The benefits of sea water for the body. Sea water: myths and reality. Sea air during pregnancy

Since ancient times, the marine environment has been the most habitable and convenient for living beings. Sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium salts are dissolved in the waters.

During evaporation and during storms, mineral ions enter the coastal air. Charged particles are carried by wind over long distances, but they reach concentrations in coastal areas.

Benefits of sea air

Sea air is saturated with ozone in a safe amount for humans, but fatal for bacteria and viruses, so pathogenic microorganisms die on the coast. In addition, there is no dust or smog near the seas.

For bronchitis and bronchial asthma

It is useful to breathe sea air to prevent respiratory diseases and cleanse the lungs. Sea air is useful for bronchitis and bronchial asthma. Metal salts enter the lungs, settle and prevent mucus from accumulating, improving expectoration.

For sore throat and sinusitis

Ozone disinfects the respiratory organs and destroys pathogenic bacteria, so sea air helps with sinusitis, laryngitis, sore throat and sinusitis.

It is impossible to completely get rid of chronic diseases with one course, but with regular visits to the sea coast or when living near the sea, periods of exacerbation occur less frequently and with less severity.

With low hemoglobin

Moderate concentrations of ozone improve blood circulation, increase the formation of hemoglobin, remove excess carbon dioxide and help the lungs better absorb oxygen. Thanks to ozone and its action, the effect of sea air on the heart and blood is noticeable. When more oxygen enters the body, hemoglobin is reproduced more intensely, and the heart works more powerfully and rhythmically.

For iodine deficiency

The air near sea coasts is saturated with iodine, which enters the body when breathing through the lungs, so sea air is useful for diseases thyroid gland. Iodine has a positive effect on the skin: rejuvenates and eliminates dryness.

For the nervous system

It’s not without reason that those who have been to the sea return from the resort to good mood: sea air strengthens the nervous system. Among all the ionized particles floating in the coastal atmosphere, there are many magnesium ions. Magnesium enhances inhibition, eliminates excitability and relieves nervous tension. The peculiarity of the mineral is that during stress, anxiety and anxiety, magnesium is removed from the body, so it is important to regularly replenish reserves.

Harmful sea air

Man can ruin even the most useful gifts of nature. A team from Lund University in Sweden conducted studies of the composition of sea air and found that it contains toxins. The culprit is maritime transport, which releases decay products of elements, dangerous particles and spent fuel into the water. The more developed shipping is at sea, the more harmful the sea air is nearby.

Contraindications

Despite all the advantages of the marine environment, there are categories of people who are better off staying away from the sea.

Breathing sea air is dangerous if:

• endocrine diseases associated with excess iodine;
• acute forms of cancer;
• dermatoses;
• diabetes mellitus;
• heart problems, since minerals in combination with high temperatures and UV radiation can cause stroke, heart attack and arrhythmia.

Sea air for children

Every responsible parent should know about the benefits of sea air for children. A holiday on the sea coast will strengthen the child’s immunity and help him resist viral diseases in the autumn-winter period.

Iodine contained in the marine atmosphere stimulates the thyroid gland and improves the child’s mental abilities, normalizes carbohydrate metabolism. Sea air contains rare elements that are difficult to obtain from food and in urban environments: selenium, silicon, bromine and inert gases. Substances are no less important for the child’s body than calcium, sodium, potassium and iodine.

To get a healing effect from the sea, a child must spend 3-4 weeks near the coast. The first 1-2 weeks will be spent on acclimatization and habituation, and after that recovery will begin. During a short vacation on the sea coast - up to 10 days, the child will not have time to benefit from the sea air and inhale useful substances.

Sea air during pregnancy

Relaxing on the seashore and breathing air is useful for pregnant women. An exception is made for pregnant women up to 12 weeks and after 36 weeks, if the woman suffers from severe toxicosis, placenta previa and the threat of miscarriage. Other pregnant women can safely go to the resort.

Ionized particles contained in the marine atmosphere will be beneficial for mother and fetus. Magnesium ions will relieve increased uterine tone and strengthen the nervous system. Ozone will increase the production of hemoglobin, and iodine will improve the functioning of the thyroid gland. Staying in the sun will also help: the body, under the influence of UV rays, will produce vitamin D, which is beneficial for the musculoskeletal system of the fetus.

