Benefits of sea water for humans. The benefits of sea water for the human body

The beginning of the use of sea water for healing purposes goes back centuries. Back in the days ancient egypt doctors found medicinal properties sea ​​water. Doctors of the ancient world recommended drinking sea water for diseases of the stomach, gastrointestinal tract, bladder, and anemia. Sea water washed wounds, ulcers and cracks that formed on human skin. It was then that the now popular complex of procedures "thalassotherapy" was born.

From the ancient Greek language "thalassotherapy" is translated as "treatment by the sea", treatment and rehabilitation with heated sea water (water is heated to 33-34C), algae and marine climate.

sea ​​water properties

The therapeutic value of sea water is determined by the content of mineral salts and trace elements, biologically active substances, plankton and microscopic algae. Due to the saturation of zooplankton, sea water has antibiotic and antiviral properties. The main goal of thalassotherapy is to saturate the human body with the missing elements, such as calcium, potassium, sulfur. The therapeutic qualities of sea water are manifested at a temperature of 34C, so it is heated before use.

Sea water is a natural solution that is in a balanced state when the toxicity of individual salts is offset by others. The salty taste depends on the content of common salt, the bitter taste is formed by magnesium chloride, sodium and magnesium sulfates.

Scientists have long discovered that the composition of sea water and the saline solution of blood are similar to each other, because billions of years ago all life originated in the ocean. Several decades ago, sea water was used in medicine as a blood substitute, by injecting ultraviolet-irradiated sea water intravenously.

Vladimir Ostapshin, MD, professor: “Sea water contains bromine iodide (iodine-bromine), a substance used to treat disorders of the nervous system. Iodine is contained in sea water in an optimal concentration, so a course of sea bathing can bring even the most tormented city dweller to his senses.

What does sea water treat?

There are many indications for sea water treatment, the most common of them are:

Cardiovascular diseases (ischemic, post-infarction cardiosclerosis, arterial hypertension) Rheumatism Arthritis Cellulite, overweight Diseases of the respiratory tract (asthma, tuberculosis) Diseases of the digestive system without exacerbation Neuroses Gynecological disorders Overwork, insomnia, psychoses Diseases of the thyroid gland Chronic ENT diseases and colds

Thalassotherapy returns tone and energy in case of fatigue and overwork, after experienced nervous ones. Also, thalassotherapy is prescribed to healthy people as a preventive measure.

Vladimir Ostapshin, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor: “Experiments have shown that the minimum time for sea bathing, which is necessary to achieve a therapeutic effect, is 10-15 minutes. It is necessary for the body to adapt to the temperature regime, open the pores and begin the water-salt exchange.

Probably, every person has repeatedly heard that seaside vacations have the most positive impact on life. But what exactly does it consist of? What is the use of the sea? Let's try to answer the questions presented.

Composition of sea water

What is the use of the sea? Sea water contains the following:

1. Sodium chloride - helps maintain the acid-base balance of the skin. After swimming in the sea, the skin structure is restored, which is reflected in the overall improvement in appearance.
2. Calcium - allows you to eliminate cuts, minor wounds, protects the body from infections.
3. Magnesium - contributes to the normalization of metabolic processes in the body, has a relaxing effect on the body, relieves swelling, prevents allergic reactions.
4. Sulfur - acts as an unsuitable environment for the development of pathological fungal spores. Bathing in sea water with a sulfuric environment disinfects the skin.
5. Zinc - strengthens the protective properties of the body, prevents the formation of malignant tumors.
6. Copper and iron are responsible for oxygenation of body tissues.
7. Silicon - strengthens blood vessels, makes them more elastic.

Having considered the above properties, there is no need to doubt once again whether the sea is useful. Doctors strongly recommend not to wash off the layer of salt from the skin for several hours after swimming in the sea. At the same time, such therapy should be abandoned by people who have too delicate, sensitive skin.

Thalassotherapy

What is the use of the sea? Sea water treatment is known as thalassotherapy. Spending time on the coast allows you to relieve muscle and nervous tension, recharge with positive energy. The beneficial properties of the sea help to improve blood circulation, normalize blood pressure, and restore normal heart rhythm.

After the procedures, the skin becomes taut, because when in such water, body tissues absorb mineral salts, micro and macro elements.

• fungal infections;
• gout;
• diarrhea and constipation;
• haemorrhoids;
• joint pain, osteochondrosis, rheumatism;
• sinusitis, chronic runny nose;
• sore throat, pneumonia, bronchitis;
• circulatory disorders.

