New Delhi, May 9 (IANS): As deteriorating air quality can lead to increase in asthma cases, health experts have suggested salt room therapy as highly beneficial in the treatment of the respiratory illness.

According to them, salt room therapy has been tested in various parts of the world. It is completely natural and can provide symptomatic relief to patients suffering from respiratory problems.

“Dangerously high level of pollution has taken a toll on the respiratory health of the people. Not just older people and children, but youths and apparently healthy people are also falling prey to rising pollution. Treatment like Salt Room Therapy which is a natural form of treatment can provide symptomatic relief to the patients,” said Animesh Ray, Consultant Pulmonologist at Fortis Vasant Kunj.

Explaining the therapy, Ray said that patients are asked to relax in a room with walls thickly lined with salt. Light air is continuously blown into the room, helping the minute salt particles mix in the air which is breathed by the patient.

According to doctors, the salt particles after reaching the nose and the respiratory tract remove all debris and bacteria. They also help in the abatement of bronchial inflammation and strengthening of the immune system that decreases allergic reaction to pollen.

Varsa, another city based respiratory expert, said the basic science behind the salt therapy is it normalizes the passage of air through the bronchial tubes, leading to widening of the airway passages and restoring the normal transport of mucus and unclogging blockages in the bronchi, thereby helping control asthmatic attacks.

Agreed, Anju Chandra, founder of Salt Room Therapy, and said: "Salt room therapy is a drug-free treatment for asthma, chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, allergic and skin ailments. I am hopeful that this initiative will not just help people with respiratory and skin conditions but will offer them an effective drug free treatment option to fight the rising pollution all around us."