| Back to Thalassotherapy, Alain Jouan In France thalassotherapy has always been a treatment of choice for joint troubles and injuries. Today it is also prescribed for relieving imbalances linked to modern lifestyle. And its benefits last a long time. For a long time, the French health care system has covered expenses related to physical therapy in thalassotherapy centers. This makes sense since thanks to sea water, hydrotherapy, and seaweed, those suffering from rheumatism and accidents got back on their feet. Now only certain thalassotherapy centers still receive health care payments for treatment. Others, who only offer "get back in shape" stays, are not officially part of the national health care system. This happened to effectuate budget cuts. In reality, to quote a doctor from one prestigious French medical institution, "health ministers have statistics proving that people who do thalassotherapy treatment consume less in medical care in the 6 months following their treatment." In recent years, thalassotherapy practitioners have made a huge effort to transform themselves in order to treat the lesser illnesses of our age: fatigue, stress, blues, overweight, joint and back pain. Silent evils to be sure, and maybe banal, but which affect balance and health in the long term. Clients know the value of thalassotherapy. The repeat rate of stays varies, by center, from 50 to 80 percent. According to Doctor Michel Panet (of the Institut Marin G. Wateau, in Saint Rapha‘l), "We obtain very good results because we complete traditional care with other techniques. Thanks to these new specialties - cryotherapy, aromatherapy, drainage, electrotherapy, fasciatherapy, osteopathy, reflexology, sophrology - modern thalassotherapy can claim a global discipline status." Philippe Gomez (of the La Baule-Les-Pins Center) says, "The basic principle remains the same, daily deconditioning and mineral recharge." In 1998, new treatments have appeared to counteract the imbalances of modern life: a specialty for men at Le Touquet, sleep therapy (Dinard), oxygenation (Pornic), menopause (La Baule.) Other recent news is the launch of product lines and training programs directly from established professional providers. Thanks to these, authentic thalassotherapy, its philosophy and its techniques are finally being imported. Today any destination spa, day spa, fitness center, hospital or retirement home, can offer a personalized treatment program adapted to the needs and budget of every client.  From brittany,comes the healing source named thalassotherapy.Chapter I A French phenomenon taking North American Spas by storm Eight therapeutic benefits of thalassotherapy Super stars in the mud Thalassotherapy jargon constitutes the most chic of vocabularies! Chapter II A medical discipline which has become a way of life Two thousand years of thalassotherapy Thalassotherapy's New Face Chapter III Sea water: The most complete mineral water Qualitative analogy between sea water / human plasma Short guide to minerals the body needs Quinton, his dog and the birth of thalassotherapy Chapter IV Algae & marine sediments: Concentrate of life Brittany: the province of seaweed Mineral traps Interview with Christine Bodeau-Bellion, Ph.D. Esthederm's Associate & France's Leading Practitioner on the Curative Benefits of French Thalassotherapy & Algotherapy. Chapter V Marine Minerals: To be taken WITH or IN some water From fresh seaweed to powder and extract Seaweed wraps Seaweed based baths Chapter VI Ready to try thalassotherapy? Six months of health benefits "A terrific tool for recuperation" Chapter VII Thalassodermie The American way of thalassotherapy What it can do A French phenomenon taking American Spas by storm Natural iodine, sea mineral salts, sea mud and seaweed have been found to be a tremendous source of health and well-being. For two centuries, this has accounted for the success of thalassotherapy, a revitalizing technique originated in France. Now this phenomenon is crossing the Atlantic and taking American spas by storm. this year, 200,000 French people will be coated with ground seaweed, covered with hot muds, have their hands sprinkled with steaming sea water, and their skin squirted by a cold water jet much like the kind used in car washes. Is this a penchant for masochism on the part of a people known for seeking attention? Far from it. These unusual rituals have a name: thalassotherapy, and are as French as Matisse's dancers, the Senequier Cafe in Saint Tropez, or the Concorde's three-hour commute from New York to Paris. With "thalasso" (pronounced: thah-lah-sso) the French have once again concocted a perfect recipe for success. Thalasso fits perfectly in this image of pleasure, refinement and high-tech performance that characterizes French-style "art de vivre" and makes the French both enviable and intolerable! What exactly is thalassotherapy? Imagine picturesque vacation spots facing the serenity of the Atlantic and Mediterranean oceans, offering sea water and seaweed-based treatments, administered by carefully trained expert specialists. In one to two weeks, a succession of seaweed poultices, hot baths, jet pools, delicate massages or, in contrast, vigorous treatments like sauna and