We found no statistically significant differences in pain on the McGill Question naire or in physical disability ( very low level of evidence ) between balneotherapy and the other interventions .
Overall evidence is insufficient to show that balneotherapy is more effective than no treatment , that one type of bath is more effective than another or that one type of bath is more effective than mudpacks , exercise or relaxation therapy
BACKGROUND No cure for rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) is known at present , so treatment often focuses on management of symptoms such as pain , stiffness and mobility .
Treatment options include pharmacological interventions , physical therapy treatments and balneotherapy .
Balneotherapy is defined as bathing in natural mineral or thermal waters ( e.g. mineral baths , sulphur baths , Dead Sea baths ) , using mudpacks or doing both .
Despite its popularity , reported scientific evidence for the effectiveness or efficacy of balneotherapy is sparse .
This review , which evaluates the effects of balneotherapy in patients with RA , is an up date of a Cochrane review first published in 2003 and up date d in 2008 .
OBJECTIVES To perform a systematic review on the benefits and harms of balneotherapy in patients with RA in terms of pain , improvement , disability , tender joints , swollen joints and adverse events .
Balneotherapy for fibromyalgia at the Dead Sea
Abstract . The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of balneotherapy on patients with fibromyalgia ( FM ) at the Dead Sea . Forty-eight patients with FM were r and omly assigned to a treatment group receiving sulfur baths and a control group .  All participants stayed for 10 days at a Dead Sea spa .  Physical functioning , FM-related symptoms , and tenderness measurements ( point count and dolorimetry ) were assessed at four time points : prior to arrival at the Dead Sea , after 10 days of treatment , and 1 and 3 months after leaving the spa . Physical functioning and tenderness moderately improved in both groups . With the exception of tenderness threshold , the improvement was especially notable in the treatment group and it persisted even after 3 months . Relief in the severity of FM-related symptoms ( pain , fatigue , stiffness , and anxiety ) and reduced frequency of symptoms ( headache , sleep problems , and subjective joint swelling ) were reported in both groups but lasted longer in the treatment group . In conclusion , treatment of FM at the Dead Sea is effective and safe and may become an additional therapeutic modality in FM . Future studies should address the outcome and possible mechanisms of this treatment in FM patients
We found no statistically significant differences in pain on the McGill Question naire or in physical disability ( very low level of evidence ) between balneotherapy and the other interventions .
Overall evidence is insufficient to show that balneotherapy is more effective than no treatment , that one type of bath is more effective than another or that one type of bath is more effective than mudpacks , exercise or relaxation therapy
BACKGROUND No cure for rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) is known at present , so treatment often focuses on management of symptoms such as pain , stiffness and mobility .
Treatment options include pharmacological interventions , physical therapy treatments and balneotherapy .
Balneotherapy is defined as bathing in natural mineral or thermal waters ( e.g. mineral baths , sulphur baths , Dead Sea baths ) , using mudpacks or doing both .
Despite its popularity , reported scientific evidence for the effectiveness or efficacy of balneotherapy is sparse .
This review , which evaluates the effects of balneotherapy in patients with RA , is an up date of a Cochrane review first published in 2003 and up date d in 2008 .
OBJECTIVES To perform a systematic review on the benefits and harms of balneotherapy in patients with RA in terms of pain , improvement , disability , tender joints , swollen joints and adverse events .