Cosmetic qualities of sea water

How useful is the sea for a person and how positively does bathing affect the appearance? After regular water procedures in salt water, women notice a gradual elimination of cellulite manifestations. Sea water cleanses the skin, nourishes the cells, gives the epidermis additional elasticity, and accelerates tissue regeneration. During bathing, slags and toxins are removed through the skin.

After being in sea water, the nails stop breaking and peeling off. Horny tissues become stronger and recover faster.

According to cosmetologists, swimming in the sea for half an hour every day is an excellent alternative to massage. The waves have a beneficial effect on the body, performing passive "gymnastics" for the vessels. Thus, active oxygen saturation of internal organs is ensured.

Sea bathing strengthens muscles, tightens the skin, expends extra calories. For people who suffer from excess weight, the procedures provide an opportunity to improve the figure without unnecessary overstrain.

Rules for swimming in sea water

1. Before you run into the water, it is worth spending about 10 minutes on the shore. This will avoid stress on the body caused by the temperature contrast between air and water.
2. Once at the resort, it is worth going through acclimatization. In the early days, it is better to bathe no more than once a day. Further, the number of water procedures should be increased to 2-3 per day.
3. You should not be in the water for hours until the body is completely hypothermic. Such behavior is fraught with the occurrence of a cold, the development of cystitis, bronchitis, exacerbation of chronic ailments.
4. Swimming on an empty stomach and swimming after meals should be avoided. Such actions harm the work of the digestive organs, cause a feeling of weakness.
5. When leaving the water, do not immediately rush into the shower. should remain on the skin for some time, which will allow it to absorb nutrients.
6. People for whom bathing is contraindicated for health reasons should resort to foot baths and dousing with sea water.

Why is the Black Sea useful?

Visiting the Black Sea coast is recommended for people who suffer from diseases of the respiratory system. The air here is saturated with positive ions, aromas of healing field herbs, elements of coniferous resins - phytoncides. Therefore, being in the region can be conditionally compared with therapeutic inhalation.

Who is suitable for rest on the absence of sudden pressure drops, moderately arid climate, optimal water temperature - all this benefits people who suffer from heart disease, rheumatism, kidney disease.

Why is the Sea of ​​Azov useful?

No matter how paradoxical it may sound for domestic vacationers, the composition of the water in the Sea of ​​​​Azov is considered one of the most beneficial for the body in the whole world. It contains about 100 elements of the periodic table. The water of the Sea of ​​Azov is especially saturated with bromine, iodine and hydrogen sulfide. These elements are directly involved in the metabolic processes of the body.

The uniqueness of the region lies in the presence of healing mud here. With turbulent water seabed silt rises, the components of which have an effective therapeutic effect on the body.

The Dead Sea

If we talk about which sea is more useful, rest in which region has the most favorable effect, Israel should be put in first place here. It is here that people purposefully go for treatment.

What is the use of the sea? Such a rest is suitable for people suffering from diseases of the joints, pulmonary ailments. At the same time, people who are allergic to iodine are not recommended to go to the Dead Sea. Swimming enthusiasts will also get little pleasure from swimming. A high concentration of salt simply does not allow a person to move freely in the water column.

Mediterranean Sea

Climatic conditions in the Mediterranean region in many ways resemble the Crimea. Coniferous forests are adjacent to tropical palm trees. Sandy shores alternate with pebble beaches.

The waters of the Mediterranean Sea are characterized by a high salt content. Therefore, resorting to water procedures here is useful, first of all, for people who suffer from skin diseases, rheumatic manifestations. It is recommended to go here for the purpose of general strengthening of the body. Local waters are suitable for eliminating the symptoms of vegetovascular dystonia. However, Mediterranean resorts with dry air should not be visited by people with chronic respiratory diseases.

Red sea

Rest on the coast of Egypt allows you to enjoy the warmest sea water in the world, the temperature of which reaches about 32 o C. Despite the high temperature of the surrounding area in the region, the air here is much drier than in the Crimea. This allows the body to easily endure seemingly suffocating heat.

The main danger when relaxing on the Red Sea coast is a high risk of getting burned. Therefore, when traveling to the region, it is worth stocking up on sunscreens and sprays, using them after each swim.

The Red Sea is suitable for people who suffer from:

• cardiovascular diseases;
• pathologies of the respiratory organs;
• skin problems;
• diseases of the joints, the locomotor apparatus as a whole;
• chronic runny nose.

