What is Peloid Therapy?

Peloid is a fancy word for a medicinal peat mud bath. Though, this is not ordinary mud, it is peat mud. Medicinal Peat is NOT peat moss, such as used in gardening. Peat is a substance obtained from bogs on low or highland moors that have been used extensively as a medicinal preparation in baths and in peloidal packs.

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Ever since the remotest antiquity, different peloids, especially peat, has been used for therapeutic purposes.  Peat has found extensive application today in the healthcare of most European countries, as well as in China, Japan, Brazil, and elsewhere. The principal application of these peloids is in medical hydrotherapy either via baths (with a duration of up to  20 min  at  102-107 degrees F) or  local warm applications  (20 to  30 min  at  104-111 degrees F).

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Peat is unique in its composition and contains many naturally occurring chemical constituents which interact with organic and inorganic compounds in our skin. Peat has a micropore structure, lending it spongelike carrying capacity and an ability to maintain either hot or cold temperatures. It’s the result of natural organic decomposition of multitudes of plants and is harvested under special conditions.

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Over a period of thousands of years, this residue percolates and transforms into a fine paste that easily dissolves in water. It has an unusually high concentration of bio-minerals, trace elements, vitamins, amino acids, plant hormones and fatty acids in a molecular form that is easy for the human skin to absorb.

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Why and how does Peloid Therapy work?

As you know, fever is part of the body’s natural defense mechanism. Similarly, heating up the body enhances the body’s ability to fend of infections. Immunologically, hyperthermia has been demonstrated to increase Natural Killer cells.

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With the external application of heat, vasodilation of peripheral blood vessels occurs and then sweating follows, releasing toxins to the surface of the body through the skin’s pores. Being in water is useful for removing these toxins. The immersion bath, which is the main way we use Peloid Therapy, is the safest form of hyperthermia treatment. The bath water temperature will be monitored for the duration of the treatment.

The combination of effects from the bath plus the unique properties of the peloidal peat stimulate and act synergistically in a complex manner on the central nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, the musculoskeletal system, pulmonary and kidney dynamics, the endocrine system, and the immune system. This results in the actuation of the body’s innate self-healing capacity while normalizing effects on the body’s systems and rhythms.

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Research

You may be surprised to know that there are many reputable studies validating the effectiveness of Peloid Therapy. Here are just 2 examples:

1. From the journal, Rheumatology International:  Does addition of 'mud-pack and hot pool treatment' to patient education make a  difference in fibromyalgia patients? A randomized controlled single blind study

      https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25917265/

        Results: Balneotherapy group was significantly better than control group after the treatment and at the          end of the first month follow-up assessments in terms of patient's and physician's global assessment,            total FIQ score, and pain intensity, fatigue, non-refreshed awaking, stiffness, anxiety and depression              subscales of FIQ. (FIQ score measures the impact of fibromyalgia symptoms on a person's daily life)

   

2. Int J Environ Res Public Health: Peloids as Thermotherapeutic Agents

       https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7934683/#sec3-ijerph-18-01965

Scroll down to the results section, Table 1 to see the benefits of peloids found in 22 studies.

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Summary of Potential Benefits

• Promotes depuration (release) of toxins

• Can decrease pain

• Supports a healthy inflammatory balance

• Improvement of fatigue symptoms

• Supports normal skin appearance

• Supports the immune system

• Promotes vitality and well-being​

 

Peloid Therapy at Southern Oregon Integrative Medicine (SOIM)

We use 100% natural organic European Peat that contains virtually no clay (less then 3%) and consists of organic residue of herbs, flowers and grasses. Think of it as a plant extract not from just one plant, but hundreds that reflect the environment of Earth 10.000 years ago, without present day pollution. Its uncanny ability to heal, nourish and detoxify has been observed by thousands.

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Peloid therapy is implemented often at SOIM as part of the Cleanse and Renew Total Detoxification Program. It is sometimes used as a precursor to the program for those patients that are extremely sensitive. At the Hidden Springs Wellness Center where SOIM is located, there is a special private bath installed specifically for Peloid Therapy.

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You will step into a medicinal peat bath filled up to 10 inches from the top with water at a temperature of 105-113°F. The duration and temperature of the bath depend on the condition being treated. Peat is added to the bath, and the patient enters the water slowly. You'll be submerged in the peat bath for up to 20 minutes. ​​

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If this is a therapy that interests you, please call us at 541-482-2267