Sand Therapy - The Grains of Pseudoscience
Over at the TourEgypt website, they have a section describing some of the attractions in Egypt where people can visit the country for “therapeutic” purposes. Among the options is something called the Siwa Oasis. According to the website:
Siwa Oasis enjoys numerous properties that place it at the top of the list of these sites recommended for therapeutic tourism. It is distinguished by a calm, clear environment and mild temperature. By boiling the deep subterranean pollution free mineral water a treatment is available for treating renal stones. Gabal al Takrour is important for the tourists to Siwa in treating Rheumatism and general weakness by burring (sic) the patient in hot sands surrounding the mountain.
As reported the other day by The Mirror, this process involves submerging the “patient” in the sand up to their neck. They stay buried for a prescribed duration (sometimes hours at a time) as the customers believe their ailments are being treated by the natural healing properties of the sand. Patients claim to feel better after the treatment, however, anecdotes are not scientific. Since that is all there is to judge by (there are no scientific studies to refer to) ultimately, there is no evidence that there are any health benefits, and arguably, there are health risks, especially to people with heart conditions or skin sensitivities.
People with rheumatism feel better after heat is applied to their muscles and joints. Wow, that’s a real breakthrough
yes, there are not studies … but the lack of prove of effectiveness doesn’t mean the lack of effectiveness. This kind of “cure” has been used for centuries … and still goes on. Many other treatments, including lobotomy for example, have won the Nobel prize for medicine and short after have been considered a crime against humanity.
Generally I don’t learn article on blogs, but I would like
to say that this write-up very compelled me to check out and do so!
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