Mud Packs Ease Symptoms of Osteoarthritis of the Knee

March 14, 2011 - PRLog -- The use of mud to cure ailments has gone out of fashion of late. But, since antiquity, the soil of the earth has been used to remedy all sorts of health problems. The use of mud was considered humankind’s first attempt to cure disease. Many cultures throughout history have used mud baths to refresh, invigorate, and heal. The theory behind the curative powers of mud is that it is nature’s true natural ‘bandage” for wounds and skin diseases. When you have a mud bath treatment, you are essentially trying to repair what is wrong with the same minerals and substances that you are made of.

The American Indians have a long history of using the healing powers of leaves, herbs, air and the earth. There is documentation attesting to the fact that sufferers of various diseases were buried in the earth up to their necks and left for hours to heal. American Indians believed that the body can draw all kinds of healing minerals and even some of the earth’s magnetism from the ground. Clinical research is starting to back up the healing properties of mud when it comes to modern-day health complaints. In one clinical trial, researchers set out to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment with a mud pack in knee osteoarthritis (OA). Specifically, they wanted to determine whether mud pack use affects serum levels of YKL-40 and C-reactive protein (CRP), which are reported to be biological markers for articular damage or inflammation in patients with OA.

Forty-four  patients with knee OA were divided into two groups and treated with either a natural mineral-rich mud pack or hot pack. Treatments were applied for six days a week for two weeks.

The research team found that pain intensity and joint stiffness decreased in both groups at all follow-ups. However, only mud pack therapy was shown to be effective over time, recording improvements in knee function at the three-month mark. In contrast, the hot pack group showed increased serum YKL-40 levels three months after the treatment. The researchers concluded that mud pack therapy seems to slow down the progression of knee OA.

Mud that is used for therapeutic purposes tends to be brown in color and warm to the touch with little or no smell. It is usually composed of a complex, biologically active mixture of both organic and inorganic substances. Therapeutic mud is divided into three distinct compounds: clay and mineral salts; liquid from the thermal water; and organic matter and bacteria. It is these substances that could have the power to exert physical, chemical and thermal effects on your body.

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