Fiona Tyrrell examines what is on offer from Ireland's burgeoning seawater industry
From curing arthritis and TB to boosting the libido, many varied and intriguing claims have been made for the health benefits of sea therapies.
The ancient Greeks believed seawater preserved and restored good health and in 19th century France seawater was regarded as a complete mineral source that could cure ailments caused by mineral imbalance.
However, in the last five years it is the cosmetic and stress-busting properties associated with therapeutic sea baths that has had Irish people flocking to the growing number of sea spas popping up around the country, particularly on our western shores.
Stewing in sea baths, getting coated in ground seaweed, pummelled by jets of seawater and generally getting in touch with our watery ancestry is now all the rage for the body and soul-conscious Irish.
There is strong anecdotal evidence as to the benefits of seawater and seaweed therapies in treating arthritis, skin conditions and in relieving back pain, however science has struggled to validate these claims.
Advocates argue that the composition of sea water is similar to human blood containing a mix of vitamins, proteins, mineral salts and trace elements such as zinc, iodine, copper and selenium. By slipping into a warm bath and soaking in seawater or seaweed silky sea oils, vitamins and trace elements are absorbed into the skin to provide nourishment to the body and to ease aches and pains.
There is little doubt of the restorative powers associated with sea therapies, according to according to director of the Martin Ryan Marine Science Institute at NUIG Prof Michael Guiry, but the precise nature of the active agent or agents is unknown.
Although the sea cure has been popular for thousands of years, many of the reported medicinal effects of marine algae have not been substantiated and some of them are dubious, says Guiry.
The strongest argument for the therapies, however, is linked to long-chained polysaccharides, which are only found in brown algae. These have been observed to have good moisturising effect on the skin and are likely to help relieve some skin conditions.
Health claims related to rheumatism and arthritis have not been proved but strong anecdotal evidence suggests that seaweed baths seem to help the condition, he says.
It is possible that it improves arthritis and rheumatic complaints, but we don't know the precise mechanism, according to Guiry. It is probably the combination of relaxing in a nice warm bath warming the joints and the lubricating effect of the polysaccharides, which allow people to stay much longer in the baths.
The Irish seaweed industry has effectively doubled in the last five years and is worth €12 million per annum and employs more than 200 people full time and about 200 people part-time. While most of the seaweed harvested every year is exported for food and agriculture the health and cosmetic side of the industry is developing at home.
The niche market of traditional sea baths and the continental-style thalassotherapy spas (thalassotherapy is the use of seaweed or seaweed extracts in health or beauty treatments) is ripe for expansion, says Guiry.
Style and location is essential in the development of this niche market in Ireland and the panache of French thalassotherapy centres should be a model for Irish businesses considering entering the market, he adds.
One of the most comprehensive and stylish thalassotherapy destinations in Ireland is the Lodge and Spa at Inchydoney Island, in west Cork where you can choose from an indoor heated seawater pool with hydro-therapeutic jets or some more serious sea therapy sessions. Treatments include balnotherapy (stewing in bubbling seawater with top to toe hydro-jets to relieve aches and pains), algotherapy (being smothered in rich warm alga paste and wrapped in heated blankets) and cryotherapy (application of a cold algae treatment body mask to improve circulation and relieve fluid tension).
Many spas offer seaweed treatments by adding crystallised sea salts or seaweed to ordinary water. For an establishment to operate as a thalassotherapy centre it must be located by the sea, use natural sea water pumped directly from the sea, have permanent medical supervision, have professional staff and use specific equipment and a therapeutic pool, says Dr Christian Jost, the spa's resident medical consultant.
Medical benefits from thalassotherapy include speeding up rehabilitation from surgery and trauma, pain relief, easing of stress and fatigue and alleviation of arthritis, says Jost.
The key to thalasso is to heat the seawater to 32 degrees to open the pores, which allow the body to absorb minerals and trace elements from the water and at the same time as eliminating toxins and impurities. Multiple studies have been carried out to prove the ionic exchange and the increase of elimination of toxins between heated seawater and marine elements through the skin, he says.
