Do Icelanders know the effect of their hot springs on the human body ?

Hot springs are resurgences of underground water by fissures. This water is hot because it has stood in the depth for a long time. In the depth, the hot water erodes the rock around and so, charges itself with minerals. In the surface, the water stays in the pool. Icelander think the hot springs have many benefit effects.

88% of the people we interviewed (17 people) think the hot springs have good effects on human body, and 12% think it’s just a legend. Most of the Icelanders don’t know the real effect of the hot springs. The beliefs of Icelandic culture are very strong in their mind. That’s why Icelanders use the hot springs. Hot springs also have a relaxing effect because of the temperature of the water.

 Different properties of the hot springs

Not all the springs have the same medicinal properties. The minerals in the water changes with the rocks the water passes through, so the effects on human body aren’t the same. The natural springs may give illnesses because of the bacterial life that grows in it (because of the temperature). The hot springs eliminate toxins in the human body and improve the blood circulation ; - the vapors which are released act on the lungs and thus facilitate breathing. The improvement of the circulation of the fluids in the human body can cure a number of diseases like arthritis, asthma, rheumatisms, etc.

 Minerals’ effects of hot springs

The presence of the minerals necessary to the organism and silicates also take part to the treatment of its diseases, especially the skin diseases. The skin absorption of the negatives ions contained in the water causes elimination of toxins in the body (contrary with the medicaments where the elements are eliminated by gastric juices in the intestines). The sources also contain trace elements which are nutrients essentials to the good performance of the organism, but only in very small quantities. Lack of these trace elements (iron, copper, zinc…) involve physiological problems (acne due to a zinc deficiency, bad oxygenation due to a deficiency of iron, etc). The trace elements are dependant between themselves : a lack of one causes an excess of one another, and so inversely.

Julie.C, Clément M., Geoffroy B.

clement.mantoux, Jerome MATHEY,
date de publication : 7 mai 2012,
date de dernière mise à jour : 27 décembre 2011