healthy you n
W E L L - B E IN G
“Taking the waters” is a time-honored tradition that
can be very therapeutic
BY SARA ALTSHUL
Waters
B
efore modern
medicine,
“taking the
waters”
attracted
millions seeking
relief from
health problems. In the United
States, towns named Hot Springs
sprang up in Arkansas, South
Dakota, North Carolina, and Montana.
In Europe, balneotherapy—the
official term for bathing in mineral
waters to heal—
is still in common
practice. “European physicians
prescribe balneotherapy for
arthritis, skin disorders, stress-
related illnesses, and other
problems,” says Sussanna
Czeranko, a naturopathic physician
and adjunct faculty member at the
National College of Natural
Medicine in Portland, Oregon.
Where can you go to experience
such healing? Here are some of the
best-known examples.
THE BLUE LAGOON
GRINDAVIK, ICELAND
B L U E L A G O O N .C O M
Set in an otherworldly location of
uncommon beauty, Iceland’s seawater
Blue Lagoon,
above,
contains a
one-of-a-kind blend of sodium, silica,
calcium, potassium, and blue-green
algae. For the millions who come
yearly to relax in the volcanically
heated water, it’s a place of tranquillity.
But its most dramatic powers are felt
by people with psoriasis. In
1996
,
researchers found that daily baths for a
week in the milky blue waters reduced
psoriasis plaques by
40
percent.
Longer treatments yielded even better
results. The water is so effective for a
condition that is so difficult to treat
that the national health programs of
several countries pay for people to be
cared for there. U.S. insurers, sadly,
aren’t as enlightened. A weeklong stay
for two, with psoriasis treatments for
one, including room and meals, is
about $
2
,
000
. A day pass is about $
25
.
CRYSTAL HOT SPRINGS
HONEYVILLE, UTAH
C R Y S T A L H O T S P R IN G S .N E T
Native Americans knew of the
soothing powers of what is now called
Crystal Hot Springs, a site in the
Wasatch Mountains where a hot and a
cold spring bubble up within
50
feet of
each other. Local chiropractor Kyle
Klein, of Brigham City, says he
regularly recommends bathing at
Crystal Hot Springs to his patients
with arthritis. “The waters don’t cure
arthritis, but they do reduce the
inflammatory process and ease pain,”
he says. A two-day pass is $
15
.
HOT SPRINGS
HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS
H O T S P R IN G S .O R G ; B U C K S T A F F B A T H S .C O M
Arguably America’s most famous
water therapy town, Hot Springs was
designated a national park in
1832
.
“There’s magic in the naturally
therapeutic waters of Hot Springs
National Park. A hot mineral bath will
216 MAY 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTO: BLUE LAGOON LTD.
