While most people across the country are just now opening their windows after a long winter, Floridians are tangled up in coughing, asthma and allergies thanks to the onset of pollen spreading across the state. Now there is something new that can help the sniffles and aches.  It is known as salt therapy and it is catching on nationwide.

In the 1840s, Dr. Feliks Boczkowski, a Polish physician, started to study the properties of salt. He had noticed that while coal miners were plagued with all kinds of respiratory problems, salt miners were emerging with pristine lungs and no health complaints.

Salt therapy, also known as halotherapy, involves inhaling dry salt, which cleanses both the airways and the skin to relieve congestion, inflammation and skin irritations. With salt caves opening all around Orlando, salt therapy is exactly what someone who suffers from coughing, allergies, and asthma needs.

Kara Hardison, a client of The Salt Room in Downtown Orlando, stated, “I have chronic congestion, sinus infections, and allergies that result in bronchitis. Within 10 minutes, I could breathe out of my nose for the first time in probably six months with no congestion or blockage.”

Fiorella Reategui, a client of The Salt Scene in Windermere, explained, “The process is super easy. After signing paperwork, you are given shoe covers and are escorted to the salt room. You are given 45 minutes to relax and breath in the fresh air.”

Spa experts note that the concentration of particles in halotherapy is about 10 to 15 times the concentration found by the sea. A 45-minute session is equal to three days by the sea.

“Kinetically activated dry salt particles are like an army of janitors helping to detox the respiratory system,” Ulle Pukk, founder of Salt Chamber Inc., explained.

When using halotherapy, healing your body is as simple as relaxing in a cozy chair for 45 minutes. A client can simply nap or read a book.

For over 20 years, salt chambers have been used to treat upper and lower respiratory conditions such as cold and flu, allergy, asthma, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, sinus infection, sinusitis, rhinitis, hay fever and emphysema. Salt acts like an expectorant, accelerating mucus clearance and improving lung function while killing harmful bacteria and soothing the respiratory system.

“Dry salt goes deep into the recesses of your lungs. It absorbs impurities from your body and helps break up mucus so you can cough out toxins. When you have clean lungs, you get more oxygen, which gives you more energy, impacts every organ in your body, and improves overall well-being.” says Ellen Patrick of Breathe Easy Spas in New York.

Even former football professional, Tiki Barber, salted up before running the 2014 New York City Marathon.

Breathing salty air is a refreshing ritual to add to your wellness routine. Experience natural detoxification and see for yourself if you breathe easier.