Cystic fibrosis How can Salt Therapy help with Cystic Fibrosis

What is Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease. The name itself refers to the scarring (fibrosis) and cyst formation within the pancreas. Difficulty breathing is the most serious symptom. The exocrine glands produce abnormally viscous mucus, causing chronic respiratory and digestive problems, and ultimately the whole body can be affected, and it can lead to progressive disability and early death.

Cystic Fibrosis causes the body to produce thick secretions that particularly affect the lungs and digestive tract. This makes it hard to breathe and digest food.

What are the symptoms of cystic fibrosis?

Patient with cystic fibrosis display symptoms such as salty tasting skin, poor growth (even though they have a normal appetite) poor weight gain, excess mucus production, frequent chest infections, diarrhoea excessive coughing and shortness of breath. There is also a likelihood you will tend to suffer from frequent lung infections. Men in particular may suffer from infertility.

What treatments are available?

The common treatments for Cystic fibrosis include physiotherapy, medication, a focus on correct nutrition and sustained exercise. A combination of physiotherapy and medication can help control lung infections and prevent lung damage.

How can Salt therapy control the symptoms of Cystic fibrosis?

Salt therapy has been used in eastern European countries as a complimentary medicine and alternative therapy for skin problems and lung and respiratory illnesses for many centuries.

In 2006 the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a trial experiment where 164 patients with stable cystic fibrosis were randomly assigned to inhale 7% hypertonic salt water for the purpose of measuring whether salt could effectively be used to increase mucociliary clearance and improve lung function.

The results proved to be very positive, and are a heartening indicator of the potential for salt therapy to help people suffering from various respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis. The study results showed the test subjects had both fewer pulmonary exacerbations and a higher percentage without any exacerbations at all. The group that received the salt treatment did not experience any negative results such as worsening bacterial infection or inflammation.

The conclusion of the study was that the salt therapy was a safe and effective additional therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis