**7. References**


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182 Hyperthermia

**Author details** 

Timothy A. Okhai

Cedric J. Smith

**7. References** 

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*Centurion Academy, Pretoria, South Africa* 

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*Clinical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering and The Built Environment, Tshwane* 

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**Chapter 7** 

© 2013 Ritter et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2013 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution,

**Effects of Low-Dose Radon Therapy Applied** 

Low dose radon therapy is a traditional treatment in Central and Eastern Europe typically applied to alleviate chronic pain derived from inflammatory and non-inflammatory disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Additionally it has also been reported to be effective for the treatment of chronic airway inflammation and inflammatory conditions of

Radon (222Rn) is a radioactive alpha particle emitting inert gas, present in natural soil and water at several European, Japanese and American health resorts and is administered either transcutaneously by balneotherapy or per inhalationem by balneotherapy or per inhalationem by speleotherapy either at "cold" ambient temperature of 20° to 23° C (RnT) or at "hot" ambient temperatures between 37° and 41.5° C (RnHT). Speleotherapy is performed in curative caves and tunnels where radon emanation occurs due to the presence of uranium containing soil. Low dose 222Rn - balneotherapy is performed in bath tubs filled with 222Rn containing thermal water at a concentration typically found in the respective region but usually between 370 and 1600 Bq/L. Whereas 222Rn-containing water is typically applied at 37.0° C, speleotherapeutic administration is performed either as RnT [1] or RnHT. The latter treatment regime is uniquely performed at the Gasteiner Heilstollen in Bad Gastein, Austria, which offers an average 222Rn concentration of 44000 Bq/m³ in a hyperthermic atmosphere between 37.0° and 41.5° C with high humidity between 70 and 100% that facilitates a mild increase of the body's core-temperature of 0.5 - 1° Cdue to prevention of heat loss via evaporation confirmed by rectal measurement. A typical low-dose 222Rn-therapy consists of

**Under Hyperthermic Conditions (RnHT) on** 

**Inflammatory and Non-Inflammatory** 

**Degenerative Disease Conditions** 

Angelika Moder, Heidi Dobias and Markus Ritter

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/51401

**1. Introduction** 

the skin.

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