Spa cures to go: once bastions of healing remedies, spas are returning to their roots, integrating alternative medicine into their lineup of treatments. Relief from common health problems—from arthritis to back pain—has never felt so good

Natural Health, Jan, 2004 by Megan O'Connell

EXPERT OPINION

For thousands of years, people have flocked to the Dead Sea to bathe in its healing waters, which contain 21 minerals, including calcium, potassium, zinc and copper. Countless spas and medical centers have opened in the neighboring area, offering treatments for a range of skin conditions and for arthritis as well. Several Israeli studies (including one at the University of Tel Aviv and two at the Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva) have confirmed that bathing in the Dead Sea reduces joint pain and swelling and increases flexibility in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Scientists at the University of Tel Aviv also found that the addition of a mudpack treatment seems to prolong the beneficial effects of the bath.

Though no research has shown how bathing in this water eases arthritis pain and swollen joints, according to Lee, it's presumed that the minerals, which are necessary for strong, healthy bones, are absorbed by the body through the skin. Mineral deficiencies are common in arthritis sufferers, so helping to alleviate them may cause arthritis symptoms to improve.

Adding mineral-rich mud is believed to work in much the same way. "Dead Sea muds have a lot of sulfur in them, which is another mineral that arthritics tend to lack," explains Lee.

HOME REMEDY

Though it would be difficult to re-create the mineral content of the Dead Sea in your bathroom tub, Lee says that arthritics with a mineral deficiency may benefit from even a small amount of mineral absorption. Pour Dead Sea salts into a hot bath or Jacuzzi and soak. Try the Tipton Charles Dead Sea Salts ($16; tiptoncharles.com). Or add the fragrant Kima Terramare Fig and Pear Dead Sea Bath Salts ($22) to your tub, then follow with an all-over application of its Sea Clay Masque ($30; both from kimaterramare.com).

PROBLEM: STRESS

which can manifest as skin problems, headaches, ulcers and depressed immunity

SPA SOLUTION

Warm Lavender Aromatherapy Oil Body Wrap at New Age Health Spa in Neversink, N.Y. ($90 for 50 minutes; newagehealthspa.com). This tension-melting body treatment harnesses the aromatherapeutic power of lavender essential oils. The aesthetician begins by exfoliating your skin with a moist loofah mitt, then rubs the entire body with cotton cloths that have been soaked in warm water infused with lavender oil. After wrapping you in a foil blanket, which helps to increase circulation and keep you warm, lavender compresses are placed on the forehead and closed eyes while your shoulders and scalp are massaged with lavender oil.

EXPERT OPINION

"There is no question that the scent of lavender, especially in such a relaxing body treatment, is calming and stress-reducing," says DeSilva.

It's thought that the chemical makeup of lavender may reverse the negative effects of certain hormones, like cortisol, that are secreted by the body when we're stressed. A recent study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience confirmed the calming effects of lavender scent. In a separate experiment at Osaka Kyoiku University in Kashiwara City, Japan, 29 participants were made to wait for 20 minutes in a small, sound-protected room with nothing to do--an environment meant to provoke a stressful reaction. "When lavender odorant was introduced in this condition, self-measured stress levels were reduced," explains study co-author Naoyasu Motomura, M.D.