Which resort to choose

The sea and its air can be beneficial and harmful to the body. In order to exclude Negative influence sea ​​air, you need to choose the right resort.

Dead Sea

The cleanest and most unique air in terms of mineral composition is on the Dead Sea coast. The uniqueness of the Dead Sea is that 21 minerals are dissolved in it, 12 of which cannot be found in other seas. A big plus of the Dead Sea is the absence of industrial enterprises on the coast, so there are few elements harmful to humans in the sea.

Hello, my dear readers! Are you already sitting on your suitcases waiting for a trip to the seaside or are you just going to a travel company to purchase the coveted trip to the sunny coast? Be that as it may, every year we try to take our family to the warm south, closer to salt water. And why? “Because it is very useful for us and our children!” - you say. And you'll be right.

What exactly are the benefits of sea water for humans? I’ll try to search in different sources and in this article summarize the information found, so that when talking about a maritime topic, you can “put in your two cents.”

Lesson plan:

What is in sea water?

The water of the seas and oceans is simply a storehouse of benefits for the body; almost all the elements of the great periodic table got there in some unknown way. The first thing that comes to everyone's mind is, of course, the presence of iodine. In addition to it, there is calcium, sodium, and magnesium, as well as bromine, sulfur and potassium, as well as zinc, copper and iron. Sea water exchanges nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide with the air.

The salinity of the waters of the World Ocean is almost 35%, the saltiest are the Red Sea and the eastern Mediterranean, and in a lake called the Dead Sea it is even more, where the water holds a person on its surface like a feather, due to its increased density. It is believed that the more salt in the water, the more beneficial it is, but any sea water to one degree or another has a beneficial effect on both adults and children’s bodies.

Why do you need to go to the sea?

Sea bathing can be recommended by a doctor of more than one specialization, as the sea helps to improve the condition different systems our body.

Who is the sea contraindicated for?

I have studied all the benefits of spending a holiday on the seaside. But are there any contraindications for the trip, and can such a healing climate cause harm and be prohibited? Doctors say: “Maybe!”

• Sea water and air can cause exacerbation of chronic diseases. People suffering from cardiac and vascular pathologies should be especially careful when traveling to the sea.
• Availability allergic reactions for iodine and some skin diseases can also cause refusal to swim in sea water, which contains large amounts of salts, which can not only heal, but also corrode the affected areas.
• People suffering from kidney inflammation should also take sea baths carefully. With the seemingly warm temperature of the water, they can easily get cold.
• Those who have a disorder of the auditory tube should not dive, and those with eardrum injuries should use cotton swabs in the ear before swimming.

Rules for using the sea

All thalassotherapy procedures - this is what sea treatment came to be called - are useful when done correctly and in moderation. To ensure that swimming in the sea brings exceptional pleasure and brings only positive emotions, it is recommended:

• to avoid a sharp temperature change between heated air and water, spend ten minutes in the shade;
• do not harm your food system by swimming immediately after eating; at the same time, long swims with an empty stomach are harmful - you can get tachycardia;
• if sea water is contraindicated for you, do not refuse douches; you can also simply wander through the waves, receiving a boost of energy;
• You shouldn’t sit in the water until your skin turns goosebumps, you don’t want to go home with inflammation and fever.

Friends, have you heard that there are swimming pools with sea water? In cases where you just can’t get out to the sea, such a pool would come in very handy) Watch the video!

That's probably all I wanted to tell you about the sea.

But do not forget that where there is sea, there is sun. And where there is sun, there are possibilities, and we, parents, must know what to do about it. And despite all the benefits of sea water, it is imperative to take it with you.

Share your thoughts in the comments. And those who already have one foot on the seashore, take a bath for us once or twice!

Enjoy your holiday!

Always yours, Evgenia Klimkovich.

We go to the sea in the summer to improve our health for the year ahead. After all, they talk about it as the best medicine. Have we overestimated the benefits of sea water? Let's figure it out.

1. The warmer the water, the healthier it is - myth

It is pleasant to swim in the warm sea, but a temperature of 22-25 degrees is more suitable for health. In warmer water, viruses and...

2. The sea heals not only in season - just walking along the shore and getting your feet wet is enough - a myth

Scientists believe that to achieve a healing effect in the sea you need to spend at least 10-15 minutes. Breathing sea air is also useful, but it’s better to swim.