turkish steam baths, along with healthy and organic menus produce an invigorating respite from real world stresses. Each client's stay is personalized and adapted to his or her particular needs. All year long, thalassotherapy revitalizes a clientele which includes famous personalities seeking a state of calm. From athletic champions in training to ordinary people seeking a youth elixir bath or to lose extra pounds; from corporate managers fleeing months of stress, to young mothers seeking toned mind and body. Many with medical conditions have learned they can dissolve a multitude of serious problems in sea water. Thalassotherapy keeps all of these promises. French doctors estimate that the benefits of 8 days of a cure last from 6 to 8 months! How can you introduce your best clients to thalassotherapy's benefits? Well, - you might send them to one of the 50 centers spread out along the French coasts. However, be sure to reserve weeks - even months - in advance; avoid school vacation times and plan on two extra days to make the trip from Paris by car or by train. A great idea for exotic getaways, but not so easy if one's client French is limited to "Comment allez-vous?" or if your schedule and budget do not allow a major transatlantic excursion. There is a solution that is one hundred percent French in character and much more possible. A small number of American spas has taken the initiative and is offering their clients all the advantages of a thalassotherapy center's benefits with treatments inspired by French savoir-faire. Seaweed identical to those in French centers are used. They are harvested off the coast of Brittany, then split and purified using ultra-modern laboratory techniques which preserve their mineral content (see pages 11). American spa professionals have also received training identical to that of their French counterparts. As a result of these developments, it is possible to offer spa clients the same benefits obtained from a thalassotherapy cure in France! Eight Therapeutic Benefits of Thalassotherapy Rebalanced energyRelieved stressRestoration of skin firmness and supplenessSlimmingRestimulated circulationFlexible and pain-free joints and backDetoxificationPreparation for or recuperation from athletic competition Super Stars in the Mud "Brittany is too far away." American celebrities don't say it, but they probably think as much. Very few actually spend time at thalassotherapy centers, although Mel Gibson and Liz Taylor are exceptions to the rule. However, it's still true that most of the personalities glimpsed in the sea water and algae baths or jet shower rooms are Europeans - like Ringo Starr (who rents his care salon in Monaco year-round) or Sarah Ferguson, seen in La Baule resort in Brittany. The former President of the French Republic, François Mitterrand, followed his own routine at La Baule. Current president Jacques Chirac also shares Mitterrand's rejuvenating routine. And thalassotherapy is all the rage among athletes. Venute Nyongabo, Olympic champion of the 5,000-meter dash at the Atlanta Games, chose the center at Saint Rapha‘l to rest and restore himself after an intense season. There he ran into Jean Galfione, Olympic pole vaulting champion. Let's not forget royalty, - Prince Rainier of Monaco enjoyed his stays at La Baule (1,000 kilometers north of the Principality) so much that he had a thalassotherapy center, Les Thermes Marins, constructed in Monaco. Now he only has to cross the street to obtain the desired effects. Thalassotherapy Jargon constitutes the most chic of vocabularies! Une cure anti-stress, anti-fatigue Anti-stress and anti-fatigue action Un traitement anti-‰ge Anti-aging treatment Un cataplasme d'algues Algae poultices Une application de boues Mud application Un massage sous l'eau Underwater massage Un bain bouillonnant Hot bath Une douche à jet Jet shower Une douche sous-marine Underwater shower Une manuluve Hand algae bath Une pédicure Foot algae bath It's revitalizing and tonic! A medical discipline which has become a way of life For two centuries thalassotherapy was only a medical technique, in 1964 it became first a fad, then a way of life. When he returned to France from the colonies at the end of the last century, after having worked as a marine doctor, Doctor Louis Bagot had no idea he would earn a place in the history books. Possessing a curious and open mind, he had enriched his orthodox medical practices with observations made in the islands. There the oceanic climate accelerated the return to health of many patients, and the natives cured fractures by applying seaweed and hot mud plasters. His familiarity with the works of biologist René Quinton added scientific credibility to these empirical practices! From the time he returned, Louis Bagot was obsessed: to open a physical therapy center in which these revolutionary treatments would be administered. In 1899, the marine institute of Roc Kroum opened its doors to rheumatics and accident victims utilizing rehabilitation in a heated sea water pool, and seaweed wraps. It was the first thalassotherapy center, and its spectacular results earned it an international reputation among physicians. Louis Bagot, pioneer, died in 1941 at the age of 79. It took 20 