What is sand therapy? all the benefits of sand

What is sand therapy? all the benefits of sand

 If thalassotherapy has long demonstrated the benefits of seawater on our health, sand therapy is still relatively unknown. However, the sand also presents virtues acclaimed especially in Morocco and Algeria for years. Presentation.

• What is sand therapy?

Also called psammatotherapy or aromatherapy, sand therapy is an alternative medicine which consists in covering the body with a thickness of hot sand to benefit from its benefits.

The sand contains, in fact, silica or limestone from rock debris, shellfish residues, corals, or algae which have given it their virtues.  

• Multiple benefits

Sand therapy therefore relies on this material to relieve various problems.

It would thus relieve articular rheumatism and polyarthritis.

Thanks to its marine elements, it would stimulate blood circulation.

It would also promote the elimination of fats and toxins. The hot sand, used during the treatments, would increase sweating a bit like a sauna and at the same time allow to assimilate the trace marines of the sand.

Finally, the sand, by its slightly rough feel, would eliminate calluses on the feet, and dead skin like a scrub . In addition, its compounds are said to help fight skin diseases.

• Precautions to be taken

Before engaging in this activity, seek the advice of your doctor, especially if you have health concerns . Hot sand may in fact be inadvisable for people with heart problems or asthma. Let us also remember that it is dangerous to play at burying yourself in the sand during a simple vacation by the sea, at the risk of not being able to extricate yourself. A risk that concerns both children and adults .

Where to practice it?

Sand therapy can be practiced in the cabin in thalassotherapy centers or in the open air in sand dunes.

In thalassotherapy, the sand is cleaned before it can be used. Then, it is heated to 45 ° C and placed on the body of the curist, to a thickness of about 3 cm, to deliver all its benefits. In France, sand therapy remains very little known and it will therefore be difficult for you to be able to appreciate its benefits without leaving France. But in Italy, the practice is spreading little by little.

The other way to appreciate aromatherapy is to go to Morocco or Algeria. Medical tourism around this practice has developed strongly in recent years. Until then, sand therapy was mainly reserved for locals. But with the interest of tourists for well-being, the offer has evolved. At the gates of the desert, near Merzouga, for example, dozens of hostels offer this service, from June to September, when the sand is hottest (around 45 °), for 5 to 10 euros. 

The people are then covered with sand in the dunes. Only the head stands out. The burial does not exceed 10 minutes to avoid the risk of sunstroke. A medical presence ensures to limit the risk of sunstroke, while the staff regularly gives you water to drink to hydrate you. Then, to avoid cooling down too quickly, patients wear an electric blanket and can continue with other care. A way to combine well-being and life-size tourism!