I have to admit: it's "sort-of-a-quack-medicine" my parents used when I was still a child to help me breath easier when I have respiratory ailments: face held over steaming water with a handful of rock salt thrown in. Why quack? Because, although I am sure a lot swear by the healing properties of salt, and despite the proliferation of salt therapies for respiratory ailments, there's not a lot of scientific data supporting its efficacy.

In a controlled study published in Asthma (May 2006), Finnich researchers investigated the benefits of salt chamber treatment for chronic asthma. They wanted to simulate the conditions in salt mines, and had the test patients breathe from a "halo chamber" containing rock salt and into which pulverized salt is blown into.

The results? Er, a bit vague:

The patients treated with the salt chamber showed less airway tightening than did comparison subjects. However, use of the chamber did not improve asthma symptoms or reduce the need for asthma medications.

They concluded that the salt therapy might be useful as a complementary therapy to conventional medications.

I hope they get more definitive answers soon, though. Would be nice if we can charge a seaside wellness program to our health insurance, eh?

Read more about the Finnish study from Reuters: Salt air helps patients with asthma.