
- Many studies lacked rigorous randomization or controls
- Insufficient evidence to conduct formal meta-analysis