Mud therapy

The use of mud (peloids) of various origins for medicinal purposes - peat, sulfide silt, sapropel, etc. is mud therapy.

Peat mud consists mainly of decomposed organic matter and plant residues. Sapropels are silt deposits of predominantly organic composition with a small admixture of minerals, formed mainly in fresh water bodies. Sulfide silt muds are organomineral silt deposits of salt water bodies, containing a significant amount of sulfides, in particular iron sulfide.

Heated healing mud retains heat for a long time and gradually releases it to the body. Thanks to this, mud procedures are tolerated relatively easily at temperatures that would be unbearable with water procedures.

In addition to the thermal factor, which plays a major role in the mechanism of action of mud procedures, chemical irritation of the skin and the effect of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and some gaseous substances contained in mud, penetrating directly through the skin into the body, are of significant importance. By influencing the nerve endings of the skin, therapeutic mud reflexively, through the higher nerve centers, affects the activity of the nervous system, blood circulation, endocrine glands, metabolic processes, etc.

Mud therapy helps to increase blood circulation in the affected area of ​​the body or organ, resolve inflammation, improve metabolic processes, stimulate recovery processes, and normalize the activity of the endocrine glands.

When using mud therapy, the application method is mainly used - applying therapeutic mud to the patient’s entire body, with the exception of the head and heart area (general applications), or to a separate part or area of ​​the body (local applications). The latter are used more often.

During application, the patient is placed on a specially prepared couch and, after applying mud, is wrapped. At the end of the mud procedure, the mud is removed from the patient, and he is washed under a rain shower with a water temperature of 36-37°.

For some diseases, so-called cavity mud therapy is used: for gynecological diseases, mud tampons are inserted into the vagina, for urological diseases in men - into the rectum.

Mud therapy is indicated for chronic diseases and consequences of injuries to bones, muscles and joints, the peripheral and central nervous system, chronic inflammatory diseases of the female and male genital organs, for some diseases and consequences of inflammatory processes in the abdominal cavity, etc.

Mud therapy is carried out at resorts located near mud deposits, in special mud baths, as well as in mud baths outside resorts, in physiotherapy departments of hospitals, clinics, sanatoriums and other medical institutions where mud is delivered.

Mud therapy is a powerful means of influencing the entire body, so it should be used only as directed and under the supervision of a doctor.

When taking mud procedures, you must strictly follow the established rules. After the procedure, the patient should rest on the couch in the rest room for 30-40 minutes, and for a longer time in the cool season. Upon returning to the ward or home, it is recommended to lie in bed for 1-2 hours.

Cooling (swimming in cool bodies of water, etc.), physical stress should be avoided, because this may cause an exacerbation of the disease.

The procedure should not be taken on an empty stomach; it is more advisable to carry it out 2-3 hours after eating.

Sometimes after the first mud procedures, the patient’s well-being may worsen: fatigue, weakness, and exacerbation of pain occur (the so-called balneological reaction), but over the next few days, as a rule, these unpleasant sensations disappear.

Mud therapy for the body does not pass without leaving a trace. It has a complex effect on the body, stimulating the activity of all organs and systems. This method of treatment is most effective for the musculoskeletal system, as well as for the mucous membranes and skin. Mud applications are widely used for diseases of the nervous system, digestive organs, endocrine glands, genital area, colds and inflammatory diseases.