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What is it supposed to do?

The Salt Pipe inhaler is a modern, hand-held porcelain device that allows you to enjoy salt air therapy any time, any where. Inside the pipe are halite salt crystals from salt mines in Transylvania, Romania. As you breathe in, the passing air absorbs the tiny salt particles and these help clean the air passages and help the respiratory system flush away impurities.

What benefits does it claim?

Originally developed to aid breathing and address respiratory disorders, the Salt Pipe has now been found to improve overall well-being. Its detoxifying properties help the absorption of oxygen and users have found a marked improvement in their general state of health simply by breathing through the pipe for 15 minutes a day. However, it was mainly developed for people suffering from asthma, allergies, sinus problems, chesty or dry coughs, breathing difficulties such as shortness of breath, breathing problems due to smoking and hay fever. The salt micro-particles penetrate deep into the lungs unclogging blockages in the bronchi and bronchioles by restoring the normal transport of mucus. The amount of salt inhaled through the pipe is little more than a microgram, so while it offers real benefits to the respiratory system, it has no adverse effects on blood pressure.

Is there any science behind it?

Its roots lie in eastern and central Europe and can be traced back to the mid 18th century, when Polish health official Felix Botchkowski noticed that the workers of salt mines never became ill with lung diseases. In 1843 he wrote a book about his findings and it was not long after that the first Salt Spa in Velicko was opened. Salt mines were often used as bombproof shelters during WWII and asthma sufferers who spent a considerable amount of time in them felt that their health improved. Medical researchers in the former Soviet Union tested various alternatives to drug therapy and have conducted extensive clinical trials on the effects of salt therapy for the treatment of asthma and chronic bronchitis. Increasingly, evidence points to the benefits of salt therapy in the treatment of these diseases as a primary treatment method or an accompaniment to other traditional therapies. The healing properties of salt are also known in allopathic medicine. The largest and oldest salt works in Europe are the royal salt mines of Wieliczka, Poland. Here, a hospital was carved out of the immense salt mountain 740 foot below the surface specifically for asthmatics and patients with lung disease and allergies. Several thousand patients have been successfully treated at this hospital with an impressive healing rate of over 90 per cent. As travelling to salt mines for treatment is expensive and unrealistic, the salt pipe was invented.

What is it like?

I seemed to be the perfect candidate for testing the salt pipe seeing as I tick most of the sufferer’s boxes: hay fever, check; chesty or dry cough, check; breathing problems due to smoking, check! Using the salt pipe couldn’t be easier. All you do is place the pipe between your lips and inhale. You’re supposed to do this as normally as possible, meaning no deep or exaggerated breathing and this can take some getting used to. When I first used the pipe it tasted a little salty but that soon disappeared once I started using it regularly, which is during work, while I’m at my desk and when watching TV. It’s only been a few days since I started this salt therapy but my coughing does seem to have lessened and my chest definitely feels lighter. Based on the amazing testimonials I’ve heard, the thousand-year old benefits of salt and the simplicity of this device, I think it’s worth giving it a shot.

Where and how much?

Contact Tina Conidis at 99 992896 or e-mail her at info@saltpipescy.com to order a salt pipe, which costs €37. Also available for children