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Available data indicates that mud therapy functions as both an auxiliary dermatological procedure and a type of spa treatment. It does not have the ability to cure diseases.
What is mud therapy?
Mud therapy, also known as phangotherapy, utilizes clay with high concentrations of aluminum salts and other minerals as a medicinal treatment. Typically, therapeutic mud treatments incorporate kaolin, smectite, or bentonite clays.
Seaweed may be added to the clay mixture in some cases, and other times, peat porridge or loam may be used as a substitute. Mud therapy is often administered in conjunction with other balneological techniques in sanatoriums and resorts. Balneology is an alternative medicine branch that employs hot or cold mineral waters in saunas, baths, and pools to treat patients.
The therapeutic clay is generally applied in 3-10 cm layers on the skin and left on for approximately 15-20 minutes during the treatment process. The number of recommended mud therapy sessions can vary significantly, but a course of 2-3 weeks is typically suggested to see the desired effects.
Occasionally, patients consume clay during fango therapy, but this is not typically offered in sanatoriums.
Types of mud therapy
There exist numerous ways to employ mud for medical purposes. In both European and Indian traditions, mud is utilized at varying temperatures, with differing expected effects resulting from its application.
European tradition
Typically, the mud therapy procedure is performed at a temperature range of +30…44 °C. After application, the patient is wrapped in sheets to maintain the heat for a longer duration, and then the mud is washed off using warm, clean water after 15-20 minutes.
According to a naturopathy textbook, the crucial aspect of balneology and mud therapy is the therapeutic heat effect. The proponents of this method primarily expect a therapeutic impact from the heat, with the minerals and biologically active substances in the mud composition considered as secondary.
In European tradition, mud therapy is employed for treating inflammatory skin conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and occasionally for chronic venous insufficiency.
Indian tradition
Ayurveda, a national alternative medical practice, uses mud therapy. The therapy lasts from half an hour to an hour. Ayurveda recognizes five types of multicolored clay, each with different indications. Some types of mud are applied cold, which moisturize the skin and reduce inflammation. Other types of mud are applied hot to improve circulation and make the patient sweat more. According to Ayurveda, this process releases toxins accumulated in the body, which can destroy health gradually.
In Eastern tradition, mud has more healing uses than in European practices. For instance, black mud treats skin diseases, poisoning, and back pain; red mud treats abdominal pain, rheumatoid arthritis, paralysis, and hypothyroidism; yellow mud treats digestive disorders and diabetes; white mud treats hypertension and brain diseases, and blue mud treats snake bites, cholera, and gastritis.
Does European mud therapy work?
Mud therapy in dermatology
Available data suggests that mud therapy and other balneological methods may have a beneficial effect as an adjunct to primary treatment procedures. Warm mud wraps can alleviate symptoms of inflammatory skin conditions like chronic plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and atopic dermatitis. Although it is not clear how it works, it is believed that heat slightly suppresses skin immunity, reducing inflammation and swelling. Additionally, the brain releases endorphins, chemical substances that numb pain and improve mood, under the influence of heat. Therefore, patients are likely to enjoy such procedures.
Magnesium compounds in clay and mud can also reduce skin inflammation, according to some data. Sulfur compounds transform clay into a good mask, helping exfoliate damaged skin cells and kill harmful bacteria, such as golden staphylococcus, living on it.
However, mud therapy is not suitable for all patients with dermatological diseases. People with acute atopic dermatitis, eczema, open wounds, and weeping ulcers cannot be smeared with clay due to the risk of infection. Furthermore, people with cardiovascular diseases, arrhythmias, high blood pressure, epilepsy, and severe anemia should avoid exposure to high temperatures. Therefore, it is sensible to consult a doctor before purchasing a ticket to a mud resort.
Mud therapy for osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease that causes gradual wearing out and destruction of joint cartilage. This results in loss of flexibility in the joints and stiffness and pain when moving.
There is evidence that some types of therapeutic mud have an anti-inflammatory effect that relieves joint pain, particularly in the knees. However, it is still unclear at what temperature and with what mud composition this effect works best.
People with osteoarthritis who are interested in mud therapy can discuss it with their doctor. Although evidence of its effectiveness is still limited, therapeutic mud can be used as an adjunct to the main treatment.
In any case, this method is unlikely to cause harm to people without contraindications, but it can help to improve mood.
