©Salzburgerland Tourismus Erwin Haiden Pure water power Krimml waterfall
Krimml Waterfalls as Medicine for Asthma and Allergies
As early as 1808, the physician Wolfgang Oberlechner discovered the curative effect of “alleviating spray mist”, and he recommended a stay at the Krimml Waterfalls for his patients. Only several hundred years later was this also medically confirmed. In 2015, researchers at the Paracelsus Private Medical University in Salzburg were able to verify in a clinical study on 53 children that only one hour a day at the waterfall substantially diminished the complaints of allergic asthma. For laypeople it is also quickly explained why that is so. A very fine spray mist is created through the water thundering down. This spray mist consists of negatively charged, finely atomised, microscopic water fragments, also called aerosols. Due to their minuteness, these waterfall aerosols are able to penetrate particularly deep into the respiratory tract and have a cleansing effect there. Even healthy people perceive this deep breathing as pleasant. It can even replace asthma spray for asthmatics.
Waterfall Therapy
According to scientific findings, the association “Hohe Tauern Health”, together with local hotels, developed a globally unique form of health holiday which is especially suitable for allergy sufferers and asthmatics. All new “Hohe Tauern Health” hotels are currently being converted in accordance with scientific standards. Rooms are regularly measured for their allergy value and certified: the eight most important indoor allergens and the fine dust pollution were reduced to the level of clear winter air and thus meet stringent standards. Employees are also regularly trained in room maintenance and hygiene regulations.
The orientation as a therapy hotel of course does not stop with the kitchen. Workshops on the subject of food allergies and intolerances are held on a regular basis. A dietitian advises the cooks and organises cooking courses for guests with regional specialities suitable for allergy sufferers.
© Hohe Tauern Health
High-Quality Health Programme
Waterfall therapy alone would not be enough for a recuperative holiday. That is why a high-quality health programme has been developed around the therapy. For example, health-related offers include health hikes with national park rangers, a respiratory course with physiotherapists and an allergy workshop in which guests learn practical tips for living with the allergy. Anyone who would like to can also have a regular check-up during the holiday with regional physicians who are specially trained for treating allergy patients.
Asthma camp for kids
Children can also suffer from asthma from an early age, and a stay at the Krimml Waterfalls is good for them as well. But sitting still for one hour a day at the waterfall is out of the question for most children, even if it would promote their health. That is why there is the “Splash Camp”, the unique alpine waterfall asthma camp for kids. The therapeutic offer is aimed at children and adolescents with respiratory tract allergies.
Among the services offered are:
- A 14-day stay, incl. full board
- Leisure programme
- Medical care
- Pulmonary function test
- Supervision by trained educators
Krimml Waterfalls as an excursion destination
The real “physicians” with Hohe Tauern Health are not people, but the waterfalls. And even without symptoms of a disease they are worth a visit. From far away, you can hear the thundering of the tremendous masses of water which plunge over the Krimml Waterfalls down into the valley. It is an impressive natural spectacle – it is not for nothing that the largest waterfalls in Europe attracts over 350,000 visitors a year. A well-developed trail leads along the three levels of the waterfall all the way to the top. The impressive Krimmler Achental valley broadens there. Vantage turret points make it possible to get very close to the thundering and foaming masses of water.