years longer for thalassotherapy to become widely known and assume the modern face we know. On December 15, 1961, Louison Bobet, bicycling champion and hero to an entire nation for having been a three-time winner of the Tour de France, was the victim of a serious automobile accident. He escaped death but faced amputation. After successive operations, the surgeon slid steel rods in his leg, saving the leg and persuaded the champion to go to the Marine Institute of Roc Kroum at Roscoff. There in Brittany, thanks to the algae based and salt water treatments, Bobet's recuperation was spectacular! He walked, ran, and said he never felt better. He was astounded. "I am dazzled by sea water's virtues. Thalassotherapy has become my obsession," he promised. At that time, the city of Quiberon was considering building a center. Louison Bobet became its promoter. The institute opened its doors on May 11, 1964, in a magnificent natural setting in the presence of many well-known personalities in politics, theater, and the arts. This was the beginning of modern thalassotherapy: therapeutic treatments, in a comfortable, even luxurious setting, which evoked an ambiance of vacation more than that of a medical clinic. Louison Bobet, and Louis Bagot before him, had benefited from the interest shown by doctors in the 18th century for sea baths. These doctors had broken with taboos dating back to the Middle Ages, when the sea was still known as the "Kingdom of the Prince of Winds," or the devil's country. In Dieppe, around 1778, a bath cart rolling on a cleared track, pushed by employees into the waves, was used to "stimulate nervous fluid." But not until 1820 did the first hydrotherapy establishments, in which hot baths were practiced appeared, - the full sea bath era was over. In these establishments there was no mixing of classes or genders. The hot bath establishment in Dieppe had three dining rooms to accommodate military, bourgeois and common clientele. At Marseille's Roucas Blanc, there were separate swimming pools for women and men. It required ingenuity to fill the baths and pools. In 1825 in Marseille, Dr. Giraudy's baths were filled by a hand pump whose filling tube was placed in an underground sea water well. By 1850, at Royan, an above-ground water wheel was powered by a blind horse to raise water. At Le Croisic, the foundations of hydrotherapy rooms were dug below sea level. At each tide, a new lock was opened to fill the pool. But by the end of the 19th century and until 1914, treatments were little more than a pretext for other pleasures: baths were relegated to the basements of luxury resorts or used to prolong the life span of gambling establishments. Casinos offered eclectic amusements: theaters, concerts. The composer Franz Liszt even gave a concert in Dieppe. Then Louis Bagot arrived on the scene bringing back medical emphasis and establishing scientific methodology... Two thousand years of thalassotherapy 484 B.C. "The cures of sun and sea impose themselves on most illnesses." Herodotus 480 B.C. "Sea washes all men's illnesses." Euripides 420 B.C. Hippocrates, Galen, Plato, Aristotle recommend hot sea water baths. The Romans invent sea mud baths. Cato the Elder serves his slaves a mixture of wine and sea water to restore their energy. 1578 Ambroise Paré, one of the founders of modern medicine, recommends sea baths for their astringent, reheating and hydrating properties. 1753 Publication in England of the book, "The Uses of Sea Water", by Charles Russel. This English doctor established the therapeutic basis of sea water. 1780 John Latham creates the first marine hospital in England. 1861 The first French marine hospital opens at Berck. It is called Petit Berck. 1869 Doctor De la Bonnardière, a doctor from Arcachon, coins the term "thalassotherapy" from the Greek thalassa (sea) and therapeia (care.) 1899 Doctor Louis Bagot opens the first thalassotherapy center in Roscoff, the Institut marin de Rockroum. 1904 French biologist Rene Quinton publishes, "Salt Water: Living Environment", a book which provides the scientific rationale for the benefits of salt water. 1964 Opening of the Institut Louison Bobet in Quiberon 1999 Thalassotherapy celebrates its centennial! 1861 The first French marine hospital opens at Berck. It is called Petit Berck. 1869 Doctor De la Bonnardière, a doctor from Arcachon, coins the term "thalassotherapy" from the Greek thalassa (sea) and therapeia (care.) 1899 Doctor Louis Bagot opens the first thalassotherapy center in Roscoff, the Institut marin de Rockroum. 1904 French biologist René Quinton publishes, "Sea Water: Living Environment", a book which provides the scientific rationale for the benefits of sea water. 1964 Opening of the Institut Louison Bobet in Quiberon. 