Healing natural resources

Did you know that there are approximately 1,500 mineral springs utilized in Hungary today? Although the standards are stricter here than elsewhere in the world, the country has over two hundred sources of water with a proven medicinal effect.

Mud as warm as 36-42 degrees Celsius is used for the packs. The active agents are absorbed through the skin, stimulating nerve endings – thus producing a muscle-relaxing and pain-relieving effect. As opposed to pain reliever medication, the treatment has a long-lasting effect, easing pains and aches for up to several months.

Cool mountain breezes await with lower air pressure, which can facilitate the treatment of heart and circulatory conditions and high blood pressure, and is also recommended for bronchitis and certain metabolic disorders. Kékestető peak in the Mátra Mountains is one of the country’s most renowned high-altitude climatic health resorts.

Based on therapeutic climatic effects, cave therapy can also yield improvements in the case of various respiratory diseases. Soluble minerals in the water dripping from the ceiling and walls of the caves have an anti-inflammatory and anticonvulsant effect when inhaled. There are five certified medicinal caves in Hungary: the Abaliget cave, the István Cave of Lillafüred, the Szemlő-hegy Cave of Budapest, the therapeutic cave of the city hospital in Tapolca and the Béke Cave in Jósvafő.

A long time ago, after dangling their legs off the edge of a cavity, someone noticed that the injuries on their feet were beginning to heal. The answer lies in carbon dioxide. As a post-volcanic feature, gases are found flowing from certain spots in the world, which have a therapeutic effect in the bloodstream when inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Naturally, there’s no need to dangle your legs over a cliff, but rather the gas is administered as a treatment in a controlled environment.

In the Northern Hungarian village of Mátraderecske, medicinal gases with a high carbon dioxide content erupt from a depth of approximately 1,000 metres, recommended for heart and circulatory rehabilitation and also recommended due to its high concentration of radon for arterial diseases and peripheral artery disease tied to diabetes.