Sophie Benge closes her series on the healing power of natural resources in central and eastern Europe with a focus on mineral water and mud

In this series, we’ve looked at some key components of the central and eastern European spa experience that make it a strong contender in the growing market for wellness tourism: namely its rich seam of natural resources which have been used for centuries to relieve physical pain and stimulate emotional wellbeing.

These natural elements were rigorously studied by chemists and doctors in the 19th century before treatment protocols were developed for a variety of health disorders. That many of these therapies remain unchanged after 200 years is testimony to the authenticity and expertise that infuses the health culture in this region.

This final article examines mineral water – the most abundant healing source – and mud, which is probably the most potent. It can be argued that both form the basis of the historical reputation for wellness that has brought royalty and the intelligentsia to spa towns from the Baltic to the Black seas for two centuries.

England’s King Edward VII visited Marienbad (now Mariánské Láznê) in the Czech Republic nine times to treat his gout, while in nearby Karlsbad (now Karlovy Vary), the list of visitors in search of redress for their overindulgent lifestyles includes Brahms, Beethoven, Bismarck and Bach... and that’s just those listed under B!

Water world
Mineral waters sourced from underground have a high mineral composition and specific chemical properties, as well as differing physical properties such as temperature and trace elements. Together these features can help with a full spectrum of body processes from circulation and digestion to immune function and even fertility. That’s quite some panacea.

To understand the potency of the mineral water in central and eastern Europe it helps to make a comparison with a brand such as Evian. A 750ml bottle states that this water contains 26mg of magnesium per litre. In contrast most waters in Romanian Transylvania contain more than 3,000mg of magnesium per litre. There are 6.5mg of sodium in Evian and 100 times this amount in Zuber, the strongest of four brands of bottled water from the Polish spa town of Krynica-Zdrój, which is particularly good for liver complaints.

There is barely a mineral water source in the region which local people don’t claim has the most potent water in all of Europe for improving health. Alongside broad similarities there are place-by-place distinctions for determining where to go for particular afflictions.

The calcium-magnesium ratios in the cold water of Mariánské Láznê in the Czech Republic makes the spa at Hotel Nové Láznê a well known centre for treating kidney and urinary tract disorders.

Alternatively in Kemeri, Latvia the unusually high levels of hydrogen sulphide in some water bring down the cholesterol levels in blood, according to Dr Ints Zeidlers, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Jaun?emeri Health Resort. He claims that during one 20-minute bath in this particular warm mineral water, patients take in as much as 70mg of hydrogen sulphide through their skin and via inhalation.

Different again are the thermal effects of the hot water of Piešt’any in Slovakia which, when experienced in bathing treatments, helps optimise the mechanical movement of the limbs. The water also contains a high amount of sulphur (578mg per litre) which is believed to help strengthen connective tissue, like ligaments, cartilage and tendons. In addition, it leaves sulphur deposits on the epidermis which can ease skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

In other words, Spa Piešt’any is a good choice for those people who want to ease stiff joints and muscle pain, while also nurturing baby-soft skin.

Drink, breathe, bathe
As well as geographical differences and variations in chemical composition and water temperature – from very cold in Romanian Transylvania to virtually boiling in some springs in Budapest – there’s the choice of how best to take the ‘water cure’. Usually water cure programmes include a combination of drinking and bathing in water and inhaling its vapours. These three elements form the mainstay of balneotherapy, the discipline for treating illness through medicinal spring water, and a programme will be carefully prescribed by a doctor according to each guest’s needs.

In the spa town of Druskininkai in Lithuania, the water’s calcium-magnesium ratio is 2:1 and doctors at Spa Vilnius (see SB13/1 p68) claim that drinking just one glass provides an ample supplement of these minerals for a whole week. They say it’s even more effective if drunk on an empty stomach. Heavy drinking of some waters can, however, result in vomiting and diarrhoea because they’re so strong.

Inhaling mineral water vapour helps clear the respiratory tract. The vapour takes the form of a fine spray released from a nozzle in front the face. Many of the health resorts built during the Soviet era still use inhalation apparatus designed and built in the 1950s.

Bathing completes the healing trilogy of balneotherapy. In some places such as Mariánské Láznê in Czech Republic, guests take two or three baths a day to relieve kidney, urinary and nervous-system disorders. In Latvia’s Jaunkemeri Health Resort, on the other hand, the high levels of hydrogen sulphate mean baths are prescribed only every other day. The mineral load creates a big job for organs that need time to process change.

Many, but not all, of the swimming pools at resorts across the region are filled with local mineral water that’s more suitable for general bathing. Examples include the famous Gellért Baths or Széchenyi Baths in Budapest, or Spa Wojciech in Ladek Zdrój, Poland.