Peloids: A New Old Medical Marvel

by Sussanna Czeranko, ND 

All medicine is in the earth. 
Paracelsus

Nature does not err; she is still the only one to teach us what is right. Men who no longer listen to the voice of Nature become the victims of a thousand different diseases and miseries. 
Adolf Just, 1903, 4

It makes absolute sense as a human being is a part of Nature and comes to balance through natural biorhythms.… Pharmaceuticals use synthetic drugs and most of the time cause side effects. Mud therapy is non-toxic. It provides a highly effective treatment for a number of common conditions with inflammatory and dystrophic etiologies. 
K. B. Kotenko, 2008

When we walk upon Mother Earth gently, we try to be conscious of her bounty and delicate balance, of the remarkable information, consciousness, organization, and energy in her essence; and all of this is, at once, complex and profoundly aesthetic. Sometimes, though, we are not so gentle and not as aware or respectful as we should be of her ancient healing gifts, even those just below our feet. There is simple, unconsolidated earth or soil, for example, with all its horizons of mineral and organic matter—the magic medium for land plants upon which humans, animals, birds, and insects all depend. Whether we study Mother Earth’s skin by detailing in our scientific journals the phosphate-sugar backbone and minutely organized organic bases of DNA or the mathematically elegant structure of the benthic community of microorganisms in our attempts to understand these marvelous mysteries, it behooves us to reacquaint ourselves with the medical richness of that simple earth. Along the way, we might be tempted to take shelter in theories about the 16S rRNA permutations of scientists cooking up their Urey-Miller biological soups, but then we risk missing the healing power of precious gifts like common moor mud or peloids. Whether we consider peloids for pain treatment, gynecology, topical skin treatment, mobility improvement, sports injuries, detoxification, or immunity boost, they are one of our newest, oldest medical marvels. 
      
The variety and ubiquity of Mother Earth are abundant. Whatever the earth profile we are walking upon, from humus or organic materials, topsoil itself, or all the way down to bedrock, the soil, the earth, establishes life, whether by processing recycled nutrients or by acting as a living filter to clean precious water. Its nurturing and grounding imprint are vital to life on our planet. There are various types and layers of soil, infinitely variegated by water, temperature, air, and the large impact of relief. Whether we are contemplating the complexities of minerals, organic matter, or water, or seeking to understand the elements of ecosystems, the earth’s treasures, and among them, “earth” or soil itself, are timeless and primary. 
      
Living plants that shout out the abundance of the life urge on our planet are rooted in the earth. These plants themselves and what is beneath their splendid greenery are an enormous repository of ancient healing wisdom, yearning to be rediscovered. “Earth cure,” in this regard, is a term popularized in the late 19th century to describe the different therapeutic applications of various types of earth or soil. Today we speak more specifically of “peloids,” understanding these remarkable materials from the earth to include organic and inorganic compounds. Petr provides a succinct etymology for the word. He writes: “Peloid is a term derived from the Greek word pelos – mud, and peloids are the mud-like materials employed in medicine for therapeutic purposes” (Petr et al, 2012, 94). The word “peloid” was actually first suggested by Dr. S. Judd Lewis and adopted by the International Society of Medical Hydrology and Climatology (ISMH) as a designation to cover all forms of external applications of clay, sand, fango, parafango (paraffin wax and mud), peat, and related materials from the earth (ISMH, 1949).

Paracelsus and Adolf Just
The use of earth as a therapeutic compound has a long and vibrant history that has been largely lost in North America. Half a millennium ago, Paracelsus (1494-1541), famous for his contributions to alchemy and medicine, used peloids in the treatment of jaundice, disorders of the digestive tract, and speeding up convalescence after surgery (Paul, 1970, 19). He wrote a treatise on surgery, Der grossen Wundartzney (The Great Surgery Book),and was impressed by the great healing power of the peat peloids common in Austria where he lived. 
      
