ARE OUR CAVES A SOLUTION FOR ASTHMA SUFFERERS?

This type of treatment, called speleotherapy, has recently started being offered in Croatia, specifically at the "Medina Cave" location.

Nikša Vuletić, the director of the Public Enterprise "Vjetrenica," which manages the cave of the same name, the most famous in Bosnia and Herzegovina, confirmed that we also have great conditions and potential for speleotherapy.

- Speleotherapy in Bosnia and Herzegovina can only be carried out in caves that are not in any way affected by human activity. As for Vjetrenica, it has absolutely all the natural conditions. There is 100% humidity, the cave is well-ventilated, it has an unchanging microclimate with an internal temperature that is constantly around 11 degrees Celsius. So, these are all the prerequisites for speleotherapy, though not in the part that is open for tourist visits, but deep within Vjetrenica there are numerous channels where suitable locations can be found, Vuletić explained to Sarajevo’s Dnevni Avaz.

Our country has many beautiful sites in numerous caves, especially those that are not tourist attractions.

- Experts assess that caves are ideal places for respiratory therapy. Therefore, it would be beneficial, in cooperation with specialists, to introduce such treatments here as well, following the example of many European countries like Germany, where the modern use of such therapy began, said Vuletić.

The benefits of caves include clean air, free of allergens and disease-causing agents, no ozone, and a high concentration of ions. For example, in the treatment of asthma patients in the Czech Republic, they spend several hours a day in caves over the course of a few weeks.