Consumer Health News

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. © 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

View blog reactions

Latest Headlines in Consumer Health

Talkback

There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)

Latest from M&C Blogs

Musharraf exits the Pakistani stage as storm clouds gather - Global Eye on August 20, 2008 7:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

A new cold war? Missile defence deal draws Russian reaction - Global Eye on August 18, 2008 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (32) | TrackBacks (0)

South Ossetia: Winners, losers, hypocrites and incompetents - Global Eye on August 13, 2008 7:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (25) | TrackBacks (0)

Upside-down House - The World in Pictures on August 4, 2008 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Church of our Lady in Dresden, Germany - The World in Pictures on August 4, 2008 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Giant Orange - The World in Pictures on July 15, 2008 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Consumer Health

Consumer Health News

Saunas can help ill children breathe, expert says

Latest Headlines in Consumer Health

Talkback

Latest from M&C Blogs

In Monsters and Critics

Corporate

The Fine Print