A randomized controlled trial assessed the effectiveness of salt chamber therapy as an adjunct treatment for asthma patients who were already on low to moderate inhaled steroid therapy. The study involved 32 asthma patients with bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), which was tested using histamine inhalation challenges. After a two-week baseline period, patients were randomly assigned to either an active salt chamber treatment group or a placebo group. The treatment, administered five times a week for two weeks, involved exposure to air in a room treated with salt from a salt generator. The results showed that the active group experienced a significant increase in their median provocative dose causing a 15% decrease in FEV1 (a measure of lung function), indicating reduced bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Notably, 56% of patients in the active group demonstrated improvements in BHR, compared to just 17% in the placebo group, with 38% of the active group becoming non-hyperresponsive, a significant improvement over the placebo group.
The study concluded that salt chamber therapy can effectively reduce bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in asthma patients as an adjunctive treatment to inhaled steroids. Although no changes were observed in baseline lung function measures like peak expiratory flow (PEF) or FEV1 values, the treatment significantly impacted BHR without altering overall lung function. The findings suggest that salt chamber therapy may serve as a complementary approach to traditional asthma medications, offering potential benefits for patients with asthma who experience BHR. This study highlights the need for further research to fully evaluate the clinical role of salt therapy in asthma management, particularly in combination with conventional asthma treatments. The study was conducted by researchers examining complementary therapies for respiratory conditions, emphasizing the potential of non-pharmaceutical treatments in managing chronic asthma.