1999 Thalassotherapy celebrates its centennial! Thalassotherapy's New Face Until the 1980s, a majority of "patients" seeking treatment for illness were welcomed at thalassotherapy centers. "Today," says Philippe Gomez, deputy director of the center La Baule-Les-Pins, "one out of two clients is in good health. As a consequence, the average age has dropped by 4 years in the space of one decade." Thalassotherapy responds to the needs of these new and sophisticated clients by offering an all-around approach to well-being which focuses on prevention. Other preventive and balancing disciplines, like phytotherapy, aromatherapy, and nutrition are also practiced in centers. The psychological environment is of outmost importance. "Life is aggressive," says the doctor of a Breton establishment. "Our clients need peace, and a change from daily life. They are surprised that we take such good care of them. " For therapists as well, satisfaction is abundant. As Philippe Gomez explains, "We welcome tired new mothers who are depressed and disappointed at not having slimmed down to their pre-pregnancy weight. We take care of them and give them an excuse to leave their babies for a few hours a day. When they leave, they are full of smiles. That is the greatest of all recompense!" Sea water: The most complete mineral water Blood circulating in our veins retains the memory of sea water in which our prehistoric ancestors lived. It isn't surprising that a sea water bath replenishes the entire body's minerals! the history of life on dry land begins with a massacre. 425 million years ago, our ancestors were the tetrapods - somewhat resembling frogs. Most of them were content, perfectly adapted to the sea water environment in which they had evolved from their original fish form. However, some were curious about the strange universe they saw at the water's edge. At a point in history, some took a first step onto dry land. It was a massacre. Confronted with oxygen concentrations over 40 times greater to that in the water, they were almost all destroyed. Only a small group succeeded in producing a molecule, an anti-oxygen which would eventually save their lives: vitamin C. We are the descendants of these survivors. We have since lost our pretty green color and webbed paws; our hands are certainly more practical for driving a car or holding a fork. But we have never forgotten our sea water origins: water, which constitutes 70% of the human body, and minerals, are elements without which life is impossible (see opposite chart.) At the beginning of the century, the French biologist René Quinton showed that human plasma is chemically very close to sea water (see chart below.) In the 1960s, another French doctor, Michel Odent, was the first to practice delivering babies in water. Michel Odent used fresh water, but sea water would have worked just as well. Dive into sea water. You will evolve, as did our tetrapod ancestors, in an environment containing 120 chemical elements in the form of salts and dissolved gas. Do some strokes. You are surrounded by nitrogen, oxygen and helium. Over 60 minerals are dispersed in the water in the shape of tiny particles. Continue swimming. These mineral particles do not slide on your skin like raindrops on an umbrella. With each of your strokes, they penetrate by the physical mechanism of osmosis (read page 12.) In a few minutes, your body has absorbed significant amounts of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and of course calcium. But it has also absorbed boron, sulfur, fluoride, chloride and iodine. Do not panic! The tetrapod ancestor lives in you. It has kept the memory of all of these precious elements. It knows how to use each of them, at this precise moment, to meet all of its needs: it relieves the scars of stress with magnesium; burns fat with iodine; repairs small damage to your skin with silicon and zinc; and lowers inflammation thanks to selenium. Thousands of cellular reactions of this kind take place while you slowly move through the ocean, on a beautiful summer's day. Time to get out of the water? Don't rinse yourself right away: leave your cloak of mineral particles on a few moments longer and let them spread throughout your body. Don't be sad at the idea that the treatment ends when your vacation does. Thalassotherapy offers you the opportunity to renew this feeling of well-being in a center, a spa, or even at home. Quinton, His Dog and the Birth of Thalassotherapy A century has passed and the photographs have yellowed, but the burning gaze of René Quinton is imprinted on the mind for all eternity. In the face of criticism, he remained the passionate biologist, maintaining, at the turn of the 20th century, his belief that "sea water is the vital environment par excellence from which live comes." In 1904, René Quinton made his first scientific breakthrough, showing that sea water and blood plasma are identical from the point of view of mineral content (see chart). His argument was eloquent but did not convince many others. The attacks doubled in intensity: called a "drunken sailor" by his peers, Quinton was forced to devise an experiment that would strike the imagination of his critics. His experiment succeeds beyond anything Quinton might originally have hoped. In full view of an audience of his colleagues from the College de France, RenŽ Quinton drains a dog of its blood. Just before the dog's heart stops, he replaces the blood lost with salt water (diluted to 9 g/liter.) The dog hasn't the energy to move its tail, but it lives nevertheless. One week later, the dog displays a vitality without precedent. A blood test proves that the dog has recovered completely from the operation. Quinton's experiment