THE USE OF DRINKING MINERAL WATERS FOR THE TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION: A MODERN VIEW OF THE PROBLEM

Abstract

The article covers the issues related to the use of mineral waters in clinical practice. It has been found that mineral waters, if chosen and prescribed appropriately for a given patient, help to restore regulation of gastric and pancreatic juices to the normal values seen in healthy individuals, to stimulate biliary formation and secretion, to exert the positive influence on the hormonal and neurohumoral regulation. Mineral waters help to improve different types of metabolic processes and immune regulation as well as to enhance the blood flow in kidneys and liver. The mineral waters are efficient for the treatment of the urinary system disorders, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and other pathologies, including those that are characterized by concomitant metabolic disorders. On the other hand, mineral waters are prescribed for or advised to be used by the patients not only by the doctors affiliated with the health resorts, but also by other healthcare practitioners who occasionally fail to be fully aware of the specific problems related to their clinical application. For this reason, the present article was designed to cover the main principles related to the prescription of mineral waters for the clinical use and elaborate the proper procedures that would serve as the guidelines on their application as well as to provide general information for the physicians of different specialty profiles on the availability of the extensive range of natural and spa mineral waters that originate from various regions of this country. The emphasis is placed on the filling of the expertise gaps related to the classification of mineral waters and their main properties that are believed their efficient clinical use.