The benefits of thalasso in pain relief, especially back pain is significant, according to Jost, who points to research carried out by the Centre de Recherché de L'Universite d'Aix (1995) on more than 3,000 people. It reported that 97 per cent of people suffering form chronic lumbago experienced pain relief, 95 per cent reported better mobility and 70 per cent reduced the consumption of tablets.
The addition of seaweed to seawater with its soothing aloe vera-like alginate gel brings a wonderful extra dimension to sea therapies, according to Niall Walton from Celtic Seaweed Baths in Strandhill, Co Sligo, a traditional seaweed bath centre.
Seaweed is concentrated seawater, which stores an abundance of minerals and trace elements as well as antibacterial agents such as iodine. It also contains natural oils, which are released by the heat of the water and are absorbed into the skin.
"Seaweed bathing helps reduce stress, relieves certain skin conditions and also helps in the treatment of some circulatory problems and eases aching muscles," says Walton.
Those seeking leisure, pleasure and stress relief form the largest part of the bath's client base and earlier this summer the centre became very popular among Leaving Certificate students seeking to ease pre-exam stress. But others suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and getting over surgery are also regular customers. Many are even referred by their GPs, he said.
The centre has 10 seaweed bath rooms. Each has a steam room, where the client steams for five minutes to open their pores. Then clients go into a large cast-iron bath, which is filled with hot seawater pumped from sea and washed and steamed seaweed.
Rich harvest from world's oceans
Seaweeds are found throughout the world's oceans and seas and none is known to be poisonous. Many are in fact eaten and considered to be a great delicacy. Seaweeds have many uses: you have probably eaten some sort of seaweed extract in the last 24 hours as many foods contain seaweed polysaccharides such as agars, carrageenans and alginates.
Many claims have been made for the positive effects of seaweeds on human health. It has been suggested, among other things, that seaweeds have curative powers for tuberculosis, arthritis, colds and influenza, worm infestations, and may even improve one's attractiveness to the opposite sex, according to Prof Michael Guiry from NUIG's Martin Ryan Marine Science Institute.
However, some health benefits that we do know about include the use of the red seaweed digenea, which produces kainic acid, as an effective vermifuge (a substance that expels worms from animal bodies).
The laminaria and sargassum species have been used in China for the treatment of cancer. Research has indicated cancerous tumours in animals seems to be inhibited by long-chained polysaccharides found in these seaweeds. Dry laminaria stipes have long been used in obstetrics to dilate the cervix and were known as "laminaria tents" - the dry stipe slowly takes up water and expands. These stipes are used in China for the insertion of intrauterine devices.
Aqueous extracts from two red algae belonging to the dumontiaceae species have been found to inhibit the herpes simplex virus but no tests have been carried out on humans. Another red alga, ptilota, produces a protein, which preferentially agglutinates human B-type blood and thus can be used to take the place of blood to identify blood type.
Some of the claims made about the benefit of seaweed therapies are related to its high iodine content.
The most significant role of iodine is its use by the body as a building block for the production of thyroid hormones. Iodine, extracted from food, is picked up from the blood system for use in the thyroid in a similar fashion to the way seaweed picks up iodine from seawater. However, seaweed does it in a much more efficient way.
Dr Peter Smyth from the Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research at University College, Dublin has been studying iodine and the role of iodine deficiency in thyroid disease for many years and is a technical advisor to the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the subject.
The WHO classifies Ireland as an area of borderline dietary iodine deficiency and says that Ireland's intake is well below recommended levels. In the US and Asia iodised salt is routinely purchased by 70 per cent of households, compared to the 3.6 per cent in Ireland.
The absence of iodine can lead to various disorders including thyroid disease. Children born to iodine deficient mothers can have diminished intelligence and it has been hypothesised that the lower rate of breast cancer among Asian women could be linked to their great consumption of iodine-rich seaweed.
Preliminary studies carried out by Dr Smyth in Sligo with Celtic Seaweed Baths indicate that there is a measurable uptake of iodine by the skin from seaweed baths.
While it is likely that iodine can be absorbed through the skin from a heated seaweed bath, according to Dr Smyth, the weekly consumption of seafood - seaweed or fish - would be a much easier way of getting the recommended daily allowance of 150 micrograms.
Fiona Tyrrell