Summer is here and many of us will use our vacations to go get some tan and rest our souls by the sea. For those who prefer to enjoy their well-deserved free time by the pool, we have a few reasons that will change their minds. You may have heard of the word thalassotherapy. It refers to the usage of seawater for cosmetic and health treatment. Hippocrates was the one to use it first, and he knew what he was talking about. Ancient Greeks had the abundant knowledge regarding beauty and health benefits of salt water and they enjoyed soaking in hot tubs filled with this mineral-rich water. You may have even experienced getting a doctor’s recommendation to swim in the sea as much as possible as a treatment for many health issues. We bring you the top benefits of seawater that will make you enjoy swimming in the sea even more!
Circulation
The main characteristic of thalassotherapy is to help the blood flow in your body by soaking yourself in sea water. This means that the blood rich in oxygen flows easier from your heart to your whole body. Stress, poor diet and lack of sleep cause the deficit of essential minerals that are crucial for good circulation. Swimming in seawater helps with restoring them.
Wounds and skin problems
Being abundant in minerals, such as sodium, magnesium, sulfate, calcium, and chloride, sea water is a very helpful solution for many skin conditions, such as psoriasis or eczema. A research conducted in International Journal of Dermatology in 2005 proves that people who bathed in the Dead Sea have shown a significant improvement of skin dryness and inflammation. The term for bathing in natural water rich in minerals in order to treat illness is balneotherapy. Furthermore, salt water will clean your skin from ulcers, acne, and lupus.
Breathing issues
Seawater has proven to be useful in treating a number of breathing problems, such as asthma, phlegm, severe cough and sinus issues. Exposure to salt water has also proved to be helpful in reducing the symptoms of hay fever and sinusitis. In fact, many medical experts state that people that are exposed to sea or ocean tend to have a healthier respiratory system in general.
Greasy hair
You’ve surely noticed how dry your hair is after swimming in the sea. Seawater has a property of a natural shampoo because it removes the excess oil from the hair. Bathing in salt water will make your hair absorb the vitamins and minerals that the sea water contains, and so it will make your scalp healthy and ensure the healthy hair growth.
Other than the mentioned beneficial characteristics of sea water, there plenty more: helping with liver and kidney problems, cleaning the large intestine, strengthening the immune system, etc. Moreover, it also helps with improving the mental well-being, it has proven to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression and help with insomnia. We reckon it’s time for a holiday, don’t you think?
Nessie L.B.