3. Saltwater pools are beneficial. You can also take it with you in a bottle - a myth

If seawater is removed from its natural environment, it will lose its medicinal properties within 24 hours. Therefore, sea swimming in a pool is only useful if the water in it is changed daily. And they don’t add bleach - this kills all the benefits.

As for sea bath salts, bottles of sea water and other similar products, keep in mind: so far no laboratory in the world has been able to completely reproduce all the properties of sea water.

4. Sea water contains “the entire periodic table” - true

This phrase should not be taken literally, but the sea actually contains a huge amount of sodium, calcium, chlorine, sulfur, bromine, zinc, copper, iron, selenium and other trace elements. All of them penetrate the body through the skin and bring us great benefits: they relax, rejuvenate, relieve inflammation, strengthen the immune system and cleanse.

5. Sea water treats diseases of the nasopharynx - true, but not entirely

Warm sea water near crowded beaches is not very good. There is nothing useful in swallowing it or rinsing the nasopharynx. From such a procedure you are more likely to catch something than cure something. And clean water suitable for rinsing is located at a depth of two meters - you can’t get it that easily.

6. Sea water does not need to be washed off - a myth

Sea water is good for the skin, nails, and the body as a whole. But there is no point in trying to prolong the magical effect. When the water evaporates, salt crystals remain on the skin. They no longer bring any benefit, but they increase the risk of sun damage. And if you have abrasions or calluses, salt can trigger dermatosis.

Active research into the benefits and harms of the sea began less than 100 years ago. But even in ancient times, healers prescribed walks along the sea coast to restore strength. The sea is not only healing water and lots of entertainment. This is oxygen-saturated air, sun-warmed sand and centuries-old stones that burn the skin. In the complex, this is the most powerful natural healer, which you can visit with almost no restrictions.

Chemical composition of sea water

In all seas and oceans, the composition of water is almost the same, but the concentration of substances varies. So the Dead Sea is considered the saltiest, and the Baltic Sea the most “fresh”. In the classical sense, sea water is an oxygen molecule connected to two hydrogen molecules. But it is sea water that contains a huge amount of impurities.

These are mainly metal salts. It is estimated that 1 kg of liquid contains an average of 35 g of salt. That is why in tropical countries the extraction of table salt from sea water is developed. Here is a list of elements that are present in water:

• sodium;
• bromine;
• magnesium;
• potassium;
• fluorine;
• chlorine;
• calcium.

These are the main 8 elements whose ions are present in any sea water. Less than a century ago, German scientists found gold in water, albeit in insignificant quantities. The water of oceans and seas contains the most chlorides and the least carbonates. This significantly distinguishes it from fresh river water. And that is why sea water tastes salty and bitter.

The benefits of seaside holidays

Holidays on the coast involve close contact with natural healers. These are water, sand, air, sun and stones. Together they have a unique influence on the external integument and internal organs person. It’s not for nothing that healing at sea is considered so popular and, most importantly, effective.

Under the influence of external natural factors, many processes are activated in the human body:

• metabolism;
• skin regeneration;
• cleansing mucous membranes;
• stimulation of heart contractions;
• cholesterol breakdown;
• oxygen saturation;
• decrease in blood pressure.

The benefits of swimming in sea water are based on direct contact with the elements, and it is the massage of the body with waves that gives the positive effect. Under their light pressure, blood circulation and metabolism in the upper layer of the skin are stimulated. The bronchi expand and the depth of breathing improves - this good workout for the lungs and prevention of bronchitis.

2-3 weeks in the coastal zone allows you to strengthen the immune system, cleanse the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, and lightly harden the entire body. Children are especially sensitive to this, as they remain charged with solar and sea energy for many months after returning from the resort.

The benefit of sea air is the saturation of the body with ions of useful metals through the respiratory system and partially through the skin. This is a passive healing that is suitable for people with cardiovascular diseases, weakened by long-term illnesses or operations.

The benefits of sea water for the body

Purified sea water is now included in many therapeutic and prophylactic nasal sprays and gargles. Its alkaline environment has a positive effect on the skin and especially mucous membranes. It has been proven that regular swimming and diving for 2-3 weeks gives stable remission for sinusitis, rhinitis, tonsillitis and other diseases of the ENT organs.

Sea water, rich in salts, has antibacterial properties. Its components, upon systematic contact with mucous membranes and skin, kill pathogenic microbes and fungi. They are afraid of the ubiquitous staphylococcus and streptococcus - the main causative agents of inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx. If there is a fungus on the skin or nails, sea baths will help get rid of them or achieve stable remission.

