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Combined Radon and Heat Exposure for Treatment of Rheumatic Diseases: A Clinical Approach

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Thermotherapy for Neoplasia, Inflammation, and Pain

Summary

Radon therapy combined with heat or CO2 has been in use for centuries. Head-out radon water immersion or exposure in galleries with a high concentration of radon are the usual application forms. The main indications for radon therapy are inflammatory and degenerative rheumatic diseases. Radon is taken up by inhalation or transcutaneous resorption, which may be enhanced by concomitant heat or CO2. Almost all incorporated radon is discharged by exhalation, the remainder being effective in organs and body tissue by radioactive decay emitting alpha particles. Whether concomitant heat can enhance radon effects by radio-sensitization is still speculative. Experimental studies have revealed many changes after radon exposure, including an increase in endorphins and enkephalins in blood, but our understanding of how radon exerts its antalgesic effects in rheumatic diseases is very incomplete. In several controlled clinical trials evaluating patients with degenerative spinal disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis, pain, mobility, drug use, daily life activities, and patient assessment were positively influenced by radon treatment in baths or galleries. The difference between radon and control therapy was most striking several months after the end of treatment, indicating long-lasting changes in disease processes. In summary, a large body of evidence shows beneficial long-term effects of radon therapy in rheumatic diseases. The mode of action and the impact of concomitant hyperthermia, however, remain to be elucidated.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gasteiner Heilstollen Hospital, A-5645, Bad Gastein-Böckstein, Austria

    Albrecht Falkenbach

  2. Gastein Research Institute, Bad Gastein, Austria

    Albrecht Falkenbach

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  1. Albrecht Falkenbach
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Physiology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, 852-8523, Nagasaki, Japan

    Mitsuo Kosaka

  2. Health Research Foundation, 606-8225, Kyoto, Japan

    Tsutomu Sugahara

  3. Clinic of Rheumatology, Physical Medicine, and Balneology, University of Giessen, Bad Nauheim, Germany

    Klaus L. Schmidt

  4. Max Planck Institute for Physiological and Clinical Research, W.G. Kerckhoff Institute, Bad Nauheim, Germany

    Eckhart Simon

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© 2001 Springer Japan

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Falkenbach, A. (2001). Combined Radon and Heat Exposure for Treatment of Rheumatic Diseases: A Clinical Approach. In: Kosaka, M., Sugahara, T., Schmidt, K.L., Simon, E. (eds) Thermotherapy for Neoplasia, Inflammation, and Pain. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-67035-3_57

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-67035-3_57

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo

  • Print ISBN: 978-4-431-67037-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-4-431-67035-3

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