Understanding Trace Elements

3 min read

One of the many medicinal draws to hot springs all over the world is the trace elements that are found in the various locales and water sources. Liaoning Province with its ancient volcanic activity and rich mineral and natural resource deposits offer some of the best waters for enriching your body. But what are trace elements? What are they good for?

Trace elements are better described as micronutrients. They are either small amounts of chemicals, enzymes or proteins that are necessary for our bodies to live. This is not to say we face an everyday battle in trying to consume enough of these trace elements, quite the contrary as the need is actually pretty small, hence the term micro. We get them from foodand water with the later being the most common as water traditionally carries more trace elements. The content of trace elements in water is an important factor as many health aficionados claim that much of our bottled water is essentially “dead”having all of these trace elements removed in the purification process. The desire for a bit more trace elements in what we consume is that they are important in aiding healing and recovery from injury.

Each trace element found in the waters in Liaoning, in varying degrees and concentrations, make Liaoning hot springs a very desirable place to visit for those suffering from many ailments. Many people who visit the hot springs come specifically to improve their health and recuperate from one individual ailment. Even before the recent buildup of modern spas and healing centers, people both young and old would come to the hot springs for treatments in the past.

There are two main areas of relief associated with hot spring therapy; one focusing on the internal digestive areas and the other on the joints or heavy movement areas of the body.

Here are just a few of the more common ailments that many visitors have seen improvements after a dip in the healing waters. Enteritis, an ailment in the lower intestines can result in abdominal pain both in the stomach and surrounding abdominal area of the body. Gastritis, where the stomach lining can become inflamed, can cause short-or even long-term discomfort. Constipation, the inability to void one’s bowels. As shown many of the internal issues that visitors seek therapy from are focused on digestive issues.

The list of joint and muscle pain many visitors come to the hot springs to alleviate cover a wide range of ailments. Arthritis,a disorder that causes inflammation, swelling, limited movement or even stiffness in the joints in both young and old, is one of the most common ailments that visitors are seeking therapy for. Rheumatism, another ailment not unlike arthritis can best be described as aches and pains in any number of areas of the body and not only the joints. Scapulohumeral periarthritis, an ailment often referred to in TCM circles as “50-year shoulder”is pain from an injury that has never really recovered or returned back toa normal state. Sciata, or aggravation of the sciatic nerve that causes intense pain in one or both legs, can lay you up for days. Migraine headaches,a pulsing headache that causes such acute pain that it can overtake a person’s entire life.

Additionally, what has also been found as one of the more immediate effects of bathing in a hot spring is the improvement in the look and feel of one’s skin and long term bathingcan even cure some skin aliments. This is due in fact to the high levels of sulphur found inthe hot springs due to the eons of volcanic activity in Liaoning Province. Sulphur eases the red and itchy skin rashes caused by eczema or diaper rash and has been shown to offer relief from hemorrhoids. Using sulphur medicinal therapy is centuries old and we now know that it works within your body by coupling with keratin, helping give you stronger nails and hair along with more elastic skin. With these benefits it is no wonder that many hot spring remedies are touted to women as beauty and rejuvenation therapies, but the effects of smoother skin and relief from acne are highly beneficial and sought after by both women andmen.