Important! The most valuable components in water are iodine, bromine and calcium. It is their deficiency in the body that causes disturbances in the functioning of the musculoskeletal system, nervous and endocrine system.

Bromine is a natural sedative, regulates the transmission of nerve impulses, reduces emotionality and nervousness, gives good dream. Iodine is useful for the thyroid gland both for the prevention of pathologies and for maintaining normal functioning. Calcium is responsible for the strength of teeth and bones and the normal functioning of the immune system.

The sea for children is an opportunity to partially cope with vitamin deficiency, weakened immunity, and chronic diseases of the ENT organs. Through the skin and nasopharynx, sea water nourishes skin cells with oxygen, increases hemoglobin, and helps eliminate waste and toxins. If you alternate sand baths with sea baths, the healing effect increases significantly.

Sea water treatment

Thalassotherapy is what it is called in official medicine sea ​​water treatment. This method of healing is used in all seaside health resorts. The benefits of the sea for the human body are a comprehensive recovery that covers all systems and organs. Diseases for which treatment with sea water is indicated:

• metabolic disease;
• obesity, cellulite;
• psoriasis, dermatitis;
• allergy;
• sinusitis, vasomotor rhinitis, sinusitis, adenoids;
• tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis;
• depression, increased excitability, neuroses;
• asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia;
• arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis;
• rheumatism;
• gynecological diseases.

It is believed that salty sea water has a more active effect on the body when it is heated to body temperature. These are the baths that sanatoriums offer their patients. A greater effect is achieved by combining water heating with hydromassage or shower. Under the influence of an active jet of water, a massage effect is achieved. Thanks to this, the skin warms up, the pores open, and beneficial microelements enter its deep layers. From there, they travel through the blood vessels to the internal organs, bones and joints.

The procedure is especially useful for people with problems in the musculoskeletal system or those who have suffered injuries or surgeries. Sea water in this case stimulates the healing processes of wounds and scars, and also activates the restoration of the integrity of cartilage. The benefits of swimming in the sea, although not as high as in a shower or hot tub, still provide a good effect, especially in combination with warming sand baths.

Purified and heated sea water is used to wash the nasal sinuses for sinusitis and rhinitis; sea water also relieves inflammation of the mucous membranes for allergies. At chronic diseases ENT specialists also recommend rinsing with sea water every day for 1-2 minutes 5-6 times.

Sea water is also useful for weight loss. When bathing, everyone becomes more active metabolic processes, starting from the skin and ending with the bloodstream. Thanks to this, the processes of burning fat and breaking down cholesterol are launched. The main thing is not to make up for the lack of energy spent during swimming with sweet buns.

Hardening is another healing effect of sea water. Its temperature in the world's oceans varies depending on the region, but is always more than 10 °C lower than body temperature. With regular water procedures, blood vessels are trained, which narrow and expand under the influence of contrasting temperatures. In addition, the body increases its adaptive abilities. Such hardening best affects children's health.

Sea water for skin

Problem skin reacts positively to sea water. For the effect to be visible, baths must be regular. After bathing, do not immediately take a shower, but allow the beneficial minerals to be absorbed into the skin. Sea water is beneficial for skin and hair due to the following properties:

• disinfects;
• saturates with oxygen and minerals;
• improves blood microcirculation in the surface layers of the skin;
• regenerates;
• promotes tanning.

With pimples, acne, blackheads, they dry out, inflammation disappears, and wounds from old rashes heal. The antibacterial properties of water prevent the proliferation of pathogenic microbes, which protects the skin from repeated rashes.

For atopic dermatitis of an allergic nature, sea bathing is also useful. When combined with sunbathing, long-term remission is achieved. New rashes do not appear, and old ones heal.

Sea water increases the formation of melanin, the pigment that provides tanning. In moderation, it is beneficial and protects the skin from burns.

Walks along the sea coast

Walking along the coastal area is also good for your health. The main thing is to do it correctly. Firstly, walks are done barefoot, alternating trips into the water with a walk on the sand. Secondly, it is important to choose areas of land with sand and pebbles. Thirdly, do not interrupt your walks for 2-3 weeks, regardless of the weather.

