Radioactive elements often make bad impressions – they are an atomic bomb or a nuclear plant disaster. A lot of contradictive information is spread mostly in mass-media and it has caused negative reactions, but, what is surprising, radioactive elements are everywhere and they may have a positive influence on our body.
Balneology’s division – alphatherapy (radonotheraphy) – uses radon and its decomposition products for healing purposes. Water and air are the most frequently used carriers of radon in medicine. As a therapy, alphatherapy is applied as baths, inhalations and drinks. Clinical observations supported by scientific researches confirmed radon positive influence in some illnesses’ therapies, but this topic has still been controvertional. Randon shows an ant- inflammatory, desensitizating and analgetic actions. That can be explained by stimulating adrenal cortex and increasing production of steroid hormones caused as a result of stimulating a hypothalamus- hypophysis-adrenal glands axis and by blocking alpha receptors.
What is more, the increase of an adrenocorticotophy hormone, a germinal vesicle hormone, a lutein hormone, estradiol and estriol in blood serum were observed. This theraphy is particularly recommended for women in menopause period as it significantly relieves the symptoms connected with this period. Among healthy men, improvement in sperm quality (bigger number of sperm cells and their better mobility) was observed that positively influenced fecundity. On the base of isotopic researches it was claimed that after one bath with radon added, the blood flow through the body tissues is increased on average 400%in comparison to the bath in household water. Radonotheraphy is also used in therapeutic doses among the women with a low bone mass as it makes it normalized. After radon therapy, the growth of endocrine glands activity that lasted up to 3 months was observed. After some of radon sessions, a long- term stimulation of endocrine glands activity were observed. Immediately after radon therapy, the tolerance for physical efforts is growing that last up to 1 hour.
KINDS OF RADON TREATMENTS IN HEALING AND BIOLOGICAL RECONDITIONING
In health resorts healing conditions, radon baths in rehabilitating baths or swimming- pools are applied most often as well as healing inhalations and crenotheraphy. Among the therapies mentioned, the underground therapy in Kowary seems to be the most interesting as it is applied in special, underground environment in an old mine. This is the only place in Poland where radon inhalations are applied in an old uranium mine, because the environment in this place has an intensive alpha radiation and a bigger radon concentration in the air and a bigger density of air ionization.
There are only 5 places in the world in which radon therapy is applied: Boulder, Montana in the USA, Monsummano in Italy, Badgastein- Boeckstein in Austria, Bad Kreuznach in Germany and in Kowary, Poland. The inhalatory in Kowary is the only natural and underground one in Poland. Where radon therapy is applied, according to the norms of current speleology. Stimulating endocrine glands happens not only by radon supplied during healing activities, but also by small doses of a natural, ionizating radiation that is here a ‘radon- active background”.
Bibliography:
1. Demczyszak, I., Perkowska, K. Wrzosek, Z., Sutkowska, E.: Możliwości zastosowania alfaterapii w aspekcie lecznictwa uzdrowiskowego. 2009; LI (1); 56-60. alfaterapia
2. Minta, P., Orzechowska, M.: Zagadnienie wpływu 222 radonu i jego pochodnych na wybrane markery obrotu kostnego i poziom DHEA-S u kobiet z obniżoną masą kostną Balneologia Polska 2009; LI (2); 115-125.
