Treatment at the Dead Sea

Treatment at the Dead Sea is essentially a spa treatment at the Dead Sea, since here patients are exposed to the complex effects of a unique combination of climatic factors: soft solar radiation, water and therapeutic mud with a high level of mineral content, high atmospheric pressure, as well as dry, clean and oxygen-rich air.

It is these beneficial natural conditions that are the main therapeutic means for treating a number of chronic diseases.

Indications for treatment at the Dead Sea

The main indications for treatment at the Dead Sea include a fairly wide range of diseases. First of all, these are skin diseases: psoriasis, vitiligo, ichthyosis, neurodermatitis, eczema (atopic dermatitis), scleroderma, acne, seborrhea, lichen planus.

Next come pathologies of the joints and spine: arthrosis, arthritis (including rheumatoid and psoriatic), polyarthritis, osteoarthritis, osteochondrosis, Bechterew's disease, as well as rehabilitation after injuries and orthopedic surgeries.

In addition, treatment at the Dead Sea is indicated for bronchial asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstruction and cystic fibrosis of the lungs.

Good results are achieved by treating uveitis, an inflammation of the vascular membrane of the eye that leads to weakening of vision or even its complete loss.

People with chronic fatigue syndrome, low vegetative-vascular tone, chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract and genital area will also benefit from health-improving water and mud treatments at the Dead Sea.

Contraindications to treatment at the Dead Sea

First of all, there are contraindications to treatment at the Dead Sea for the use of mud - peloidotherapy. Thus, treatment with mud is prohibited in the following cases:

• acute stage of all diseases and the stage of exacerbation of chronic pathologies;
• inflammatory-purulent processes;
• malignant neoplasms of any localization (including after surgical removal of the tumor);
• benign neoplasms of muscle tissue (myomas) and connective tissue (fibromas);
• cystic formations of the genital area;
• systemic infectious diseases (tuberculosis, venereal diseases, etc.);
• heart defects (in the stage of decompensation), angina pectoris, atherosclerosis, aneurysm of the heart and aorta, cardiac arrhythmia;
• bleeding of any etiology;
• mental illnesses;
• pregnancy at all stages.

Treatment at the Dead Sea requires caution (and additional consultation with a doctor) if you have problems with blood pressure, kidneys and thyroid gland.

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Treatment at the Dead Sea in Israel and Jordan

In general, Dead Sea treatments in Israel - at resort spas, the Dead Sea Clinic, the IPTC Clinic and the Dead Sea Research Center - use water, air, mud and sun.

Treatment at the Dead Sea in Jordan, which also has a significant part of the coast of this reservoir on its territory, is based on similar principles. Here you can take advantage of the healing properties of the Dead Sea in spa centers at hotels, at coastal resorts, and in specialized medical institutions. For example, the Dead Sea Medical Centre is certified by the Jordanian Ministry of Health and the Jordanian Chamber of Physicians for the treatment of skin diseases, physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

The water in the Dead Sea is almost nine times saltier than the ocean water and contains up to 33.7% mineral salts (especially magnesium and calcium chloride). This salt lake is located in the East African Rift Valley - in the zone of stretching of the earth's crust, which was formed millions of years ago as a result of the shift of tectonic plates. That is why it lies 400 meters below sea level, and the atmospheric pressure here is much higher than normal - about 800 mm Hg. At the same time, the sun's rays have much less hard ultraviolet UV-B - due to the greater thickness of the ozone layer and the content of bromine compounds in the air, which act as a filter.

In addition, from time to time, pieces of natural hydrocarbon resin bitumen (or asphalt), which contains a lot of sulfur and has anti-inflammatory properties, rise from the depths to the surface of the Dead Sea. By the way, at the end of the 19th century, this sea was called the Asphalt Sea…

Black silt deposits on the bottom of the Dead Sea - sulphide mud - contain high concentrations of sulphur, chloride and bromide salts of calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, copper, selenium, silicon. Due to this, treatment at the Dead Sea in Israel and treatment at the Dead Sea in Jordan using mud helps well with skin and joint diseases.

Psoriasis Treatment at the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea region is effective in treating dermatological diseases, in particular, treating psoriasis at the Dead Sea - both in terms of the disappearance of lesions and the duration of remission.

The treatments include heliotherapy (exposure to soft natural UV radiation), which is used throughout the year. In the summer months, sun exposure is shorter - 3 hours per day; during the winter months, exposure can be up to 7 hours per day. The average duration of sun exposure is related to the degree of damage to the skin and ranges from ten days to three weeks.

Bathing in the Dead Sea several times a day also leads to a significant improvement in the skin condition (cleansing of plaques). The magnesium, potassium and calcium salts contained in the water penetrate the upper layers of the skin and help to clear it of pathological rashes. Skin cleansing is also carried out using oil and ointment based on Dead Sea minerals and by applying therapeutic mud to the affected areas (in the form of applications and compresses).

Eczema Treatment at the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea's unique climate and natural factors (water, mud and sun) are also used in the treatment of eczema.