Peloids encompass the often neglected earth element of Nature which includes organic and inorganic compounds obtained from the earth’s surface or excavated from its depths. Long before the inception of the ISMH and systematic study of the medical utility of peloids that arise in muddy carbonate-rich sediments, naturopathic doctors and their predecessors were on the case. In our era, ISMH medical professionals, including naturopathic physicians, globally study organic, therapy-grade, moor mud (sometimes called “balneo-peat”). Their interest is in the healing properties of this fascinating organic substance. The growing literature about peloids analyzes, among its other characteristics, the organic residue of herbs, mosses, and grasses. The literature of this field speaks to not only the presence of, but also the medical applications of, organic plant enzymes, bio-minerals, trace elements, amino acids, plant hormones, fatty acids, and vitamins. The prolific and growing literature considers the high humic acid content of so-called “moor mud,” its anti-inflammatory capabilities, its natural astringent properties, its detoxification uses, its value in addressing hormonal imbalances because of its rich sourcing of phyto-hormones, its post-surgery recovery use, its sports medicine applications, and many other uses. 
      
These earth elements have been valued as important healing agents for centuries, as Paracelsus’ work indicates. More recently, natural medicine healers, such as naturarst Adolf Just, turned their attention to “earth cure.” Just’s 1896 book, Return to Nature, for example, left an indelible imprint upon the theory and practice of the emerging naturopathic movement in America in the early twentieth century. Just’s work helped shape the naturopathic armamentarium for decades. He embraced Nature and earth cure as essential to the healing process. Long before contemporary Stephen Sinatra’s “earthing movement,” Just had understood the importance of respecting Mother Gaia’s healing vibrations, counselling his patients to keep connected directly to the earth. His endorsement of earth cure occupied three chapters in his book and was both instrumental and indispensable for the early naturopaths as they systematically assembled their healing paradigm. This foundational work had its genesis in Europe and persists to the present era in the presence of peloid baths, wraps, compresses, and drinking cure in spa centers all over Europe. Just extolled earth’s virtues: “The successes achieved by this wonderful remedy, earth, in curing diseases in such an easy and agreeable manner are of such a nature as to call out the greatest enthusiasm and applause in behalf of earth applications” (Just, 1903, 128). 
      
The confidence that Just placed in earth cure came from his own personal experiences. As a young man, he became very sick, describing his condition as “draining the cup of suffering to the dregs” (Just, 1903, 1). Having exhausted the efforts of the old-school physicians, he turned to the natural healers, who prescribed barefoot walking as well as “Kneipp douches, Kuhne baths, packs, steam baths, massage, vegetarian diet, etc” (Just, 1903, 2). He got some relief but wanted to attain even higher health outcomes and standards for himself. He turned to the Grande Dame herself, Mother Nature, deepening and broadening his observations. His investigations coalesced into the conclusion that all forms of life were connected and that the grand macrocosm of living beings was, by elegant, meticulous design and destiny, “a creature of Nature indeed, free from disease” (Just, 1903, 4). 

An important part of his work was observing animals in their natural elements. For Just, their instinct and habits were consistently telling, ranging from their nutrition habits through to instinctive techniques for addressing wounds and other ailments, details of which he set out in his globally popular Return to Nature. Just concluded that the earth’s creatures and Mother Earth herself could teach us much about healing. However, he understood the wrinkle in this grand design that human kind, in particular, needed to be continuously attentive to the laws of Nature and not violate them in their busy lifestyles, which incrementally departed from Mother Earth’s laws and balance. The violations of the laws of Nature were intensely visible in Just’s society, the extraordinary new applications of technology and enterprise having seared and scarred Europe significantly by the beginning of the twentieth century. In our own time, these environmental challenges persist as do the habits of industrial society, ranging from the cumulative effects of sedentary work and leisure habits such as of sitting for prolonged periods in front of a screen in stuffy offices or watching TV, to overeating a diet of nutritionally diluted processed and fast foods, to the growing paucity of clean air and water, to the din and calamity of concrete, speed, and artificial environments, both physical and sensory. All of these rhythms and details of contemporary life propel entire societies toward high chronicity and environmental degradation. Natural medicine healers, such as Just and many before and after him, iterated loudly that it is only when we stop attending to the voices, design, and rhythms of Nature that dysfunction and disease become possible and pervasive. 

