Saunas can help ill children breathe, expert says

May 15, 2006, 7:29 GMT

Prague - Regular visits to a common sauna can be extremely helpful for a child - even a baby - who suffers from respiratory problems including asthma and allergies, says one Czech expert.

'A sauna bath creates no problems for children,' said Dr Antonin Mikolasek, a specialist and author of a Czech book on the subject. 'On the contrary, it makes a difference.'

Mikolasek based his claim on several years of first-hand experience at a spa in Dolni Cermne, an eastern Czech Republic village where he treats children. He got good results by having mothers accompany their asthmatic children to the sauna once a week.

Children who underwent sauna therapy benefited from immediate relief as well as better health in the long-term, Mikolasek said. The treatment also helped reduce the need for medication.

For children with respiratory problems, Mikolasek said, breathing hot air inside a sauna is less physically strenuous than exercise or even a hot bath.

The air 'smooths' respiratory muscles to open up passages leading to the lungs, he said. Any spasmodic activity after a sauna session, including coughing and wheezing, almost always ends quickly.

Mikolasek stresses that weekly sauna sessions, year round, are vital for the therapy to have a long-term effect on children. One advantage of a weekly routine is that the sauna air helps a child build a strong immune system to fight off respiratory viruses.

Mikolasek said his work with youngsters follows decades of using saunas at Czech spas to treat adults with viral and bacterial illnesses of the upper respiratory track, bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis.

'One finding that's agreed upon for adults: practically every individual who goes to a sauna regularly experiences immediate relief from breathing difficulties,' Mikolasek said. 'A trip to the sauna unclogs the respiratory system by thinning phlegm and improves fluidity in the chest.'

And now, he says, it's evident that the same respiratory benefits can be enjoyed by children.