Salt Therapy Spa - Interview

As stated, I carried out an interview with Scott from Salt Therapy Spa in Malahide.





How many people with CF visit the spa?
 
At the moment we have 13 active clients who have CF.  Their ages range from 11 months to mid fifties.
 
Did you receive any feedback from the customers? If so what did they say?
 
In all cases we have had positive feedback.  The idea of the treatment is to help lift mucus and all have found it helpful in doing so.  In the words of the mother of one CF child who attends;
 
“I really think the salt therapy is keeping my little man as well as he is today.”
 
How long do you spend in the treatment room?
 
Each session lasts 45mins.  During this time, those in the adult room relax on a reclining chair, while listening to soothing music.  It is a very therapeutic experience and many people fall asleep in the room!  In the children’s room, we have some toys and we also show cartoons, so the kids don’t even realise they are taking a treatment!
 
How many times can you use it a week?
 
There is no particular limit to the number of times or how often one can come for the treatment.  It tends to have a cumulative effect, so in fact, we recommend that people come as often as they can, in as quick succession as they can, in order to attain the greatest initial benefit.  Then, they can assess their own situation and come as they feel the need to “top up” their treatment.
 
Generally, we recommend courses of 5, 10 or 15 sessions, depending on the condition with which someone presents.  However, we have some customers who pay for unlimited visits over a period of 3, 6 or 12 months, and who come almost every day.
 
How much does a visit cost?
 
Firstly, we offer a free visit to everyone to allow them come and experience the therapy.  After that, a walk in session costs €35.  However, it is the case with all the conditions we are treating that they are incurable and require on-going treatment.  For this reason, we provide courses of 5 sessions (€150), 10 sessions (€250) or 15 sessions (€300).  After that, we also offer unlimited sessions based on a 3,6 or 12 month basis.
 
On the topic of cross infection. How does the Spa combat this?
 
and
 
Would there be any other people with CF there at the same time or the same day?
 
Firstly, one of the inherent properties of salt, and one of the bases of the treatment is that it is anti-bacterial.  Coupled with this, the air in the room is exchanged after every session using a HEPA filtration system and the room is cleaned, with each chair being wiped down.
 When a person with CF attends the centre, we do not allow any other clients, regardless of condition, in the room at the same time.  However, we have no restrictions on other CF people attending on the same day.
 
CF'ers suffer with sinusitis. How many visits to the Spa would it take to notice a difference? And how many visits would it take to clear sinusitis?
 
With sinusitis it is common to see noticeable results more quickly than with other conditions.  Often, in just the first session, people feel a release in the sinus area.  We generally recommend that they take a course of 10 sessions and evaluate their response after doing 6-7 of those in as quick succession as possible, then topping up after that as they feel the mucus build again.  However, everyone’s condition is different and as such, there is no exact prescription regarding number of sessions.
 
How is the salt generated into the room?
 
We use a special machine called a halo-generator.  This machine works by grinding down pharma salt into a particle size of less than 5 micrometers and then blowing it into the room as a dry salt aerosol.  
 
CF'ers use Hypertonic Saline 7%. How would the Spa differ from the nebuliser?
 
There are a couple of differences, but the main ones are that
 
) Salt therapy describes the inhalation of a dry salt aerosol, there is no moisture involved.
) There are no masks, tubes or noisy machinery.  It is a very therapeutic experience.
 
Is there a percentage of saline to water or saline to oxygen?
 
The halo-generators allow us to change a number of parameters such as the concentration and particle size of the salt.  We grind the salt to its finest particle size to allow it penetrate as deep as possible into the lungs/alveoli and then change the concentration as required.
 
Any other comment?
 
As opposed to this being just a commercial venture, we have personal experience of the curative effects of inhaling salt particles and it is as a result of this that Salt Therapy Spa was opened.  My father, Richie Lindsay, is a bronchiectasis sufferer and discovered this treatment while searching for something that was not steroid based to help relieve his own condition.  
 
He travelled to Estonia to research the therapy, which has its genesis in the salt mines of Eastern Europe.  It was found, around 150 years ago, that those working in the mines did not suffer from respiratory conditions and whose general wellbeing was much better than could be expected.  For many years, people visited the salt mines to help relieve their respiratory conditions. This was referred to as speleo (cave) therapy.  Then the treatment was taken on by the Russians, who wanted to recreate the environment and make it available to those who weren’t in a position to visit salt mines.  This resulted in the invention of the halo (salt) generator and halotherapy.
 
Halotherapy is also effective in tackling allergic conditions such as hayfever and skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis.  The treatment is 100% natural and drug free and in 18 months, almost 3,500 people have attended our centres in Malahide and Blackrock.  
 
For more info and contact details, people can look us up on http://www.salttherapyspa.ie