A doctor from the Techirghiol Sanatorium was appointed to lead the World Federation of Hydrotherapy and Climotherapy
Only those who have not benefited from or needed treatment at the Techirghiol Sanatorium have not heard of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Olga Surdu , primary physician in Recovery, Physical Medicine and Balneology at the Techirghiol Balneological Sanatorium. The doctor was appointed to lead the World Federation of Hydrotherapy and Climatotherapy (FEMTEC) during the congress organized in Ourense, Spain . FEMTEC is the most prestigious balneology and medical recovery association in the world.
"Sea water, climate, massage, physical therapy can make up packages of spa services with the aim of relaxation"
The funkytravel.ro team wanted to find out what this appointment could mean for the Romanian seaside and whether medical tourism is the chance to have a 12-month season at the seaside.
What does being appointed to this position mean for you, the Techirghiol Sanatorium, and for Romania ?
Techirghiol Spa and Recovery Sanatorium is a wonderful place where medicine is applied using 100% natural factors. For me, it is the place where I discovered the healing qualities of nature in another dimension, a highly scientific dimension. Together with my colleagues, in the last 15-20 years I have studied the impact of these natural therapeutic factors on health with the methods of modern science. Since 2006, I have brought Romania back into the World Federation of Balneotherapy and Climatotherapy, FEMTEC for short, from which it had been absent for the last 20 years. Since then, 2-5 doctors, sometimes more, have participated annually with 4-5-6 or more applied research papers, at scientific congresses and other international meetings that promoted balneotherapy and scientific research in the field.
Can Romania compete with the rest of the established destinations for health tourism, an extremely important niche all year round?
Undoubtedly, yes. Romania has mineral waters of all the 11 classes described, in quantities that allow administration in the form of baths, not only for drinking. Carbonated mineral waters are not everywhere in Europe, there are few such springs. In the Eastern Carpathians there are so many and with a sufficiently high flow that they can be administered as a bath. A bathroom valve has between 160 – 220 liters, a modest treatment base, in a modest resort it has at least 10 valves. 2 baths/hour can be done in each van. At a 7-hour hydrotherapy work schedule each valve receives 14 patients/day x 10 valves x 280 lx 5 days/week x 40 weeks …. you calculate how much carbonated mineral water we have. Add vegetation, air, local traditions…..
In conclusion, from the point of view of therapeutic factors, it is competitive.
Can you explain more about Hydrotherapy and Climatotherapy and what are the benefits?
Hydrotherapy refers to the use of water from the drinking water network in the form of baths or other procedures - compresses, infusions. Balneotherapy refers to the use of mineral waters that are physically and chemically complex solutions, stable at the source and that contain at least 1 g/l of a chemical element that has scientifically proven therapeutic activity. Climate therapy is a complex of geographic, telluric, cosmic factors that have an impact on the human body. Bioclimate refers to the impact of climatic factors on the human body. We are talking about the partial pressures of the gases in the air, the chemical composition of the air, the presence of light ions, the air temperature, the degree of sunshine.
We should not forget about the salt flats, which are areas of stable microclimate throughout the year, with a constant temperature (8-12 C) and a large amount of saline aerosols. Of all the natural therapeutic factors, the climate is the most ignored although it is in contact with the human body 24/24 hours, while a general bath with mineral waters lasts 20-30 minutes/day. The climate is involved in inducing a state of well-being, relaxation or, conversely, exaltation, inducing sleep or insomnia, appetite or lack of appetite, regulating breathing, the number of heartbeats/minute.
These effects add up to those of mud applications, mineral waters, therapeutic gases (skunks). In this context, it is very important to understand the meaning of spa treatment. The spa treatment means the systematized, rhythmic, dosed administration of natural therapeutic factors for a number of days ranging from a minimum of 10-12 to a maximum of 16-18 days. Sea cures (heliomarines) correctly performed with an alternation between heating in the sun and cooling in the sea water, administered progressively, are like a gymnastics program like a daily training of the blood vessels in the skin. This training is used by the body in winter when the response of blood vessels to cold is strong and protects against cold season diseases, especially in children.
How many treatment centers do we have on the coast where these therapies are applied?
In every resort there is at least one spa sanatorium that offers recovery spa treatments for rheumatic, peripheral neurological, post-traumatic ailments.
And let's stay here for a while. These therapies are the way to extend the tourist season on the Romanian coast. What did we need to become a destination for such therapies in the off-season as well?
I don't think the operating model of spa sanatoriums throughout the year is a secret anymore. They offer quality services based on the sludge from the Lake Techirghiol deposit for medical purposes. Sea water, climate, massage, physical therapy can make up packages of spa services with the purpose of relaxation.