During walks, blood oxygen saturation increases, blood circulation is normalized and heartbeat, lymph accelerates. Through the respiratory system and partially the skin, ions of useful metals enter the body, which reduces the concentration of free radicals and their negative impact on humans. Walking on sand and pebbles activates points on the soles of your feet, which are responsible for the functioning of internal organs.

Walking is beneficial for absolutely everyone, but is especially valuable for people with nervous disorders and cancer.

What are the benefits of sea air?

The first, and most important thing, how sea air differs from others is its purity. It contains no dust, gases, or slags. Active oxygen, ozone and sea water particles make it very useful for children and people with diseases respiratory system and allergy sufferers. Sea air treats asthma, bronchitis, and helps the lungs recover from pneumonia.

Important! The concentration of beneficial ions in the air decreases at a distance of 1000 meters from the sea.

It is best to walk and breathe the sea air at the very edge of the water, no further than 200 meters. Here the air is saturated with tiny particles of water. This is an almost healing aerosol that moisturizes mucous membranes and disinfects them. This air is also good for the skin.

Breathing is useful not only while walking or swimming. Actively improves health levels outdoors under cover. At this time, the heart rate normalizes, blood pressure levels return to normal, and the immune system is strengthened.

The benefits of swimming in various seas

At sea, this means activating the work of muscles and all internal organs. But due to the peculiarities of the chemical and ionic composition of water in different reservoirs of the world, the degree of this benefit varies. To understand where it is better to improve your health, you can study information about the seas from experts.

Black Sea

It differs from other seas in the high content of hydrogen sulfide in the water and moderate salinity. Health resorts of the Black Sea are the best place for the treatment of bronchopulmonary diseases and allergies. Hydrogen sulfide has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. Regular bathing strengthens the lungs, normalizes heart rate, and tones blood vessels.

Dead Sea

Even those who have never been able to swim here swim. The highest concentration of salt is in the Dead Sea. The water contains a lot of bromine, potassium, iron, chlorides and sulfates. People with skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis come here.

In addition, sea water in combination with healing mud enhances metabolism and blood circulation. High concentrations of bromine calm the nervous system. People also go to the Dead Sea for treatment of the musculoskeletal system.

Sea of ​​Azov

Muddy bottom Sea of ​​Azov is a storehouse of 92 microelements. The water here is especially rich in iodine and bromine. People come here with metabolic disorders, pulmonary diseases, and problems with the endocrine system. Swimming in the sea helps restore the functioning of the nervous system.

Mediterranean Sea

The composition of sea water is almost identical to the Black Sea. Swimming in its waters improves lung function and normalizes arterial pressure. It is useful to visit Mediterranean resorts for people with vegetative-vascular dystonia, asthma, and bronchitis.

Baltic Sea

The coolest of all other seas. Its coastline is Pinery, and the air of the coastal zone is saturated with phytoncides. Swimming in the sea helps to harden and strengthen the immune system. It is useful to take sea baths for people with pulmonary diseases and problems in the cardiovascular system.

Aegean Sea

Has average water salinity, optimal temperatures during the holiday season. Swimming here is beneficial for people with heart and vascular diseases. The condition of hypertensive patients and everyone who suffers from vegetative-vascular dystonia improves noticeably. As in all seaside resorts, asthmatics can recover here.

Rules for swimming in the sea

In order for sea water and air to bring only health benefits, you need to know some rules of health improvement. They boil down to implementing the following recommendations:

• You can plunge into the sea 1-2 hours after lunch and you can’t do it on an empty stomach;
• the optimal time is from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 20:00;
• swims over long distances are done after preliminary rest;
• you should not take a dip after a long stay in the sun, you need to sit in the shade for 20 minutes to avoid heat stroke and cramps;
• For hypertensive patients and people with heart disease, long swims are prohibited; they benefit from short dives or passive water baths.

Swimming in the sea should be combined with walking on stones and warming sand baths, then the healing effect will be complete.

Harm of the sea

The sea itself cannot significantly harm human health. In most cases, he himself is to blame for the deterioration of his health. The harm of sea water can be expressed in hypothermia, allergic rash, burns, hypertensive crisis and loss of consciousness. This happens when basic rules of behavior in a new climate zone are not followed.

Exceptions are cases when a person does not suspect that he has an allergy to sea water. It manifests itself as hives over large areas of the skin, and a rise in temperature is possible. Sometimes a person learns about thyroid pathologies only when visiting a resort.

