In a salt mine in Poland, treating with a grain of fun for post-Covid patients

A group of Poles, enthusiastically circling the “girls just want to have fun” sounds, are suffering from symptoms of Covid disease.

This is not an ordinary fitness exercise.

The scene is located 130 meters underground next to a dark green salt lake in a former salt mine in southern Poland dating back to the 13th century.

“When I came here, I was fascinated by this place,” Gadwija ​​Novak told AFP while the other participants were hoisting fitness balls, exercising on stationary bikes or jogging in the square.

“I felt this atmosphere, this calm, this silence and this air are completely different from that on the surface. There is magic here,” the 60-year-old woman, who was hospitalized on a ventilator 16 years ago, told AFP. Days in October. 2020.

Wieliczka is one of the oldest salt mines in the world, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over the centuries, miners have made it a unique work of art, carving a labyrinth of tunnels leading to rooms and chapels lit by salt chandeliers.

The site is a tourist attraction, but it is also a spa that has been treating patients with lung problems for nearly 200 years.

Now, it also welcomes Covid patients sent by the Public Health System for a three-week stay, as well as clients from the private sector.

– Soap bubbles –

Patients descend to the old mine shaft in an elevator in groups of 10 or 15 and walk through salt tunnels, following the paths used by the mine trains.

Once inside the room at Wessel Lake, which is 15 meters high and equipped with wooden balconies, they undergo breathing and stretching exercises under a doctor’s supervision.

“Patients who have had Covid usually have more severe symptoms than those with normal asthma,” Agata Keita said. “But previous Covid patients can regain their normal health. On average, there is a 60 to 80% improvement from their physical tests.” Physiotherapist.

Scientists estimate that 10 to 15% of former patients develop a “prolonged Covid”, with symptoms of fatigue, decreased focus, body pain and respiratory problems.

Poland took the lead in “Long Covid” rehabilitation and research programs, launching its first post-Covid patient facility in September.

In Glucholazy Hospital, on the border with the Czech Republic, one of the first institutions of this kind, patients are offered psychotherapy and virtual reality games.

Doctors have discovered more than 50 persistent physical and psychological symptoms after Covid.

“Besides pulmonary symptoms, there are also muscle and joint pain, problems with balance and coordination, loss of memory and concentration, and symptoms associated with stress and depression,” he said.

Piotr Zyjewski, a taekwondo trainer who was forced to self-isolate at home for 37 days after contracting Covid in October 2020, has a long re-adaptation ahead of him.

“Previously, I used to start every day running at least 20 kilometers and gave Taekwondo lessons in the evening. (…) I had a very high level of endurance. Now it’s hard for me to ‘accept what I have,’ he said, ‘Trouble walking for 20 Accurate”.

– ‘I feel better’ –

In Wieliczka, the Great Hall echoes the noisy sounds of breathing exercises. With its little recesses carved into the rock, the setting feels like a surreal theater.

In a corner, some patients form soap bubbles or small windmills to test their breathing. There is a lot of fun and even laughter during the exercise which is similar to the game of the crouched cat.

Salt therapy, or salt therapy, is popular in Central and Eastern Europe although scholars are divided over its benefits, with some believing it has only a placebo effect.

According to Magdalena Ramatovsky, a physician in Willichka, staying in the mine has a beneficial effect.

“Above all, the air here is clean. Without any allergens. This environment is excellent for the respiratory system. There is high humidity, very little stream and a lot of salty air that works against infections and bacteria,” she said.

Lucena Zolek, 59, who spent 20 days on a ventilator, is also convinced of the benefits of the mine.

“When I was discharged from the hospital, my breathing was very weak,” she said. “Now I feel better. I also feel my physical condition is improving,” she said.