Just established a health retreat center called the “Jungborn.” People from across Europe and beyond came by the thousands to restore their health, using the “earth cure” treatments that Just devised. Sleeping directly on the ground, for example, was quite popular. He exalted this practice: “Whoever has not himself tried it and convinced himself of it, can have no conception of how refreshing, vitalizing, and strengthening the effect of the earth is on the human organism at night during rest” (Just, 1903, 87-88). Referenced earlier, the contemporary work of Stephen Sinatra has re-introduced the concept of “earthing for earthlings.” Sinatra states, “direct contact with the earth feeds the body … and [restores] balance to the body’s multiple bioelectrical systems and reduces inflammation” (Ober, Sinatra, Zucker, 2010, p. i).

Just’s work a century earlier brought earth as a healing modality to the forefront. His fearless use of “earth bandages” and “earth compresses” was another highlight at the Jungborn. With total confidence, Just used earth on wounds, boils, ulcer, stings, animal bites, blood poisoning, all skin diseases, cancer, lupus, tetter (eczema, ringworm), dandruff, eruptions, leprosy, and broken bones (Just, 1903, 119-121). In fact, skin ailments of every description were treated with earth, accompanied by the complete certitude of the doctors and the patients themselves of achieving the desired results. Earth compresses, for example, were most effective in alleviating headaches, lung troubles, gout, and rheumatism (Just, 1903, 126). Having been influenced by the work of the ISMH and my readings of Just and others, I have had many occasions to use peloids (earth) on open cuts and wounds with stunning results. Lacerations and deep wounds heal quickly and often with minimal or no scarring or keloid presentation. Adolf Just recognized that the fear of bacilli would deter many from using earth bandages and compresses. Those who flocked to his Jungborn, though, and who experienced his and his colleagues’ confidence and previous successes accepted the treatments enthusiastically and experienced in due course excellent, documented results. 

Seven decades later, Wolfgang Paul wrote one of the few books available on peloids in North America, entitled Healing Earth: Moor (1970). His focus was on the medicinal moor or peat peloids of Neydharting, Austria. Paul dispels the structural and ingrained concerns that we have of “dirt as dirty.” He recounts the work of Dr. Nissle, a prominent bacteriologist and hygienist who conducted research during WWI on the factors protecting soldiers against infectious diseases. Nissle experimented with peat and bacillus anthracis and discovered that peat did not destroy the rods of anthrax but rather provided an environment for the culture to flourish. Dismayed by the results, Nissle pursued his experiment further and injected mice with lethal doses of the peat-cultured anthrax. “The mice did not die … For the [peat] moor mud made the bacilli nonpathogenic, ineffective and harmless (sterile) and apparently removed their danger” (Paul, 1970, 67).

Peat Lands 
Even though the medical professions, especially in North America, have in our era virtually abandoned the works of Just and Paracelsus on earth therapies, in other parts of the globe peloids have the attention of science and medicine to verify their applications and restore health to the body with this simple apothecary from Nature. In North America, our familiarity with peat is mostly limited to our use of it to amend soil as we strive to create the right soil blend for our gardens. Peat or sphagnum peat moss is fibrous, dry, and has the capacity to retain moisture in our gardens. Most likely, the bag of peat purchased for your garden came from Canada. Peat lands comprise a total of three percent of global land area, of which 90% are found in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Canada has the largest peat lands amounting 1,114,000 km2 and uses only 15% of it for agriculture. This colossal area yields 50 million tons of peat annually; however, only 800,000 tons are excavated for agricultural use (IPS, 2008). 
      