At the same time, people who suffer from vascular dystonia should refrain from visiting local resorts. Since in a dry, hot climate, the development of exacerbations is likely.

Finally

As you can see, swimming in sea water and a long stay on the coast as a whole is an excellent prevention of many diseases. The only contraindication for this kind of therapy is the presence of chronic ailments that can worsen during acclimatization.

When it rains outside the window and the cold wind howls, you really want to move to a place where the sun shines all year round, a warm breeze blows and gentle waves whisper about happy moments of relaxation and doing nothing.

Even the memory of the sea makes you smile and uplifts your mood. Sea water has other wonderful properties. It has a complex healing effect on the entire human body.

A bit of history

Scientists have found references to the benefits of sea water in the works of the ancient philosophers Euripides, Plato, Aristotle. The famous physician Hippocrates recommended the use of water for healing wounds, as well as for the treatment of skin diseases. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote of its successful use in women's ailments.

In the XVIII century, science returned to the study of this topic. The German scientist F.W. von Halem coined the term thalassotherapy. The British scientist R. Russell wrote a book about sea water, in which he called it a way to protect the body from damage and decay.

From about that time, the first resorts began to appear on the shores of the seas, where thalassotherapy was used.

What is thalassotherapy?

In Greek this word means sea ​​treatment. This is a medical practice based on the use of warm sea water for various diseases.

Composition of sea water

The unique properties of sea water are associated primarily with its composition. Scientists have found in it almost all the elements of the periodic table of D. I. Mendeleev.

Conventionally, 5 groups are distinguished:

1. Substances whose concentration is high enough are chlorides, sulfates, carbonates.
2. Dissolved gases - O2, N2, carbon dioxide, etc.
3. Substances of biological origin - P, Si.
4. Dissolved trace elements, the content of which is less than 1 mg / l - Zn, Au, F, Ni.
5. dissolved organics.

Each element in its own way affects the body, providing a certain effect. For example, bromine soothes, sulfur cleanses the skin from fungal diseases, calcium helps heal cuts and wounds, supports immunity, improves the condition of connective tissues, magnesium relieves swelling, participates in metabolism, iodine lowers cholesterol, normalizes hormone levels, develops mental abilities, zinc reduces the risk of developing tumors, silicon strengthens blood vessels.

This composition allows the use of sea water for various medicinal purposes. Gargle with it, wash the nose, take baths. But you can’t drink it to quench your thirst, because due to the presence of salts, a lot of resources are required to remove them from the body.

More about benefits

Total in the world 73 seas. They differ from each other in the degree of salinity. The Black and Azov Seas are slightly saline. Bathing in them is useful and has no contraindications for diseases.

• Swimming is a great view physical activity . It replaces the workout in the gym. The sea provides a good opportunity to practice various swimming techniques in natural environment and not in a pool of chlorinated water. This is the best set of physical therapy exercises for patients with osteochondrosis. The spine is stretched, the back is straightened. Physical activity in sea water has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, strengthening blood vessels, lowering blood pressure.
• While swimming, the water light massaging effect. Cool water helps burn excess calories, strengthens the immune system, hardens, reduces cellulite. Warm (from 24 degrees) - promotes relaxation, relieves muscle tension, reduces stress.
• Acting on the skin at the cellular level, sea water enriches the body with microelements by improving metabolism. After water procedures, it is necessary to take a shower and wash off decay products and toxins removed through the skin.
• Salts dissolved in the sea speed up wound healing, relieve inflammation in eczema, atopic dermatitis, acne.
• Sea water is better than baths from nail salons strengthens nails. It is worth, of course, to remove the varnish, before going to the beach. Sea water is also suitable for the treatment of skin diseases of the head, hair strengthening.
• With water, the nose is washed with a runny nose, freeing it from the pathogenic environment.
• Contemplation of the sea surface or elements in a storm helps to find inner harmony, relaxes and calms, charges with positive energy.
• The noise of the waves affects the mood of a person, normalizes sleep.

Harm to the body

Do not forget that along with the positive aspects, the sea can significantly harm health. The maritime climate has its own characteristics. Acclimatization can require a lot of strength. And sometimes, the benefits received will be negligible compared to the negative consequences of the rest. Therefore, the time spent by the sea should be long enough for the body to get used to the new environmental conditions.

And finally, some useful tips.

