Mental health outcomes of balneotherapy: a systematic review

ABSTRACT

Hot springs bathing is a $56 billion commercial industry worldwide, and systematic reviews suggest hot springs bathing (balneotherapy – BT) has a positive impact on chronic pain and musculoskeletal conditions, yet there are no known reviews on BT and mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress. PRISMA guidelines were followed and the Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase databases were examined during May 2020 using search terms to identify English language studies on BT and mental health. The included studies involved a controlled trial of bathing in geothermal mineral water with a no bathing, placebo, or active control group and reported any outcome related to mental health. Of 570 studies, 22 articles (1997–2019) were included. Depression, sleep problems, and stress were all seen to improve and anxiety improved in some but not all studies. BT is a fast-growing worldwide industry and has been shown to positively impact sleep, stress, anxiety, and depression. This has implications for the use of BT as a valid complementary therapy for people with mental health conditions. However, future clinical research is required to determine the populations likely to receive the most benefit from BT and distinguish factors that contribute to positive effects.

KEYWORDS:

• Balneotherapy
• bathing
• sleep
• mental health
• pain
• hot springs

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). JCK has previously been a paid contractor for Peninsula Hot Springs.

Additional information

Funding

RMIT University has received donations from Peninsula Hot Springs (Australia) and Glen Ivy Hot Springs (USA) for ongoing geothermal springs research.

Notes on contributors

James Clark-Kennedy

James Clark-Kennedy is a PhD Candidate in Complementary Medicine at RMIT University's School of Health and Biomedical Sciences.

Gerard Kennedy

Prof Gerard Kennedy is a clinical psychologist with expertise in the diagnosis and psychological treatment of sleep disorders. He has worked as a Research Professor of Psychology at RMIT University and Federation University.

Marc Cohen

Dr Marc Cohen is a medical doctor, Founder of the Extreme Wellness Institute and Co-Founder of the Bathe the World Foundation.

Russell Conduit

Dr Russell Conduit is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at RMIT University with various sleep-related research interests including sleep effects on learning and memory and complementary medicine for sleep.