Inhalation involves the introduction of mineral water or its constituent gases into the respiratory airways using special apparatus which vaporizes the water into tiny particles.
This type of inhalation treatment differs from wet or dry inhalation in that the distribution of the thermal water is performed using water vapour or compressed air.
The principal ways of effecting inhalation treatment are: hot-wet inhalation, aerosol, “humage” and nebulization.
Hot-wet inhalation
This method uses apparatus which can break up the mineral water into particles, forming a jet of steam which can be inhaled by the patient.
The patient positions himself opposite the apparatus at a distance of about 20-25cms from the distributor nozzle and inhales the vapour it diffuses through his nose and/or the mouth
Aerosols
Thermal aerosols are made up of fine particles of mineral water which are so small as to be able to reach even the most distant channels of the respiratory system. There are various types of diffusion equipment used in this method, which can be differentiated both by the way in which the mineral water is broken up and by the size of the particles produced. The method of application using the aerosol is similar to that described for inhalation, but with a few differences. The temperature of the aerosol corresponds to that of the spring water and is not subjected to a heating process. According to the pathology under treatment, and at the discretion of the doctor, the patient can use a mask, a forked nasal device or a mouthpiece connected to the diffuser by a rubber tube.
Nebulization
Nebulization is a form of treatment which takes place in a group. The patients collect together in a room filled with a vapour consisting of different sized droplets of mineral water. The length of the treatment varies according to the stage of the treatment from an initial 5-15 minutes to a maximum of 45-60 minutes.
Humage
This method of inhalation uses almost exclusively gases which are produced spontaneously by mineral waters or which are released from them by using particular methods. The most widely used mineral waters are the sulphurous types. This method can also be used for acute conditions affecting the respiratory system. One type of inhalation is known as insufflations, a particular type of spa treatment designed to treat the initial phases of tubal insufficiency in the middle ear (the Eustachian tube/drum /transmission apparatus), a condition which can degenerate into forms of chronic otitis and can lead to deafness. The thermal gas is introduced into the nasal passages using a special type of compressor (the “Politzer Method”) to re-establish sufficient ventilation of the middle ear. This type of insufflation is known as “tubo-tympanic” insufflation. “nasopharyngeal” insufflations, on the other hand, are introduced directly into the nasal passages, by the use of catheters or probes. |