While in Canada there is an industry to excavate peat lands for the purpose of agricultural peat moss, there is no industry to make available medicinal peat largely because there is no such developed market in North America. There is a huge difference between peat used for agriculture and that used medicinally. The “von Post Scale” has been established to determine the degree of decomposition of dry peat samples by examining the plant residues. Agricultural peat is fibrous with recognizable plant structures while medicinal peat is completely decomposed and, when squeezed in the hand, appears as a paste that easily slides through the fingers (Pamasyuk et al, 1990).

40,000 Years of Biodegradation and Transformation 
The constituents of peat peloids can be grasped much more easily if one were to go to a swamp or bog and observe the hundreds of different plant species within this unique ecosystem. I have visited several medicinal peat bogs in the Czech Republic and in Hungary. These places are extraordinary herbal apothecaries. What dances before your eyes are every imaginable herbal plant. No matter where you look, there is a botanical peloid treasure. As a case in point, Paul compiled a list of plants found in the Neydharting moor lands that total over 300 medicinal plants. 
      
Three hundred plants may not seem impressive to us at first glance; however, the nature of bogs and peat lands is that their formation may span centuries and most often millennia. In the bog lands in Czech Republic, the age of the peat can be over 40,000 years. Contemporary flora in the region of a particular bog are one thing, and the geological changes that will have occurred in that same area in four hundred centuries are another, inferring a rich history of botanical species. For example, there are almost a thousand bryophyte (moss) species alone in the Czech Republic. It is intriguing to imagine what botanical and geological transitions and transformations could possibly have happened in that time period. Plants grow, blossom, form seeds, and succumb to winter’s cold and snow. The following year the seeds sprout and the same cycle ensues. After many thousands of years of this ecological rhythm, the constituents found in those precious herbal plants biodegrade with the aid of indispensable soil bacteria and microorganisms forming medicinal peat which traditional healers considered a panacea of elixirs with significant healing properties. The literature indicates that tiny burrowing benthic and other soil organisms contribute to soil structural development and to the synthesis of various plant nutrients through the mediation of various biogeochemical cycles (Tate, 1985). Without the presence of water and the benthic community, including meiobenthos and microbenthos microorganisms, the production of peat peloids would be nearly impossible. We may experience the appearance of algae and microbial colonies in their sediment and dirt environments as unattractive, perhaps not realizing that they represent by their filter and deposit feeding habits the chief factor in the development of medicinal properties of peat (Bergel, 1). Thousands of years are required to make a complex wetland ecosystem such as a peat bog. Certain conditions are essential: acidic and stagnant water, poor soils, and a habitat of distinct plants. Peat formation occurs in semi-anaerobic conditions with a stable water table and abundance of vegetation, both plants and algae in the presence of microorganisms. 
      
Peloids used for therapeutic purposes come in different formats. Based upon how they are formed, there are four types of peloids: silt, sapropel, peat, and sopochny (clay) (Pamasyuk, 1990). It is very useful in considering the potential of peloids as an exciting, “renewed” frontier to review several Russian studies. The literature studied by my colleagues indicates that the composition of peat is indeed complex and that there are great variations among peat types dependent upon their place of origin, the plants of origin, and a wide spectrum of environmental factors (Beer, et al., 2003). Medicinal peloids are classified into organic (peat and sapropel), consisting of more than 10% of decomposed organic substances and plant remains, and inorganic (sulfide silt, volcanic, and clay) with less than 10% of organic compounds and a higher mineral content. Peloids with a higher organic content, such as peat and sapropel (fresh water and silt), have different properties than the class of inorganic peloids classed as mud, clay, sulfide silt, sopochny (volcanic and clay), and sand (Dilke et al, 2007). 
      