Important! Air and water saturated with iodine cause hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, which is manifested by weakness, chills, and fatigue.

Sea air can also be dangerous for a child in the case of infectious diseases of the bronchopulmonary system. The influence of salts may worsen the disease with bronchospasm attacks. People with sensitive skin and disorders in melanin synthesis are susceptible to burns, this is also taken into account when going to the resort.

For whom is seaside holiday contraindicated?

Not everyone can go on vacation to the sea. Here is a list of those conditions and diseases that are an obstacle to visiting the sea coast:

• exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• ulcers and abrasions on the skin, weeping wounds;
• increased body temperature;
• dry and irritated skin;
• kidney diseases;
• phlebeurysm;
• hyperfunction of the thyroid gland;
• herpetic rashes;
• stage 3-4 hypertension.

Staying at sea can worsen the condition of people after a stroke, heart attack or surgery on internal organs. Any climatic fluctuations are contraindicated for them. If you have infectious diseases, traveling to the resort is also contraindicated. Water and sea air are good for a child. But there are children who react sharply to fluctuations in iodine, which causes serious allergies in them. The sea will only harm this category of young vacationers.

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of the sea are two components of a summer holiday. The degree of effectiveness of health-improving procedures largely depends on their competent organization. Proper rest energizes you with health for the entire season until your next vacation, which means that visiting doctors will only be preventative.

Did you find this article useful?

The water of seas, lakes, oceans and rivers makes up the earth's hydrosphere, the composition of which has a huge impact on human life processes. The benefits of sea water were first noted in countries with extensive coastlines and developed civilizations in ancient historical times, primarily in Ancient Greece.

At a later time, the influence of sea and ocean water on human health was studied in another country located on an island - Great Britain. Studies conducted in different historical periods on all continents confirm the positive effect of sea water on all physiological processes in the human body. The only thing harmful is drinking it.

Composition of sea water

The composition of water in the seas and oceans was formed over a long evolutionary period under the influence of geochemical processes occurring in the bottom soil layer. Currently, it is relatively stable, well studied, and is under constant supervision of oceanologists, hydrobiologists, and ecologists.

Important! On the coast of industrial regions, the composition of sea water can differ significantly from that far from land, so samples are taken for analysis at great depths, away from settlements and close to the shore.

It always makes sense to focus on the research of authoritative professionals, which undoubtedly includes the domestic geochemist V.I. Vernadsky. According to the results obtained in the last century by a team of scientists under his leadership, the composition of sea water in a free and bound state contains the following chemical elements (mass fractions, %):

• oxygen – almost 86;
• hydrogen – about 11;
• chlorine – almost 2;
• sodium – a little more than 1.

The concentration of other elements: magnesium, sulfur, calcium, potassium, bromine, carbon is measured in fractions of a percent. In this case, the leading positions are occupied by the first four elements from the presented list.

The significant content of oxygen and hydrogen is mainly explained by the fact that the water molecule, the main substance of seas, oceans, and other natural bodies of water, is built from these atoms. A noticeable content of oxygen atoms is present in sulfates, bicarbonates, and carbonates that enter the reservoir from the ground.

In addition, the seas contain a lot of dissolved oxygen gas (35%) coming from algae, and also from the atmosphere during periods of intense waves. Even more impressive is the nitrogen gas content of 65%. Among the gaseous compounds present in the seas to a noticeable extent are carbon dioxide, known as carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide.

Why is the ocean water salty?

The high concentration of sodium ions and chlorine anions determines the salinity of sea water, which on average approaches 3.5%. Often this indicator is estimated in ppm - a unit equal to a tenth of a percent; then the salinity is quantitatively equal to 35 ppm.

Sodium ions have been washed out over thousands of years from the ocean floor and delivered to the sea by river flows. Chlorine anions entered the seas from the interior of the earth, ejected to the surface with volcanic eruptions, which always contained vapors of hydrochloric acid.

Salt concentration is not the same characteristic everywhere. For example, in the Baltic Sea it does not reach average values, and in the Red Sea and the eastern waters of the Mediterranean Sea salinity exceeds average values. The concentration of salts depends on the time of year, for example, in the southern seas in the summer these indicators increase due to intense evaporation of water.

