Balneotherapy, Thalassotherapy and Therapeutic Spa

This chapter brings together the therapeutic uses of water, whose history goes back to the Roman baths (the frigidarium/tepidarium/caldarium circuit prefiguring contemporary thermal alternation). The author distinguishes medical balneotherapy (baths for rheumatological, neurological, dermatological, psychiatric purposes), crenotherapy (labelled mineral waters), French subsidized thermalism (21-day cures, 105 accredited resorts) and thalassotherapy (seawater heated to 32-35 °C). The first principle is thermal: the high heat capacity of water triggers vasodilation, metabolic acceleration and endorphin release (hot bath), or vasoconstriction and cortisol peaks (cold immersion). Effects validated as far as fibromyalgia (Forestier, 2010).

This therapy is covered in detail (principles, indications, protocol, level of evidence) in Volume 7 of the Mémento des Psychothérapies. See the volume.