Peat, having a high organic content, must be stored in a moist state to be biologically and therapeutically active. Once peat dries, it is impossible to re-hydrate making it inert with no medicinal properties. Peloids with a high mineral content, such as clay, mud and sand, can be dried and still retain their therapeutic activity.

The principle humic substances (HS) responsible for peat’s therapeutic effects include humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA). Humic acids are the most widespread natural polymers derived from biological, chemical, and microbial decomposition of organic matter (Vaškova, et al, 2011). 
      
There is plenty of research in the area of HS; however, these are concentrated in soil science and animal husbandry with fewer studies in human medical applications. HS accounts for 80% of the total carbon in terrestrial media and 60% of the carbon dissolved in aquatic media (Peña -Médez et al, 2005). HA is considered to be the most active and important factor in peat for human and animal medicine with properties that include, “antiviral, profibrinolytic, anti-inflammatory, and estrogenic activities” (Yamada et al. 1998). One of my mentors, Finnish researcher Harry Uosukainen, attributes humic acid capable of preventing viral and bacterial activity. The mediators of inflammation, including leukotrienes, prostaglandins, and thromboxane have been shown experimentally to lose much of their activity as a result of peat therapy (Uosukainen, Pihlaja, 2006). The bulk of research on medicinal peat is conducted in Russia, Finland, Germany, and eastern European countries and often in their language, making peloid research difficult to access in North America and in the English-speaking world. 
      
Peat peloids are often administered warm and the thermal effects upon the body are undeniable. The discussion arises: Did the heat cause the healing or was it the peloids? Research examining this question has been conducted quite extensively by many. There are numerous indications that the chemical components in peat may contribute to the clinical success of cutaneous peat treatment because several pharmacological effects have been found that cannot be attributed to the well-established physical thermal effects (Beer et al., 2003). And further, Beer and his colleagues have determined that water-soluble peat substances pass transdermally in sufficient quantities to induce a biological effect and that the “human skin possesses a selective permeability for the water-soluble fulvic and ulmic acids and derivative fraction isolated as peat extract” (Beer et al, 2003). The bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities of humic acid have a positive effect upon mucous membranes especially in the intestines and vagina (Kotenko, 2008). 
      
Peloid therapy is renowned for its organic constituents, which are becoming of great interest to researchers. Another property of peat is its “power of sorption or of ion exchange of the peloid” (Hattori, 1963, 273). The sorption on humic acid (HA) of metals especially heavy metals such as Hg, Pb, and Cd has clinical implications in the role of detoxification of prevalent body burden (Kerndorff, H et al, 1980). The concentration of humic/humine substances in most therapeutic peat needs to be at least 30% and in most can be above 50% (Uosukainen et al, 2006; Petr et al, 2012). The most significant therapeutic components of the peat are these humic substances which contribute very important therapeutic actions such as the following:

  • Estrogenic activity which supports endogenous estrogen production (Klőcking et al, 2005, 5);
  • Antiviral (Coxsackie, influenza A, herpes simplex, HIV-1 and HIV-2, cytomegalovirus, vaccinia) (Klőcking et al, 2005, 6);
  • Elimination of rheumatic factors as observed by Stőber (1987) with the use of Carex peat due to the large content of humine; 
  • Modulates inflammation (Petr et al, 2012);
  • Immunomodulating (Petr et al, 2012);
  • Detoxicant (Suárez M et al, 2011);
  • Analgesic (Suárez M et al 2011);
  • Male and female infertility (Suárez M et al. 2011).

The presence of peat lipids is “very complex since [the] lipids originate from different plant species, their chemical transformations in the soil and from microbial metabolism” (Uosukainen et al, 2006, 31). The list includes plant-derived alkanes, fatty acids, ketones, sterols, cyclic terpenes, and phenolic compounds (Uosukainen et al, 2006, 32-34). These lipids have a lengthy list of biological activities impacting health that includes anti-microbial, anti-fungal, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activity; and they reduce edema (Uosukainen, 2006, 52). 
 