is proof that living organisms have kept the "memory" of the environment in which the first cells appeared. This marks the birth of thalassotherapy. Algae & marine sediments: concentrate of life Red, brown, or blue: algae bestow their exceptional healing properties on thalassotherapy. Here are 5 super stars of the ocean. brown Algae Main Active Ingredients: 60 vitamins & minerals Uses: Revitalizing, Tonic, Rehydrating Energy Concentrate Laminaria seaweed, actually brown incolor, has colonized the English Channel and large parts of the Atlantic Ocean. But they flourish along the Breton coast. There they stretch amazingly long leaves along the rocks, trapping iodine and potassium atoms, and continuously manufacturing vitamins and amino acids. Harvested from May through October, laminaria is a joy to those who care about thalassotherapy. It recharges the body with minerals while stimulating metabolism and slimming the figure. Brown Algae Main Active Ingredients: Iodine, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C Uses: Slimming, Firming Slimming Concentrate If you are familiar with the Atlantic coastline from Greenland to the Canary Islands, you have seen Fucus, a greenish brown seaweed that grows in abundance off the Brittany coast and whose thousand vesicles burst when touched by children's fingers. In 1862, the French biologist, Doctor Duchesne-Duparc, revealed the plant's slimming powers on his own patients. Since then, laboratory research has confirmed Fucus' slimming abilities when applied to the skin or taken orally. A fucus based mask, covering the skin, encourages perspiration and the elimination of toxins. Iodine helps burn fat. And due to fucus' vitamin content, the cellular collagen becomes denser resulting in firmer skin. Red Algae Main Active Ingredients: Calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese Uses: Mineralization, Exfoliation, Softening Balance Concentrate The Breton coast has no coral. Instead, there is an abundant display of delicate small red seaweed. Thalassotherapy makes use of its calcified skeleton, rich in minerals, which falls to the bottom of the sea. When gently ground, lithothamnium becomes a remarkable exfoliant. Micronized, it brings all the important minerals to the cells for bone improved calcification. It also assists in restoring energy. Blue Algae Main Active Ingredients: Essential Amino Acids, Essential Fatty Acids, Beta-Carotene, Iron, Zinc, Manganese Uses: Regenerator of Tissues, Firming, Rehydrating Firming Concentrate This minuscule blue algae is a treasure of nutritional concentrates: amino acids which help firm and renew tissues, zinc for tissue growth, fatty acids to increase fluidity of cellular membranes, and to fight against inflammation; beta-carotene to slow skin's aging, treat acne or eczema problems, and improve hydration. Of the four algae, Spirulina is the only one to come from fresh water lakes. The one used in thalassotherapy comes from Tchad or California. Marine Sediments Main Active Ingredients: Minerals Uses: Analgesic-Anti-inflammatory Anti-Pain Concentrate Low tide leaves mud on the shore. This mud is recovered, processed, then used in local applications, often after having been heated. Sea muds may also be mixed in a sea water bath. They efficiently retain water and heat while favoring the passage of minerals in the body, where their analgesic and soothing properties become a treatment of choice for joint & back pain. Brittany: The province of seaweedthe sun has not yet risen over the Molene-Ouessant islands when François Calvez starts the motor of his boat, the "Vagabond des Iles" (Vagabond of the Islands). A beam of light from a distant lighthouse pierces the night, searching the heavy gray swell. It is five o'clock and the Vagabond heads due west towards the laminaria ledges. It will not return until nightfall, heavily laden with its reddish-brown cargo. François Calvez is a "go‘monier", a seaweed fisherman. Just as his father was, and his father's father before him. Laminaria is so abundant on the west coast of France that Bretons have always worked as sea laborers. Long ago, François explains, laminaria served as fertilizer. Then with our growing awareness of its nutritiousness as animal food. Today, François reserves the most of his harvest for Laboratoires Esthederm. But before being processed and purified, the seaweed must have 80% of its water removed. This is the task of dryers on dunes, like Joseph Léon. For several days, Joseph will expose the laminaria fished by François to the sun and wind. This task requires constant vigilance. If the sun is too intense, the crop could be altered, losing much of the main active ingredients. But today it is raining. Joseph has been awake since 7:00 a.m. to protect the valuable laminaria. A line of black clouds is forming on the horizon. His men spread heavy canvas covers over the seaweed to protect them from the impending thunderstorms. Precise gestures, adjusted and repeated hundreds of times. In a few days, the seaweed will be sorted out. The best specimens will be micronized, transformed into a fine powder, following an exclusive process. This must be done with great care in order to preserve the active ingredients (see