People living with asthma, COPD, or Long COVID often struggle with daily breathlessness and fatigue. A new study offers a potential new option for those who have already tried standard treatments. Researchers looked at whether spending time in mineral-rich caves could help. This approach, called speleotherapy, involves breathing air from underground caverns known for their unique mineral content. The study included 208 patients across nine centers in Germany, Austria, and Italy. Everyone was already on their usual background therapy before joining the trial.
The participants attended a three-week course consisting of six sessions, each lasting two hours per week. They breathed air from the caves while receiving standard care. The other group received standard therapy without the cave visits. The researchers measured many things, including how well the lungs worked, how symptoms felt, and how people felt emotionally and physically.
The results showed mixed but meaningful outcomes. For people with asthma, the study did not find a significant improvement in a specific lung marker called FeNO. However, asthma control scores improved significantly. Patients reported clinically relevant gains in their overall asthma quality of life. Lung function tests like FVC and PEF showed statistically significant but modest improvements. For those under 70 years old, FEV1 also improved slightly. People with COPD did not see improvements in lung function, but those with dysfunctional breathing patterns saw significant benefits.
Symptom relief was a major highlight. Patients reported less burden from their conditions and felt better climbing stairs or exerting themselves. Anxiety and sleep-related symptoms also improved. Respiratory muscle strength increased significantly for the group. However, carbon dioxide levels in the blood increased slightly. The treatment was well tolerated with no reported serious adverse events or discontinuations.
It is important to interpret these findings with caution. The improvements in lung function were statistically significant but modest. The evidence was more consistent for improving breathing patterns than for direct effects on the airways. The trial registration was retrospective, which is a limitation. This single study should not change current guidelines on its own. Patients should discuss these options with their doctors to see if a cave therapy course fits their specific situation.