Healing Springs

HEALTH / SPAS The Fountain of Youth does exist! Author Nathaniel Altman shows that "taking the waters" is a powerful healing tool that rejuvenates the body, making us feel younger and more vibrant, while preventing a host of illnesses. Until now, it's been the best-kept secret for promoting and maintaining health and vitality. The use of natural mineral spring water for the prevention and cure of disease dates back 5,000 years to the Bronze Age. Hot springs reached their heyday in the United States in the latter part of the nineteenth century and were well attended until the early 1940s. Balneotherapy--using natural mineral spring water for the prevention and cure of disease--continued to thrive elsewhere in the world and is experiencing a huge revival in the United States. It is an accepted form of mainstream medicine in Europe and Japan, where an abundance of medical evidence shows that in addition to relieving stress, certain mineral waters can help the body heal itself from heart, liver, and kidney problems, skin diseases, asthma, digestive disorders, arthritis, and a host of other ailments. With more than one hundred vibrant color photographs and historic black-and-white illustrations, Altman describes the healing properties of three hundred and twenty-five of the best hot springs and mineral springs in the world--from the legendary European spas to little-known hot springs throughout the United States. His in-depth research of medical and scientific journals from Europe, Japan, Russia, and North America, along with interviews of numerous physicians who work in this specialized field, makes Healing Springs the most up-to-date, practical, and comprehensive guide on this holistic approach to health and well-being. A lifelong aficionado of hot springs, NATHANIEL ALTMAN is a medical writer and researcher who has written more than fifteen books on alternative healing, including Oxygen Healing Therapies and A Russian Herbal. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Note to the Reader

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Best-kept Secret

Part I: Step into the Water

1. The Waters of Life
2. Down from the Mountains, Up from the Depths
3. A Long-Standing Tradition

Part II: Just What's in that Water?

4. Bicarbonate
5. Sulfur and Sulfates
6. Chloride
7. Gases
8. Peloids
9. Other Minerals
10. Bottled Waters

Part III: Looking Better, Feeling Better: The Healing and Rejuvenating Power of Water

11. Skin Diseases
12. Joint and Muscle Diseases
13. Gastrointestinal Problems
14. Diseases of the Liver, Kidneys, and Urinary Tract
15. Heart and Circulatory Diseases
16. Gynecological Problems
17. Glandular and Metabolic Disorders
18. Respiratory Problems
19. Other Health Problems
20. Using Medicinal Springs for Wellness
21. Healing Springs of the United States and Canada
22. Healing Springs of Latin America and the Caribbean
23. Healing Springs of Europe
24. Healing Springs of Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East

Glossary

Resources

Notes

Index