Peat’s Thermal Properties 
The properties of peat peloids are fascinating. Their thermal properties enable heat retention to be prolonged for a much longer time than tap water. The peat cellulose structure is an essential factor in its thermal dynamics. Micropores make up the structure of peat and the cellulose outer structure allows peat to trap water within its cavity that maintains either hot or cold temperatures for prolonged periods. The therapeutic benefits of thermal applications have been well documented. High heat capacity, ability to retain heat, and low heat conductivity mark peat as a valuable medium. An example of this thermal property in peat is that a bath mixed with peat retains its temperature for a longer duration, the penetration of heat is deeper within the tissues, and the sensation of the temperature in a thermal peat or peloid bath feels warmer than the actual temperature.

Russian Peloids and Gynecology
The temperature and duration of peloid therapies vary greatly and determine the intensity of the treatment. Cooler temperatures are viewed as gentle, and the higher temperatures are viewed as intensive treatment. With respect to the use of peloids in gynecology, these factors are important. In this regard, allow me to acknowledge several National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) colleagues who have focused on the use of peloids in gynecology: Dr. Alla Nicolulis (an experienced medical doctor from the Ukraine and current NUNM student), Tatiana Gorbacheva (current NUNM student), and recent graduate Dr. Maria Rechkunova-Goodson. Collectively over the last three years, we have sourced and they have translated Russian research on the topic of peloids and gynecology. We are compiling this work for a forthcoming book from NUNM press reintroducing this invaluable earth cure once again to the naturopathic community. Their research helps demystify the remarkable domain of peloids in that the preliminary data indicate that peat peloids present unique and extraordinary properties pertaining to gynecology. 
      
Women with gynecological disorders who are beginning peloidotherapy are most often prescribed cooler temperatures and shorter duration in their treatment plan. The benefits derived from peloid procedures include normalized endocrine reproductive system, stimulation of secretory activity of cervical and uterine glands, decreased chronic inflammatory processes, and restoration of pH balance (Tsarfis, Kiselev, 1990). Peloids have also been found to block microorganisms’ virulence factors (anti-lysosome, anti-lactoferrin, anti-complement), thereby making them prone to the host’s local defense factors (Vdovkin, 2007). Peloids are bacteriocidal in vaginal pathogenic flora and have restorative effects for exudative adhesions (Kolesnik, 1990).
      
Peloid therapy is justified in the following conditions: PID, chronic salpingoophoritis, cervical erosion, bacterial vaginosis, atrophic vaginitis, incontinence, pelvic adhesions, infertility, primary and secondary amenorrhea, ovarian dysfunction due to low estrogen, and preparation for planned pregnancy (Radzinskyi, 2011; Vdovkin, 2007). 
      
In particular, gynecological disorders have responded favorably, and in some cases exceptionally, to peloid applications to regulate and stimulate hormonal function and restore functionality. The familiar application of peat used in balneotherapy medical spas is generally in the form of a bath, a compress, or a wrap. In studying the Russian research in patients with gynecological disorders, we found that peloids bring favorable responses (anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, immune effects, hormonal function, and improved circulation) to the pelvic area. The numerous peloid applications include vaginal and rectal tampons, “mud bras and mud underwear or briefs” applications, peloid electrophoresis (galvanic, faraday currents and ultrasound), and baths. The temperatures of the peloids that are used are completely dependent upon the patient’s constitution, concomitant conditions, and the desired outcomes. 
      
The peloid treatment is more often administered within a spa environment having mineral and thermal water, which facilitates a long, extended stay (two to four weeks). The Russian and European balneotherapy spas are usually located in pristine natural environments where the abundance of Nature is available to their clients. Clinical climatology encourages sun and air baths, which are conducted after the peloid therapy. Facilities are available for patients to sleep outdoors during the summer. Physical exercises such as excursions, swimming, stretching, and strengthening abdominal muscles are available and encouraged. Exercise improves blood circulation to the pelvic area and has far-reaching benefits. Gynecological massages performed in conjunction with the peloid treatments improve clinical outcomes.

