Fango
Fango ( Italian fango , plural fanghi : mud , silt ) is a mineral mud of volcanic origin and is used in peloid therapy . Although they are similar in application and mode of action, a distinction is made between two types of mud due to their different preparation and composition: organic and inorganic mud.
The organic or matured mud
Italy is considered to be the country of origin of the mud and therefore has a special position. Historical sources show that even Roman legionaries appreciated the healing powers of the volcanic healing mud. The Italian fango consists of three components: thermal water , fango mud (clay or clay) and the addition of algae and microorganisms, which are responsible for the biological maturation process (maturation). This maturation process lasts for at least 60 days.
The most famous fango region in Italy, the Euganean Hills or the Euganean Basin, with its health resorts Abano , Montegrotto , Galzignano Terme and Battaglia , occupies a special position . This region is supplied with a special thermal water, the springs of which arise in the Alps and then find their way underground through the most varied rock layers to the plain of the Euganean Basin, where they come to the surface as an artesian well . The thermal water contains salt, iodine and bromine and has an initial temperature of 80 to 85 ° C. At this temperature, the water is continuously conducted over the maturation basin filled with the mud sludge, which in turn promotes the maturation process of the algae and microorganisms. The fango mud, in turn, is obtained directly from the Euganean Basin and consists of light blue natural clay (aluminum silicate). Once the appropriate degree of maturity has been reached, specially trained staff ( Italian : fanghini ) remove the mud in portions in buckets and use it for therapeutic purposes. After use, the mud is recycled, that is, it is returned to the maturation basin and the maturation process begins again. This type of mud processing is very space and wage-intensive. Space-intensive because the long ripening process means that there must be several basins, which in turn have to guarantee the changing cycle of mud extraction. It is wage-intensive because a large part of the work is done by hand with this form of processing. In the German-speaking area, mud processing has been carried out automatically for decades using a specially developed processing technology.
The other Italian health resorts use their own local thermal or mineral water. However, this does not reach the high temperature of the thermal water from the Euganean Basin. The fango sludge is made from rock flour, which is imported from outside. To be mentioned here are e.g. B. Montecatini Terme in Tuscany and Castel San Pietro Terme in Emilia-Romagna .
The inorganic mud
In the rest of Europe , specifically in the German-speaking area, the maturation process is dispensed with when processing the mud. Here, the composition of the minerals and the thermophysical properties are decisive for the effectiveness of the mud. The starting product of the mud is a rock of volcanic origin. This definition or association of mud with “volcanic” was first used in 1916 by the geologist and founder of balneology , Konrad Keilhack (1858–1944) and has since become a permanent feature of German usage. In his study on the subject of "Specialized prose research - transgressing boundaries", Gerd Lüttig specifies the term mud as follows:
"The author supports the endeavor that the name Fango should be used for (para) peloid material, which is of volcanogenic origin, but at the same time draws attention to the fact that in the classic" Fango "region there is no fanghi, but Mudden (namely Diatomeengyttjen) be applied. This leaves only two type regions for the use of the name fango, namely the Eifel and the Kaiserstuhl (Eifel fango and Freiburg fango). In practice, the correction does not cause any confusion, especially since the Italian balneotherapists have been calling their material "thermal mud" and not fango for a long time. "
The volcanic rock is mined in Germany a. a. in Bötzingen am Kaiserstuhl ( Phonolith ), about 15 km west of Freiburg and in Mendig in the area of the Laacher See as well as the "Gossendorfer Fango" in Austria in the Styrian volcanic region .
The starting material is broken up, heated and then finely ground. This is an inorganic natural product that is mixed with local industrial, mineral or thermal water at its respective destination. In some places it is still being enriched, e.g. B. with radon , brine or sulfur ( sulfur mountain bath ).
Each mud pack is used only once, and the used mud is then disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. Due to the minerals it contains , it is suitable for ecological recycling in horticulture, agriculture and composting.
application
Before use, the rock powder is mixed with water to form a homogeneous paste, heated to a temperature of 45 to 50 ° C and applied to the diseased areas of the body as a so-called mud pack in a layer thickness of about 3 cm. Then the body is wrapped in foil, linen cloths or blankets for optimal heat storage. The duration of such a treatment is between 20 and 40 minutes, so that the heat given off by the mud can penetrate deeper tissues and heat them effectively for a long time.
application areas
Fango is among others, connective tissue and muscle rheumatism , chronic rheumatic joint disease, fibromyalgia , lumbago , sciatica , back, shoulder and neck pain, spasms of smooth muscle organs, traumatic contusions and sprains , tendonitis, menstrual cramps , muscle stiffness , soreness , atopic dermatitis and eczema applied .
effect
Due to the high temperature alone, mud can promote blood circulation in the skin, connective tissue and muscles. This can also help relax the muscles and u. May help relieve pain. A so-called "strengthening of the immune system " is not plausible and would not always be desirable (e.g. in the case of autoimmune diseases). An increased release of endorphins or ACTH has not been proven, and the latter would not always be desirable.
Heat pack with mud additive
For reasons of cost, some people have switched to using paraffin mud packs ( Parafango ). The starting material for this is a paraffin wax, which is treated with a natural peloid , e.g. B. fango or bog was added. These packs are more cost-effective because they can be used several times and you can possibly do without the shower afterwards. However, in terms of modeling ability and thermophysical properties, they have clear deficits compared to natural mud.
literature
- Gerd Lüttig: Specialized prose research - Crossing boundaries. Volumes 2 and 3. Edited by Gundolf Keil . Deutscher Wissenschafts-Verlag (DWV), Baden-Baden 2006/07, ISBN 978-3-86888-005-2 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gerd Lüttig: Specialized prose research - border crossing. Volume 2/3 (2006/07). Deutscher Wissenschafts-Verlag (DWV), p. 435