1. To get the maximum benefit, it is better to bathe and collect water for medicinal purposes on deserted beaches away from the coast. Sea water should not be stored, as it quickly loses its healing properties. Water above 24 degrees can be dangerous due to the rapid development of pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms.
2. Sea procedures, air and sun baths for the first time shouldn't last long. In order not to get bored, you can take time for excursions, trips to museums, exploring the sights of the city and its environs.
3. You should consult with your doctor before travelling.. This condition should be mandatory for pregnant women, young children and people suffering from serious chronic diseases.

Sea water is both healing and cosmetic. If you want to get healthy, lose weight and become unusually prettier - pack your bags - and go to the sea!

From all diseases

Warm waves, bright sun, air filled with exotic aromas, an incomparable starry sky, which happens only in the south, as well as almost obligatory novels and romance - what else is needed for happiness? Truly, the sea heals not only the body, but also the soul. Tell me, where else can you combine treatment with passion so successfully?

Waves give the skin the effect of a light massage, enrich the body with oxygen, improve the functioning of blood vessels, and lower blood pressure. Therefore, moderate sea bathing is recommended by cardiologists.

The water of the seas and oceans normalizes thermoregulation, increases vitality, has a hardening effect, strengthens the body's defenses. And yet - it improves blood circulation, increases the number of red blood cells and normalizes the heart rhythm, due to which sea baths are prescribed to their elderly geriatric patients.

Salt waters supply the body with negative ions that neutralize the excess of harmful positive ions that city dwellers accumulate in the stone jungle. Thanks to this, the sea has an anti-stress effect, which is well known to neuropathologists.

And the sea also gives us a huge amount of useful substances that normalize metabolic processes and have a beneficial effect on endocrine system and the hypothalamus. Iodine, which is rich in sea water, activates the brain, improves memory, improves the functioning of the thyroid gland. Any person suffering from chronic ENT diseases and frequent colds is always advised by doctors to go to the sea.

In addition to swimming, gargling and rinsing the nose with sea water heated to 37 ° C will not interfere. Dentists also advise rinsing your mouth with this useful liquid: real sea water contains much more healing substances than the best toothpaste with sea minerals, and the oxygen contained in the water contributes to the natural whitening of a smile. True, before gargling with sea water, you need to make sure that it is clean.

The consequences of injuries, as well as rheumatic ailments, are also more successfully treated in combination with sea bathing. And the sea heals the nerves and cleanses the skin, helps with eczema and psoriasis.

From sea foam

The composition of sea water includes iodine, calcium, potassium, silicon, sodium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, iron, nickel, copper, arsenic, oxygen, nitrogen, neon, helium and many other elements. We absorb all this wealth through pores and capillaries. The richer and more concentrated the salt composition of sea water, the more intensively the skin is nourished.

According to thalassotherapy, the skin can get the maximum of useful substances from water heated to 37 ° C, but even after bathing in ordinary sea water with an average temperature of 20–25 ° C, the beneficial effect is preserved. Saturated with minerals and salts, the skin becomes more elastic and elastic, puffiness decreases. Sea water is especially useful for problem skin: it washes off microbes, excess fat from its surface, and exfoliates the stratum corneum.

Salt water sharpens not only stones, but also sharpens our figures. A high concentration of nutrients helps to intensively remove toxins from the body. In addition, the waves produce a light “anti-cellulite” body massage, and if you combine swimming with sports games on the water or just swim vigorously, the orange peel will melt before your eyes. By the way, iodine, which is rich in marine microorganisms, additionally burns fat deposits in problem areas.

Regular bathing in the sea will replace you with nourishing nail baths and hair masks. After relaxing by the sea, your manicure will be flawless, and your hair will become thicker and more beautiful (of course, if you protect your hair from the sun). In general, you will return from vacation rejuvenated and prettier. Just be sure to follow certain rules.

Six rules of the sea

• Before entering the water, spend 10 minutes in the shade to avoid a sharp temperature contrast between water and air.
• Upon arrival at the resort, the first days it is better to swim once a day. Then the number of sea baths can be increased up to 2-3 times a day with intervals between baths of at least half an hour.
• Don't sit in the water until you're blue in the face. Hypothermia can provoke a cold, bronchitis, cystitis, exacerbation of chronic sores. If you are still cold, urgently go ashore and vigorously rub yourself with a terry towel.
• Do not swim immediately after eating - it harms digestion, and do not swim on an empty stomach. This can cause weakness and tachycardia.
• After leaving the sea, do not rush to take a shower - let the skin absorb useful substances.
• If being in the sea is contraindicated for health reasons, just douse yourself with sea water or do foot baths.