Peloid “Bra” and “Underwear”
Peloid bra and underwear refers to the application of peat that covers the breast or the pelvic area. Peloid applications (40° to 42° C/104° to 108° F) placed on one or both breasts act reflexively to stop uterine bleeding that can be especially useful during menorrhagia. The duration of treatment is 15 to 20 minutes (Kolesnik, 1990). 
      
For conditions involving infertility, ovarian dysfunctions, and PID, the temperatures used for the “peloid underwear” is 38 ° to 42° C/ 100° to 108° F. The duration of each treatment is the standard treatment time of 15 to 20 minutes conducted every other day for a total of 10 to 12 applications. For scars and post-surgical adhesions, higher temperatures are used and peloids are heated to temperatures 42° to 46° C/ 108° to 115° F (Kolesnik, 1990). A typical treatment plan consists of 12 to 14 procedures. In the first half of the treatment course, procedures are performed every other day; in the second half, procedures are done two days consecutively with the third day free from peloids. Although I have included temperatures in this article, I have found that there are prescription variations between clinics and sanitariums when administering peloids. “Peloids are peloids are peloids” means that different temperatures are used for different kinds of peloids. Peat requires different temperatures than clay than parafango, etc.

Peloid Vaginal Tampons
For the treatment of gynecological disorders, peloid-filled tampons were discovered by a group of Russian doctors at their Sergievskie Sanatorium in the 1920s (Vdovkin, 2007). In some of the European spas, a special applicator is used for the peloid insertion. Another method that can be improvised with equal results is using a piece of gauze [1″ x 3″ x 4″) and placing a half of teaspoon of peat at one end and roll to form a tampon. This method, I have incorporated in my clinical practice. The peloid tampon is inserted in the evening and removed in the morning. 
      
One Russian study cited the benefits of a peloid vaginal tampon to include bactericidal action on pathogenic flora in the vagina and a reflexive action on pelvic organs. The temperature of the peloid used for the vaginal tampon is 44° to 48 ° C/111° to 118 ° F. The recommended protocol is to apply the vaginal tampon every other day for a duration of 40 to 60 minutes with a course of treatment consisting of 10 to 12 procedures (Kolesnik, 1990). Cervical erosion and endocervicitis are treated with peloid tampons at relatively high temperatures (46° to 52° C/115° to 126° F) along with topical peloid applications (42° to 44°C / 108° to 111° F) to the pelvic area (“underwear zone”). This peloid combination treatment reduces abdominal pain, normalizes menstrual cycle, softens and dissipates fibrous adhesion, and restores normal health (Tsarfis, Kiselev, 1990). Many of the Russian papers indicated that peloid tampons worked more effectively when combined with peloid “underwear” treatment. German research has demonstrated that papilloma viral infections, which can represent the first stage of cervical cancer, have been shown to be eliminated with 80% success by means of peat tampons (Uosukainen, Pihlaja, 2006).
      
Electrotherapies and Peloids
The use of electrotherapies in conjunction with topical peloids (“peloid underwear”) and vaginal tampons are common practices in Russia. When combining galvanic current and peloid therapy, gauze sacks are filled with peloid preheated to 38° to 42° C / 99° to 108 F and used instead of the usual hydrophilic pads. The rest of the procedure is identical to the galvanic treatment (Pamasyuk et al, 1990). Galvanization stimulates regulation of nervous and endocrine systems, and energy (Kotenko, Korchajkina, 2008).
      
Ultrasound used with peat increases circulation to the pelvic area and improves lymphatic flow and thereby improving tissue repair. (Kotenko, Korchajkina, 2008) When using ultrasound with peloids, the active constituents in peat can be absorbed better through the epidermal skin layer and their penetration is deeper. Another alternative method of using ultrasound is to use peloid tampons while administering the ultrasound on the lower abdomen.
      