Eczema (also known as atopic dermatitis) is a chronic inflammation of the skin with relapses. The main principle of its treatment is to minimize the impact of any irritants and allergens on the skin with the help of moisturizing and softening medicated ointments or creams. Most often, these are products containing corticosteroids. However, with their long-term use, local side effects are inevitable (thinning of the skin, dilation of blood vessels, etc.).

Treatment of eczema at the Dead Sea is not a medicinal effect on the skin, which

Due to the high concentration of salt and minerals in the water and healing mud (in combination with the sun) it can completely cleanse the skin and relieve itching.

Dermatologists also recommend that patients – after treatment at the Dead Sea – avoid stress, eat right and take B vitamins in combination with magnesium and calcium.

Vitiligo Treatment at the Dead Sea

Treatment of vitiligo at the Dead Sea is considered successful if after the first 4-week course (sometimes until the end of treatment) the white spots begin to acquire the color usual for healthy skin. This process can continue for several weeks after the patient returns home.

Vitiligo (a type of leukoderma) is associated with the loss of natural melanin pigment in areas of the skin, which occurs due to the destruction of melanocytes - the cellular organelles that produce pigment.

The main goal of the Dead Sea treatment for vitiligo is to restore pigmentation to the discolored spots. Bathing in the Dead Sea water for 20 minutes twice a day is usually recommended for this purpose - before going out in the sun.

Ultraviolet radiation causes the release of melanin. The mildest ultraviolet (UV-A) stimulates the release of melanin stored in melanocytes. And the harsher UV-B starts the production of new melanin and also stimulates the production of vitamin D in the skin.

Specialists at the Jordanian Dead Sea Medical Centre achieve good results with rapid repigmentation using a combination of Dead Sea climatotherapy and topical preparations containing pseudocatalase PC-KUS and calcium.

Scleroderma Treatment at the Dead Sea

Treatment of scleroderma at the Dead Sea is practically no different from sanatorium treatment of other diseases.

Considering that scleroderma is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects the skin, small vessels of the entire body, joints and internal organs, Israeli and Jordanian specialists recommend treatment at the Dead Sea only in cases of skin or musculoskeletal system damage (polyarthritis and periarthritis with joint deformation and impaired mobility). And also in cases of Raynaud's syndrome (vascular spasm of the hands with coldness and pain in the fingers). However, in the diffuse form of scleroderma with damage to the visceral organs, such treatment is ineffective.

Treatment of scleroderma at the Dead Sea can relieve the feeling of coldness and tightness of the skin, as well as increase its elasticity; reduce joint pain and a feeling of stiffness.

Joint Treatment at the Dead Sea

Treatment of arthrosis at the Dead Sea, treatment of arthritis at the Dead Sea, as well as treatment of the spine at the Dead Sea include bathing in the Dead Sea and pools containing this water or thermal water from hydrogen sulphide springs; independent use of black mud on the seashore; applications of warm mud compresses on joints and medical massage.

Typically, sea bathing is done 2-4 times a day, mud applications - once a day, other procedures can be used 2-3 times a week.

Joint treatment at the Dead Sea - balneotherapy in the open air - helps almost everyone. However, the nature of the pathology and the degree of joint damage should be taken into account. Therefore, the first positive results rarely appear earlier than two to three weeks after the start of treatment.

Dead Sea Treatment Tours

Tours for treatment at the Dead Sea are very popular, and of course, the main providers of medical services in this region are Israel and Jordan. In these countries, medical tourism is an extremely developed and profitable sphere. From 2006 to 2012, the number of foreigners coming to Israel for treatment doubled, which gave the state budget $140 million per year.

Jordan has reformed its healthcare system and brought it to the world level of medical care. Medical tourism has also received significant investment in this country: the Medical Tourism Corporation was created, which organized its own network of medical institutions with wards for foreign patients and their companions. Thanks to this, Jordan is recognized as the best destination for medical tourism in the Middle East and North Africa. Its annual income in this area is more than $ 1 billion.

Tours for treatment at the Dead Sea (both to Israel and Jordan) are organized by special agencies that combine the functions of a tour operator and a medical coordinator. They work in cooperation with medical institutions and facilitate the process of receiving medical care in a foreign country, helping with everything from purchasing airline tickets to organizing treatment and educational leisure. Therapeutic programs at the Dead Sea are offered as separate packages; the simplest includes accommodation and treatment for seven days.

Prices for treatment at the Dead Sea

Prices for treatment at the Dead Sea depend on the disease, the patient's condition, the length of stay for treatment, the prescribed procedures and other components.

For example, a week of psoriasis treatment costs from $230-250, and three weeks - from $850 and up.

Prices for vitiligo treatment start from $330 (for a week course) and $850 (for 4 weeks). The cost of treatment at the Dead Sea for such diagnoses as arthritis or arthrosis is approximately in the same range.

Reviews of treatment at the Dead Sea

Treatment at the Dead Sea combines sun exposure, bathing and applications of treated mud. These completely natural treatments have no side effects and give good results, confirmed not only by the patients' own experience, but also by proven medical research.

Reviews of treatment at the Dead Sea indicate that the minerals of the local water and mud are capable of alleviating the condition of many diseases without chemicals or medications.