opposite page) In that form, with all its minerals and all other nutrients intact, the powder is shipped to the France's main thalassotherapy centers. A second life awaits them there. Applied directly to the skin or dissolved in a bath, a bit of the original laminaria will live on in our bodies. Mineral Traps Seaweed is born and grows in sea water which is 90% dissolved mineral salts, mostly sodium chlorid (common table salt). It would be a logical conclusion to think seaweed are stuffed with table salt. Not at all! Seaweed is as selective as a doorman at a popular nightclub. One mineral may enter, but not another. In reality, seaweed absorbs and concentrates mainly the mineral part (barely 10% of the dissolved salts). And each variety of seaweed has its own preferences. Lithothamnium likes calcium, magnesium and iron, a mineral it retains in concentrations 18,500 times greater than that of the sea water it lives in. But iron is a bit present in laminaria, which prefers potassium (in concentrations of 42 times) and especially iodine (13,330 times). As for fucus, it is truly passionate for copper (1,000 times). Scientific researchers are still baffled by why seaweed concentrates only certain minerals. Especially since they are apparently useless for the seaweed's existence! Christine Bodeau-Bellion, Doctor in Marine Microbiology. Esthederm's Associate & France's Leading Practitioner on the Curative Benefits of French Thalassotherapy & Algotherapy. Esthederm Research Laboratories for seaweed-based products are located at the very tip of Brittany, one of the remaining places on earth where the sea is still pure. How do these products work? Interview with Christine Bodeau-Bellion, Ph.D. Spa Management: What is the difference between a simple sea bath and seaweed application? Aren't they the same thing? Christine Bodeau-Bellion: No, for one simple reason: the composition of seaweed does not effect that of sea water! If you evaporate a liter of sea water in a pan, you obtain a deposit of 32 grams, essentially constituted of sodium chloride, our table salt. Other minerals: calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, are in very small quantities. But seaweed has the power to concentrate these minerals, in a selective way: one seaweed concentrates more iron, up to 200,000 times; another copper or zinc up to 2,000 or 4,000 times. Therefore, when one knows the characteristics of each species, they can be selected to deliver mineral salts adapted to the situation one wishes to improve. SM: Are all seaweed-based products equal? C B-B: A marine environment is of considerable significance. Take the case of Laminaria digitata. If you find it in Morocco, it will have practically no mineral salts. In contrast, the farther north you go into cold water, the greater its mineral value. Brittany therefore benefits from an exceptional situation. It provides the essential seaweed used in thalassotherapy. We are technicians of the sea: our investments are in research, including research on main active ingredients. SM: How are minerals transferred into the organism during thalassotherapy? Doesn't skin constitute a barrier? C B-B: Skin acts as a sieve, not a barrier. Sea water contains 32 g of mineral salts per liter, whereas our internal environment only contains 9. The difference provokes an osmosis effect: the body literally pumps salts. This is what happens on the beach when you take a bath in water at 64 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. But in a spa bath, or a bath at home, when water is at 99 degrees Fahrenheit, this mechanism is accelerated by the dilatation of skin vessels. The body pumps minerals much more quickly. In reality, a thalassotherapy cure is a bit like driving your car to the gas pump: you fill up with minerals. SM: How can you maximize these benefits? C B-B: A seaweed powder is 5 times more concentrated than humid seaweed. Thirty grams of micronized laminaria in a bath of 100 liters are enough to obtain water which contains 20 times more iodine, 3 times more zinc, 27 times more manganese, 18 times more iron than sea water! For those unable to go to a thalassotherapy center, the ideal is to choose a spa which masters thalassotherapy's techniques to take a six-week cure in a day spa, receiving 4 units of treatment per week, or one week in a resort spa, using 4 units of treatment per day. The length of the treatment and the repetition of each care are the conditions for the success of a thalassotherapy cure. SM: Can the benefits of a spa be prolonged at home? C B-B: Of course. There are very high quality products - certain of which are identical to professional products - that may be used at home: algae baths, stones, or bath salts, body masks, gels or creams to apply. It is essential to follow rigorously the treatment prescribed at home if one wishes to obtain long-term results and optimize the benefits of the cure. While these are pleasant products, they are also true treatment products. Marine Minerals: To be taken WITH or IN some water Do you swallow minerals? What do you say about mopping them up? Nothing could be easier, with skin that behaves like a blotter and adapted treatments... What is the best way to deliver marine minerals