The extraordinary breadth of the emerging literature about peloids and specific applications, such as peloidotherapy and gynecology, give the contemporary naturopathic physician and holistically inclined biomedicine professional pause to reconsider these old, newly rediscovered tools from Mother Earth. Peloids and especially peat are patiently waiting to be discovered in North America. These precious natural earth ingredients under our very feet are important for health outcomes in a synthetic era burdened by serious chronicity.

Peat Baths
There are many versions of a peat bath from country to country. At one end of the continuum, the Finnish bath might contain as much as 100 kg [220 lbs.] of peat in a bathtub that closely follows the contours of a human body, intended to reduce the amount of peat used. The consistency of mixture is correct if a pattern drawn on the surface remains visible for one minute (Uosukainen, Pihlaja, 2006, 67).  The peat baths used in Frantiŝkovy, Czech Republic, are at the other end of that spectrum, more conservative, the consistency much like a typical water bath with the exception that the color of the bath water is black and there may be some evidence of plant material in the bath water. 
      
In any case, peat baths are simple to prepare. The best peat source is available from Torf Spa (torfspa.com) who import peat from the Czech Republic and Hungary and will be soon importing sapropelic peloids from Russia. I have travelled to the two European countries and have visited the sites and companies who excavate the peat prudently and ethically. Although, there are ample peat lands in North America, especially Canada, an industry has not emerged here to produce a medicinal peat for healthcare providers. 
      
After a day of stress and exhaustion, a peat bath is a wonderful way to end the day. Simply run a warm bath [97 ° to 99° F / 36° to 37° C]. The most relaxing bath is not hot, but rather a “neutral,” i.e. the same temperature as the human body. To test the temperature of the water, place your hand in the bath and the water will feel neither hot nor cold. For a first bath, use one package of peat. It can be mixed into a bucket of warm water which is then added to the bath tub turning the bath water black. 
      
Immerse yourself into the water and stay in the bath for 20 minutes. During your time in the bath, have some mineral water nearby for drinking. For many, the experience of their first peat bath is a sensation of overwhelming heat, and many perspire during their bath. Thus, having water nearby to drink is important. 

After the bath, without showering, put on a housecoat or wrap yourself in a cotton sheet and rest in bed for about 20 to 30 minutes. If you are retiring for the night, then follow your regular routine and fall asleep. The peat bath is deeply relaxing, and sleep will come very easily. Enjoy!

Sussanna Czeranko, a graduate of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, has developed an extensive armamentarium of nature-cure tools and techniques for her patients. Especially interested in balneotherapy, botanical medicine, breathing and nutrition, she is a frequent presenter and workshop leader. As curator of the Rare Books Collection at NCNM, her present projects include a twelve-book series known as The Hevert Collection: In Their Own Words, which has been published by NUNM Press. This series restores the best of the early literature from the Benedict Lust Journals for the naturopathic profession. Sussanna is the founder of The Breathing Academy, a training institute for naturopaths to incorporate a scientific model of breathing therapy called Buteyko into their practice. Her next large project is to complete the development of her new naturopathic medical spa in Manitou Beach, Canada.

References

Beer AM, Junginger HE, Lukanov J, Sagorchev P. (2003). Evaluation of the permeation of peat substances through human skin in vitro, International Journal of Pharmaceutics, (2003) 253:169-175.

Bergel R. Biology and physics of peloids. Available at http://www.sld.cu/galerias/pdf/sitios/rehabilitacion-bal/biology_and_physics_of__peloids.pdf

Dilke, G. B., Kira, E. F. (2007). Clinical applications of the Dead Sea salts and mud to treat chronic conditions of female and male reproductive organs. Moscow.

Hattori I. Peleotherapy. In Medical Hydrology. Edited by Sidney Licht. Baltimore; Waverly Press, Inc.:1963.

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