Mud therapy for rheumatoid arthritis
In this chronic autoimmune disease, the joint cartilage is destroyed by the body’s immune system, rather than stress and trauma. As a result, the joints become inflamed and swollen, and moving causes severe pain.
Data collected from 1958 to 2014 indicates that mud therapy and other balneological methods do not provide relief for this disease. They do not alleviate pain or slow down disease progression.
Mud therapy for chronic venous insufficiency
Seven qualitative studies involving almost a thousand people have shown that mud therapy and other balneological methods do not reduce the appearance of large veins on the skin or prevent the appearance of ulcers. These studies conclude that such methods have no effect on the development or external manifestations of the disease.
It is improbable that mud therapy will be effective for diseases of internal organs since the mineral substances in the composition of clay do not penetrate through the skin and therefore cannot act on internal organs. Thus, it is impossible to determine the effectiveness of the procedure for other illnesses.
Does Ayurvedic mud therapy work?
During the development of Ayurveda, people had a very vague understanding of the causes of disease and the principles of the human body’s functioning. However, Ayurveda itself does not recognize microbes, viruses, and autoimmune diseases as causes of illnesses and, therefore, cannot fight them.
On the other hand, supporters of Ayurveda believe that diseases result from an imbalance of the elements that constitute the human body: air, ether, fire, water, and earth. They maintain that correcting this balance through magical procedures, such as using colored healing mud, can cure diseases.
Modern science has accumulated extensive knowledge about the structure of the body, and this concept contradicts it entirely. The discrepancy is so profound that medical specialists do not endorse Ayurveda even in its homeland. In 2018, doctors who were members of the Indian Medical Association vehemently opposed the legalization of Ayurvedic medicine.
The second incorrect concept of Ayurveda is the notion that the human body accumulates toxins and other poisons that can be eliminated with a mask made of colored clay.
In reality, certain substances, such as toxic metals or fat-soluble vitamins, may accumulate in certain cells that constitute our body, especially if taken as supplements in high doses. While they may be considered similar to Ayurvedic toxins to some extent, the idea that they can be eliminated using colored clay masks is entirely incorrect.
Ayurveda supporters claim that a healing mud mask promotes sweating, leading to the excretion of toxins from the body. However, the idea that toxic substances can be eliminated from the body solely by sweating is false.
The liver is responsible for neutralizing poisons in our body, and the intestines and kidneys are responsible for their elimination. Sweat primarily serves to cool our body in hot weather and has no role in eliminating toxins.
While small amounts of toxic metals, such as arsenic, lead, and mercury, may enter sweat, it is not possible to eliminate them solely by sweating. By the time they are excreted in sweat, a person will have already been seriously poisoned.
To neutralize heavy metals, chelation therapy is necessary. This therapy involves taking drugs that form compounds with heavy metals, which the body can excrete in urine or feces.
If a person who has been poisoned by heavy metals sweats excessively, they risk exacerbating their condition even more than if they did nothing. When a person sweats excessively, the kidneys conserve water that could have been used to excrete the poison. As a result, toxins that could have left the body with urine are retained in the body for longer.
In theory, warm Ayurvedic clays could have similar benefits as Western European ones, such as treating certain skin diseases and potentially osteoarthritis. Cold clays may also have potential as a scrub or mask. However, using medicinal clays made in India according to Ayurvedic medicine standards could be unsafe.
Many Ayurvedic remedies in India contain heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and mercury. These metals are not impurities but intentionally added components, and the concentration of these metals may be significant. Heavy metals are commonly added to bhāsmas, folk remedies based on herbs. However, if an Indian healer believes that adding mercury will enhance the clay’s magical properties, they may add it without proper consideration for the associated health risks.
Summary
- Ayurvedic mud therapy is based on the principle of restoring the balance of the elements in the body, which contradicts modern scientific knowledge. In contrast, European mud therapy has a more evidence-based approach to treating specific conditions and is generally considered safer.
- One way to distinguish Ayurvedic mud therapy from sanatorium-balneological therapy is to ask about the intended mechanism of action. If the specialist mentions balancing energy rather than specific therapeutic effects, the treatment may be more magical than evidence-based. Additionally, asking about recommended conditions and contraindications can provide valuable information about the safety and efficacy of the treatment.
- Another reliable way to determine the safety of mud therapy is to ask about recommended conditions and contraindications. If the specialist recommends mud therapy for conditions outside of dermatology or arthritis without mentioning any contraindications, it may be safer to avoid the treatment altogether.
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