to the cells that need them? Swallow them? Or mopping them up with your skin? Human skin can behave like a blotter with the right application techniques. Nearly 100 million Americans take vitamin and mineral supplements, usually with a glass of water. But how many know they could just as easily get their minerals while immersed in a delightfully relaxing bath? In the form of a concentrated micronized powder the minerals taken from seaweed can be released in a bath. These minerals penetrate the body by a simple physical phenomenon called osmosis. A bit of biochemistry: cell membranes are permeable and have a natural penchant for balancing the concentration of matter on each side of the membrane. When the outside environment - the bath, or a plaster wrap - has a higher concentration of marine mineral salts, they tend to penetrate the skin and migrate to the inside of cells, via the skins 62,000 miles of capillaries. Specific areas can be targeted using wraps, localized body masks and body packs, or global body treatments administered with baths or whole-body wraps. From Fresh Seaweed to Powder and Extract The seaweed most used by Esthederm is Laminaria digitata, because it is a true mineral cocktail. The manufacturing process calls for supreme delicacy, in order to preserve the seaweed's precious nutrient content. First dried, at low temperature, it is then ground fine micronized. In this powdered state it is used for wraps and baths. Seaweed can also be processed as an extract, in an aqueous or glycolic solution. The extract can then be incorporated to cosmetic products. SEAWEED WRAPS Seaweed Ionization Electrodes placed on treatment areas to treat circulate the main ingredients of a seaweed plaster. Used for firming & anti-cellulite treatment. Seaweed Wraps Hot seaweed is applied locally in a thick layer or plaster. Relaxing, analgesic, anti-inflammatory. Effective in treating rheumatic & muscular pains. Hot Mud Therapy Coated in reconstituted seaweed, the patient is wrapped in a heated cover. Used for thinning and revitalizing. Hand Algae Bath The hands plunged in two containers filled with hot water; bags are filled with seaweed gripped and pressed. Or hands are dipped in a sea water ball or they knead a fresh seaweed-based hot dough. Restores mobility to wrists and is particularly effective for arthritis of the hands and wrists. Foot Algae Bath The legs are immersed alternately in containers of cool sea water (59 degrees F.) & a warm sea water (92 degrees F.). Stimulates circulation in the lower limbs. Skin Therapy Application of hot sediments and hot seaweed. Relieves rheumatic pain. SEAWEED-BASED BATHS . Before each bath, it is good to rub skin with a massage glove and lather with an acid soap. The skin, now well cleaned and rid of its dead cells and impurities, will be more receptive to the ingredients of seaweed contained in the bath. . The best results are obtained with a minimum of 20 to 25 baths, averaging 2 per week. . It is advisable to progressively increase the duration and temperature of baths (do not exceed 25 minutes and 102 degrees F.). 1st bath: 10 minutes at 97 degrees F. 15th bath: 25 minutes at 102 degrees F. The length and temperature also vary according to the desired goals. Tonic or stimulating baths: 10 minutes at 95 to 99 degrees F. Restful, detoxifying or slimming baths: 20 minutes at 101 to 103 degrees F. Seaweed baths may use other components such as essential oils or vegetable essences, which, combined with seaweed's beneficial effects, increase the pleasure and effectiveness of the bath. It is especially important not to rinse after bathing. This enables skin to keep its cloak of oligo-elements and prolong the penetrating osmotic effects of the active ingredients. Ready to try thalassotherapy? A few words of advice before you take the plunge Tempting? Although French, you can offer thalassotherapy without baguette or béret. However, to be successful you must be authentic. You've put up a replica of the Breton fisherman's boat out in front of your spa, installed the French flag in the window, decorated your entryway with fishing nets and seashells. That's all well and good. But more important, your success will depend on the authenticity of your treatments. And that requires respect; for the tradition of thalassotherapy; for the research behind its principles of metabolic and mental balance; and for the unique ecology of the special environment that skin cells exist in. Here are some tips for success (and some traps to avoid) . Use only products and ingredients which are used by French centers. They are used because they have proven to be efficient and not dangerous. (No, the mud from your backyard won't work.) . Well performed balneotherapy can be substituted for sea water based treatments on condition that natural salts or natural micronized seaweed powder be added to water. French centers suggest the following: Vichy showers, hot baths, hydromassaging baths, jet showers, underwater showers, underwater jets. The treatments may be continued by clients at home. (Epsom salt from the drugstore, in the jacuzzi, does not constitute an adequate thalassotherapy treatment.) . Essential oils may be used in thalassotherapy. According to their origin, they may have an action that is calming, revitalizing, detoxifying or slimming. A few drops added to a bath, a wrap, or a massage cream suffice. . Massages are offered in all thalassotherapy centers. Their benefits are the subject of several current scientific studies. Massages, whether deep, superficial, localized, or combined with acupuncture (pressotherapy) can restore mental balance, increase immunity, mobilize and relieve joints, and fight against hypertension. . Proper nutrition accompanies and prolongs the rebalancing and detoxifying effects of thalassotherapy. Most French establishments offer nutritional education, with good tasting and satisfying recipes that enable one to maintain the therapeutic benefits that have been gained. