A Salt Wall in the Home: A Modern Trend with Ancient Roots
There’s an emerging trend among the health conscious that is resulting in more than a few home remodeling projects these days. Step inside one of these homes, and you might just find a newly-constructed salt wall, or in some cases an entire room constructed of salt bricks, exuding the characteristic pink hue of pure Himalayan salt. Proponents of this trend claim that their salt rooms not only evoke a sense of calm and relaxation, but also help them find relief from a whole array of respiratory ailments, from sinus issues to asthma and other diseases.
It’s a growing trend, but it’s not a new concept. In the 1840s, a physician named Feliks Boczkowski noticed that the miners he was treating at the salt mine in Wieleczka, Poland had remarkably few respiratory problems compared to other coal miners and others. He surmised that the salt particles in the air offered healing properties to the pulmonary/respiratory systems, and he wrote a book documenting his findings. One of his students drew from this information to launch the first salt clinic in Poland.
Dr. Boczkowski is now considered the father of modern speleotherapy — the treatment of respiratory ailments through salt particle inhalation — but he was only the first to document his findings, not the first to discover it. Catholic monks in medieval times had a practice of bringing the sick into the salt caves and crushing the stalactites to release salt particles into the air. Indeed, the use of salt as a healing agent has been traced back as far as ancient Rome and Greece. It’s even more a part of our own culture than people realize, as doctors commonly recommend ocean air to their sick patients, knowing it makes some of them feel better without really knowing why it makes them feel better.
Do salt walls actually work? If so, how?
The medical community at large is sometimes skeptical of salt therapy, claiming the evidence is inconclusive at best. However, as researchers use modern techniques to test the theory, many of these tests are showing that the monks, the Greeks and the Romans may have been onto something after all. Various studies using forms of salt therapy versus a placebo have demonstrated overall improvements in respiratory diseases in general, and measurable improvements in ailments like chronic bronchitis, asthma and other ailments. However, the average holistic health enthusiast doesn’t scour the details of these studies; the proof they need is that the salt infused air makes them feel better, and they are more than happy to share stories of how they or a loved one experienced relief.
Salt therapy of various kinds has been in vogue in holistic health circles for some time, as evidenced by the wide proliferation of Himalayan salt lamps and similar products in the home. Pink Himalayan salt, we are told, is the purest form of salt on the planet because it comes from caves high in the mountains where pollutants have not ventured. The salt wall trend is an extension of the salt lamp idea, based on the notion that “more is better.” While salt lamps help clean the air of pollutants and release calming negative ions, those same ions in higher concentrations are believed to work wonders on the respiratory system, which is why people spend large amounts of money to sit in salt caves. For the health-conscious who prefer drug-free treatments, constructing a salt wall is a way of bringing the salt cave to them. Richard Ori of Spiritual Quest elaborates:
“Salt walls are significant negative ion generators,” he explains. “Negative ions are generated in direct correlation to the overall weight of the salt. Salt walls are generally larger than any salt lamp and thus provide ample exposure to the healing properties of negative ions.”
A New Economy Around Salt
Industry follows demand, and as salt therapy continues to grow in popularity, a new industry is evolving to meet the demand. Not only are many companies now selling salt lamps, but some are now distributing salt bricks for the walls, and some are even hiring themselves out as salt wall contractors. (Salt wall construction is similar to conventional brick laying, says Ori, with the exception that a specific type of grout is used to secure the bricks.) Out of this rapid growth also comes an increase in the number of sub-par products or low-quality installations. Ori cautions users and distributors alike to trace the source of the products and only to buy from trusted vendors. “Himalayan salt comes in many quality grades,” he says, and it is important to find a direct-from-the-source supplier.”
As more people warm to the idea of naturopathic alternatives to prescription drugs, we can expect to see this salt wall trend continue, especially among those with lung and respiratory problems. In the days to come, don’t be surprised if you visit a friend and discover a new salt wall in their home.
And when you do, it might just be worth trying out for yourself.