Note! The coastal waters of the Black Sea, due to the large number of inflowing rivers, have a salinity of about a maximum of 9 ppm near the coast, and 18 ppm at depth, far from the coast. In the waters of the Sea of ​​Azov, salinity reaches a maximum of 13 units.

The salt component in the waters of the lake, which is called the Dead Sea, is strikingly increased. This explains the very high density of the water in it, which is noticeable even when swimming. It is known that in the Dead Sea you can lie on the surface without much effort, which is popular with bathers and novice swimmers. It is interesting to note that in this sea-lake, unlike the others, magnesium and calcium salts predominate, followed in descending order by the concentrations of sodium and potassium salts. Lower salinity is observed at river mouths and in the zone of melting ice. The specific composition makes the water healing for large quantities diseases.

The usual density of purified water approaches 1 g/cm 3 , while this figure for sea water on average slightly exceeds the specified value by hundredths of a percent. The density of water in the Dead Sea is much greater, it is equal to 1.2 g/cm 3 .

It is interesting to note that as the temperature decreases, the salt particles move closer to each other in the aquatic environment, causing an increase in the density of any sea water.

Why can't you drink?

Specific chemical composition water resources of the seas makes them unsuitable as a source for drinking. The ingestion of such a significant amount of salts into the body is unacceptable for the body and causes harm to it.

IN extreme situations For a maximum of one week, sea water can be drunk in the absence of other water, which was confirmed by the experience of the famous French researcher with a medical education, Alain Bombard.

With a hypothetical constant consumption of sea water as drinking water, too high a concentration of salts is formed in the body, which can disrupt the functioning of the excretory system. To normalize the condition in such cases, it would be necessary to use purified drinking water in large quantities.

Application of sea water

Long known beneficial features sea ​​water has made it an invaluable source, primarily for healing when used externally.

For domestic needs

Enterprising residents of Hong Kong, washed by seas on almost all sides, found another unique use for it. They use it in everyday life to flush out plumbing equipment. Non-standard solution due to shortage fresh water, desire to save water resources. In other parts of the planet, this practice has not spread.

For treatment

Sea water is used as healing agent for treatment and preventive health of the body. It is recommended to rinse your nose and throat with water from the seas. At the same time, the mucous membrane is strengthened, and the ability of the entrance pathways to reject foreign microorganisms and viruses increases.

Dentists testify that sea water strengthens gums and reduces the tendency to develop inflammatory processes in the oral cavity. There is information about the ability of water saturated with sea minerals to whiten teeth. This procedure is much safer and healthier than using artificial chemical bleaches. At the same time, it provides sanitation of the oral cavity.

In cosmetology

Sea water serves as the basis for the preparation of cleansing lotions, ointments, creams recommended for the care of the skin of the face, décolleté, and hands. The products are recommended for use by women and men; Additional advice should be obtained before using formulations on growing children. For kids to use cosmetical tools based on sea water is not necessary due to the increased sensitivity of the skin to some components.

Cleansing the body

IN last years The procedure for cleansing the intestines with salt water is becoming popular, which can be carried out both in special medical offices and at home. The beneficial effect is due to the ability of minerals to absorb slag deposits in the food channels and saturate the body with biologically active elements. Cleaning should be carried out with water of a strictly defined concentration, after reading the recommendations of specialists. You should not overuse the procedure or perform it more often than doctors advise, because active intestinal lavage can disrupt the natural microflora.

Why is it good to swim?

An incomparable pleasure comes from swimming in the sea, which is useful for a seasoned body from early spring to late autumn. In northern latitudes, the procedure turns into winter swimming, which, of course, is also important for health, but is available only to a select few.

Everyone can swim in the sea, the main thing is to choose a coast with good sanitary conditions, where natural mineral composition not distorted by industrial and other waste.

During bathing, the chemical elements of sea water are intensively absorbed by the skin, which leads to relaxation of spasms, improvement of blood supply and microcirculation, and restoration of skin tone. After bathing, a person feels cheerfulness, a sense of rejuvenation, and improved mood. Scroll pathological conditions, in which sea bathing in natural conditions, amounts to several tens of points.

In winter time for adoption sea ​​baths It is recommended to use concentrates - sea salts, which to some extent can replace a vacation at sea, provided that the instructions on the labels are followed. It is important to remember that dry sea salt contains a high content of active elements, especially Dead Sea salts, so taking sea baths at home should be treated with caution, as a medical procedure.