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to slow aging of both the body and mind and to protect against coronary illness and cancer. It consists mainly of fresh fruits and vegetables, seasoning and spices, olive and rape seed oil, whole grains, fish, a bit of cheese, a bit of meat, mineral water, and moderate amounts of wine. (Foie gras with truffles, Alsatian sauerkraut, cassoulet with goose fat, may be French specialties, but you won't find them on a thalassotherapy center's menu.) The ambience of the space in which care is administered is very important. It should invite relaxation, calm, and release. (You must gently but firmly forbid all laptops and cellular phones from the premises.)  "A terrific tool for recuperation" Like Louison Bobet, the cycling champion who owes his recovery to thalassotherapy, athletes only used to come to "thalasso" when they were the victims of accidents. All this has changed considerably, according to Doctor Michel Panet. "Athletes of high caliber come to repair small injuries received in competition: fatigue, joint pain." This is why the French ski team has invested in Saint Rapha‘l, while the French and Polish basketball teams frequent La Baule. Is this a phenomenon a fad or is it an efficient way to improve performance? "We get feedback from the athletes who stay with us," says Dr. Panet, "they all say that thalassotherapy is a wonderful tool for recuperation!" And as preparation for competition, the French women's tennis team says it wrought its 1997 World victory in swirl baths and seaweed plasters! However, Philippe Gomez (of La Baule-Les-Pins) warns that "thalasso relaxes body and mind so much that the treatments must be stopped a few days before competition!" Six months of health benefits Thalassotherapy has always been the treatment of reference for joint troubles and injuries. Today, it also relieves imbalances linked to modern lifestyle. And its benefits last for a very long time. In France thalassotherapy has always been a treatment of choice for joint troubles and injuries. Today it is also prescribed for relieving imbalances linked to modern lifestyle. And its benefits last a long time. For a long time, the French health care system has covered expenses related to physical therapy in thalassotherapy centers. This makes sense since thanks to sea water, hydrotherapy, and seaweed, those suffering from rheumatism and accidents got back on their feet. Now only certain thalassotherapy centers still receive health care payments for treatment. Others, who only offer "get back in shape" stays, are not officially part of the national health care system. This happened to effectuate budget cuts. In reality, to quote a doctor from one prestigious French medical institution, "health ministers have statistics proving that people who do thalassotherapy treatment consume less in medical care in the 6 months following their treatment." In recent years, thalassotherapy practitioners have made a huge effort to transform themselves in order to treat the lesser illnesses of our age: fatigue, stress, blues, overweight, joint and back pain. Silent evils to be sure, and maybe banal, but which affect balance and health in the long term. Clients know the value of thalassotherapy. The repeat rate of stays varies, by center, from 50 to 80 percent. According to Doctor Michel Panet (of the Institut Marin G. Wateau, in Saint Rapha‘l), "We obtain very good results because we complete traditional care with other techniques. Thanks to these new specialties - cryotherapy, aromatherapy, drainage, electrotherapy, fasciatherapy, osteopathy, reflexology, sophrology - modern thalassotherapy can claim a global discipline status." Philippe Gomez (of the La Baule-Les-Pins Center) says, "The basic principle remains the same, daily deconditioning and mineral recharge." In 1998, new treatments have appeared to counteract the imbalances of modern life: a specialty for men at Le Touquet, sleep therapy (Dinard), oxygenation (Pornic), menopause (La Baule.) Other recent news is the launch of product lines and training programs directly from established professional providers. Thanks to these, authentic thalassotherapy, its philosophy and its techniques are finally being imported. Today any destination spa, day spa, fitness center, hospital or retirement home, can offer a personalized treatment program adapted to the needs and budget of every client. Back to Thalassotherapy, Alain Jouan © SPA MANAGEMENT |