Raena Morgan: Hi, I'm Raena Morgan with iHealthTube. Joining us today is Dr. Barbara Hendel, the co-author of Water and Salt: The Essence of Life. Dr. Hendel, could you tell us a little bit about this history of salt?
Dr. Barbara Hendel: The salt is an ancient therapy. The salt therapy is very famous in Germany. And there are many physicians in the past they used salt for a therapy, especially for lung diseases or if you have asthma. They used salt to breathe it; you go to the sea, look when you have holidays where most of the people go. They go to the seaside.
Raena Morgan: Seaside right.
Dr. Barbara Hendel: Yeah, because they know that is their routes. They come from the sea and they can create or they can regenerate there on the seaside. And this is where we come from, and therefore it's so good for us. Therefore, this salt is good for us, but you have the answer of the history, yes, it's thousands of years ago. Also where the people found the salt this places it was like a treasure. They don't speak about that because it was very valuable and in the ancient--
Raena Morgan: Wasn't it called "White Gold"?
Dr. Barbara Hendel: Yes, because the soldiers in the old Rome were paid in salt and not in gold.
Raena Morgan: Paid in salt?
Dr. Barbara Hendel: Yes, because it was, it was more valuable for the people than to have gold. Gold you can't eat, but salt you need for your health, and therefore it was so valuable and they need this salt. In Europe, there are many towns they have the name salt in it. In Germany, it is--
Raena Morgan: Such as.
Dr. Barbara Hendel: It's the name salz.
Raena Morgan: Okay.
Dr. Barbara Hendel: There is Salzburg and there is about Salzuflen. There are many, many towns they have the name salt in it because where they found the salt. And these cities they were very rich because they have the salt.
Raena Morgan: Because they had salt.
Dr. Barbara Hendel: Yes. There where routes were the salt was transported and most of the cities, the big cities there were on the routes of the salt.
Raena Morgan: Okay. Well now are there places in Europe today? I mean you talked about a salt hospital more or less.
Dr. Barbara Hendel: Yeah, yeah this is an amazing thing. In Bavaria, near the border to Austria, there, where they take the salt even today.
Raena Morgan: Yes.
Dr. Barbara Hendel: There is a big mine, and you can go in with the railway about 400 meters in the mountain.
Raena Morgan: Into the mine.
Dr. Barbara Hendel: Into the mountain. Not down, but into the mountain.
Raena Morgan: Yeah.
Dr. Barbara Hendel: And then there is probably it was a hospital, and now today you can go in for three hours and there are beds you can lie there it's about 12 degree celsius I don't know how much it is in Fahrenheit, it's pretty cold.
Raena Morgan: Kind of cold.
DR. BARBARA HENDEL: Yeah. You have to take a blanket and you lie there and then you are in the womb of the earth around from the salt. And you have these good vibrations and you have this clean air and especially for people who suffer lung diseases, asthma, allergies, all these -- even on rheumatism they go in and they feel much better there. They have cots for 10 visitors they came every day there they live in this town and they come everyday to go in this mine.
Raena Morgan: And this is very popular?
Dr. Barbara Hendel: This is very popular and if you once visit Germany, you have to go there. It's really amazing.
Raena Morgan: Okay, so, it's salt healing and it comes from ancient times.
Dr. Barbara Hendel: It's very salt healing, and there is a spring and this is a saturated sole. It's water, and it's 26% and it's springs and this is in the air, the salt is in the air and you can breathe it and it's really nice.
Raena Morgan: Oh?
Dr. Barbara Hendel: Yeah.
Raena Morgan: Well, thank you Dr. Hendel for elaborating on that for us. I'm Raena Morgan with iHealthTube. We've been visiting with Dr. Barbara Hendel and thank you for joining us. There's more information about Dr. Hendel on the website.
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