Department of Welfare Promotion and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2630 Sugitani, 930-0194, Toyama, Japan,
Environ Health Prev Med. 2005 Jul;10(4):171-9. doi: 10.1007/BF02897707.
Bathing in water (balneotherapy or spa therapy) has been frequently and widely used in classical medicine as a cure for diseases. This paper reviews the present literature on the use of balneotherapy in dermatologic, chronic musculoskeletal (inflammatory and non-inflammatory), metabolic and psychological conditions.We performed a systematic review on related papers appearing in the Medline and Cochrane Library database from 1966 to 2003 that included randomized controlled and non-randomized clinical trials using balneotherapy. We also determined to reflect where possible the chemical compositions of spas.The major dermatologic and musculoskeletal diseases that are frequently treated by balneotherapy with a remarkable rate of success are atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritis and low back pain. Moreover, the effects of spa therapy on several metabolic conditions are discussed. The mechanisms by which broad spectrums of diseases respond to spa therapy probably incorporate chemical, thermal and mechanical effects.The importance of balneotherapy either alone or as complement to other therapies should be considered after, or accompanying, orthodox medical treatments.
水疗（浴疗或矿泉疗法）在传统医学中被广泛应用于治疗疾病。本文就水疗在皮肤科、慢性肌肉骨骼（炎症和非炎症性）、代谢和心理疾病方面的应用进行综述。我们对 Medline 和 Cochrane Library 数据库中 1966 至 2003 年期间的相关文献进行了系统性综述，包括使用水疗的随机对照和非随机临床试验。我们还尽量反映矿泉的化学成分。水疗常用于治疗多种皮肤和肌肉骨骼疾病，成功率较高，包括特应性皮炎、银屑病、类风湿关节炎（RA）、强直性脊柱炎、骨关节炎和腰痛。此外，文中还讨论了矿泉疗法对一些代谢性疾病的影响。水疗对广泛疾病产生疗效的机制可能包含化学、热和机械作用。水疗可作为传统医学治疗的补充或替代方法，单独或联合使用，其重要性值得考虑。
