We found silver level evidence ( www.cochranemsk.org ) concerning the beneficial effects of mineral baths compared to no treatment .
Of all other balneological treatments no clear effects were found .
BACKGROUND Balneotherapy ( or spa therapy , mineral baths ) for patients with arthritis is one of the oldest forms of therapy .
One of the aims of balneotherapy is to soothe the pain and as a consequence to relieve patients ' suffering and make them feel well .
In this up date we included one extra study .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effectiveness of  balneotherapy  for patients with osteoarthritis ( OA ) .
Dead Sea bath salts for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Thirty patients with classical or definite rheumatoid arthritis were r and omly divided into two groups of fifteen patients each of similar age , sex , duration and severity of disease , and medical treatment . All patients were treated once a day with bath salts heated to 35 degrees C for twenty minutes . Group I received Dead Sea bath salts and Group II , the control group , received sodium chloride ( NaCl ) . The study was double-blind and of two weeks ' duration . All patients were evaluated by one rheumatologist both before treatment , and two weeks later at the end of the treatment period . Follow-up evaluations were made one and three months after conclusion of the treatments . The clinical parameters evaluated included duration of morning stiffness , fifteen meter walk time , h and -grip strength , activities of daily living , circumference of proximal interphalangeal joints , number of active joints , Ritchie index and the patient 's own assessment of disease activity . The laboratory parameters evaluated included erythrocyte sedimentation rate and serum levels of amyloid A , rheumatoid factor , sodium , potassium , calcium and magnesium . A statistically significant improvement ( p less than 0.01 or p less than 0.05 ) was observed in Group I only , in most of the clinical parameters assessed . Maximal therapeutic effect was obtained at the end of the treatment and lasted up to one month
We found silver level evidence ( www.cochranemsk.org ) concerning the beneficial effects of mineral baths compared to no treatment .
Of all other balneological treatments no clear effects were found .
BACKGROUND Balneotherapy ( or spa therapy , mineral baths ) for patients with arthritis is one of the oldest forms of therapy .
One of the aims of balneotherapy is to soothe the pain and as a consequence to relieve patients ' suffering and make them feel well .
In this up date we included one extra study .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effectiveness of  balneotherapy  for patients with osteoarthritis ( OA ) .