José Manuel Carbajo

Sulphurous Mineral Waters: New Applications for Health

Sulphurous mineral waters have been traditionally used in medical hydrology as treatment for skin, respiratory, and musculoskeletal disorders. However, driven by recent intense research efforts, topical treatments are starting to show benefits for pulmonary hypertension, arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, ischemia-reperfusion injury, heart failure, peptic ulcer, and acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. The beneficial effects of sulphurous mineral waters, sulphurous mud, or peloids made from sulphurous mineral water have been attributed to the presence of sulphur mainly in the form of hydrogen sulphide. This form is largely available in conditions of low pH when oxygen concentrations are also low. In the organism, small amounts of hydrogen sulphide are produced by some cells where they have numerous biological signalling functions. While high levels of hydrogen sulphide are extremely toxic, enzymes in the body are capable of detoxifying it by oxidation to harmless sulphate. Hence, low levels of hydrogen sulphide may be tolerated indefinitely. In this paper, we review the chemistry and actions of hydrogen sulphide in sulphurous mineral waters and its natural role in body physiology. This is followed by an update of available data on the impacts of exogenous hydrogen sulphide on the skin and internal cells and organs including new therapeutic possibilities of sulphurous mineral waters and their peloids.

Salt water and skin interactions: new lines of evidence

In Health Resort Medicine, both balneotherapy and thalassotherapy, salt waters and their peloids, or mud products are mainly used to treat rheumatic and skin disorders. These therapeutic agents act jointly via numerous mechanical, thermal, and chemical mechanisms. In this review, we examine a new mechanism of action specific to saline waters. When topically administered, this water rich in sodium and chloride penetrates the skin where it is able to modify cellular osmotic pressure and stimulate nerve receptors in the skin via cell membrane ion channels known as “Piezo” proteins. We describe several models of cutaneous adsorption/desorption and penetration of dissolved ions in mineral waters through the skin (osmosis and cell volume mechanisms in keratinocytes) and examine the role of these resources in stimulating cutaneous nerve receptors. The actions of salt mineral waters are mediated by a mechanism conditioned by the concentration and quality of their salts involving cellular osmosis-mediated activation/inhibition of cell apoptotic or necrotic processes. In turn, this osmotic mechanism modulates the recently described mechanosensitive piezoelectric channels.

Situación de la Medicina Termal en 2014

Los miembros del Grupo de Investigacion Complutense UCM-911757 HIDROLOGIA MEDICA han participado activamente desde el pasado Congreso de la Sociedad, entre otros, en los siguientes eventos cientificos:  2nd European Conference on Evidence Based Aquatic Therapy. AQUALEUVEN 2015. Lovaina (Belgica) 15-18/04/2015  VIII Congresso da Sociedade Portuguesa de Hidrologia Medica. Termas de S. Pedro do Sul (Portugal) 25-27/06/2015  IV Congreso Iberoamericano de Peloides. IV CIBAP BOI 2015. Caldes de Boi (Espana) 1-3/07/2015  40 World Congreso of the Internacional Society of Medical Hydrology and Climatology. Rio de Janeiro (Brasil) 26-28/08/2015  XXV Congress of the Polish Association of Balneology and Physical Medicine. Polanczyk (Polonia) 10-13/09/2015  I Congreso Internacional del Agua - Termalismo y Calidad de Vida. Ourense (Espana) 23-24/09/2015  Termatalia 2015 – X Encuentro Internacional sobre Agua y Termalismo. Ourense (Espana) 24-26/09/2015  68o General Assembly and International Scientific Congress of the World Federation of Hydrotherapya and Climatotherapy (FEMTEC). S. Margherita di Pula-Cagliari (Italia) 30-04/09-10/2015  I Congreso Internacional de Talaso. Salud y Bienestar. Baiona – Pontevedra (Espana) 22-25/11/2015  16th Post-Bachelos Aquatic Therapy Modular Course. KLINIKEN VALENS Study Centre - University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI). Valens (Suiza) 01-13/05/2016.  41 World Congress of the Internacional Society of Medical Hydrology and Climatology. Bucharest (Rumania) 19-22/05/2016  21 Annual ESPA Congress. Vichy (Francia) 24-27/05/2016  8th Hydration for Health Annual Scientific Conference H4H. Evian-LesBains (Francia) 28-30/06/2016  Termatalia Mexico – XI Encuentro Internacional sobre Agua y Termalismo. Arteaga - Coahuila (Mexico) 29-01/09-10/2016  IX Congresso Internacional da Sociedade Portuguesa de Hidrologia Medica. Vidago (Portugal) 13-15/10/2016 A partir de la informacion obtenida se puede resumir la situacion actual de la Medicina Termal, haciendo hincapie en los siguientes aspectos:  Formacion Academica  Investigacion  Ejercicio Profesional  Sociedades Cientificas  Organizaciones Internacionales relacionadas con la Hidrologia Medica