By the way

The term "thalassotherapy" (treatment by the sea) was introduced by the German physician Friedrich Wilhelm von Halem in the 18th century. Around the same time, the English physiologist Richard Russell published a book on the healing properties of sea water. Since then, doctors began to prescribe sea bathing to their patients, like a potion.

At the same time, for the first time, there was a demand for the services of swimming teachers, because before that only sailors were able to swim. Since then, Europe has taken to swimming massively. The first one-piece bathing suits, which appeared a little over a century ago, contributed to the development of the swimming fashion. And the first seaside resorts appeared only in the 19th century.

Hippocrates knew about the benefits of sea water. Outwardly, he suggested using it to heal wounds, cracks and bruises, as well as to treat scabies and lichen. He prescribed sea bathing for everyone suffering from nervous diseases and pain in the joints. Steam from sea water recommended to treat headache, and the water itself (when taken orally) is used as a laxative.

Unfortunately, sea water cannot be transported: the healing microorganisms living in it die after 48 hours. Therefore, without delaying the matter, get ready for the real blue sea. However, before buying a ticket to the resort, consult your doctor.

The sea and the sun can be dangerous for patients with heart disease, hypertensive patients, cancer patients, people suffering from infectious diseases, allergies to iodine, as well as some skin and especially fungal diseases. To determine the presence of an allergy to iodine, take a special test. With hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, rest in seaside resorts is also not recommended.

Which beaches are the best–sandy or pebbly?

It is useful to walk barefoot on pebbles - to stimulate active points on the soles that are associated with all internal organs. Walk in zigzags: water - land, cool sea - hot stones - perfect hardening. You can lie down in the shade and apply hot stones to your lower back. The procedure is called stone therapy.

And it's nice to burrow into the sand. Leave only the heart area open. Spending 15-20 minutes in hot sand is useful for osteochondrosis, joint problems, prostatitis and gynecological diseases.

Sea water can be called a saturated brine, consisting of minerals, salts and almost the entire periodic table. Therefore, everyone should know about the benefits of sea water for our body.

Useful properties of sea water

Sea water has healing and cosmetic properties at the same time. It improves immunity and has a beneficial effect on nervous system involved in the prevention and treatment of many diseases. It also increases the level of red cells in the blood, normalizes thermoregulation, etc. While swimming in the sea, excess fat, dead skin cells and surface microbes are washed off. All this is possible due to the composition rich in useful substances, which includes:

• salt;
• mineral salts;
• atmospheric gases.
• potassium;
• magnesium;
• calcium;
• iron;
• chromium;
• chlorine;
• barium;
• gold;
• silver, etc.

The more salts in the water, the more it will bring health benefits, for example, the Dead Sea, the most salty and has long been famous throughout the world for its healing properties.

Sea salt is very useful in cooking, and you can find it crushed and adapted for culinary purposes on the supermarket shelves. This is especially important for people living in a zone of high background radiation, for example, near nuclear power plants.

How is sea water useful for the body?

1. Did you know that sea water is very beneficial for skin, nails and hair as it nourishes and strengthens them? Nails, saturated with potassium, calcium, magnesium and iodine, become stronger, stop, and the nail plate itself becomes whiter.
2. With its healing properties, sea water is good for the skin and it is better than using medicines, as it quickly heals wounds, acne and some skin diseases. Therefore, you should not wash yourself immediately after swimming in the sea. fresh water, give a couple more hours to your body as much as possible saturated with useful substances.
3. Many doctors recommend visiting the sea every year in the summer, as even the sea air has a very beneficial effect on the respiratory system. Therefore, seaside holidays are especially useful for people suffering from various diseases of the bronchi and lungs, as well as for allergy sufferers and asthmatics. The closer you inhale the air near the sea, the more it is saturated with iodine, therefore, being in the water and on the shore, your body receives the prevention of thyroid diseases.
4. For the cardiovascular system, bathing in sea water is no less useful than hardening. When you warm up in the sun, you enter the cool water, you feel goosebumps and a slight chill appear. At this moment, your vessels constrict, and the blood rushes to the internal organs, and when the body gets used to the temperature of the water, then the vessels dilate and the outflow of blood occurs. Such charging strengthens the walls of blood vessels, normalizes the heart rhythm and is the prevention of heart disease, etc.
5. If rhinitis has broken out, then you can rinse the nasal passage with sea water, and gargling is recommended for sore throats. These procedures will disinfect the mucous membranes and saturate them with useful substances.