Israel Launches Largest Salt Treatment Center

Derech Hamelach, a network of 14 Salt Room treatment centers throughout Israel, announced today that it will celebrate the launch of its newest facility, a Speleotherapy (“salt room therapy”) Clinic and R&D Center on the campus of Hadassah Ein Kerem’s Jerusalem BioPark (JBP), with an on-site reception on Tuesday, September 8, 2009.  The new treatment center, Israel’s largest Speleotherapy clinic, will be operated by Breathewell LTD, the proprietors of another clinic in Modi’in.

In the nine years since Derech Hamelach opened the doors of its first Salt Room in Haifa, the network has successfully launched 13 additional facilities across the country, including treatment centers in Ra’anana, Petah Tikva, Be’er Sheva, Akko and Eilat.  Over the years, thousands of patients have found relief from respiratory ailments such as asthma, bronchitis, COPD, sinusitis and chronic ear infections as a direct result of the Speleotherapy treatments. 

“We are delighted to be opening our newest branch at the Jerusalem BioPark on the campus of Hadassah Ein Kerem, a world-renowned research institution and the top research hospital in Israel,” said Jonathan Kestenbaum, co-founder and managing partner of Breathewell LTD and chairman of Derech Hamelach.  “Our hope is that our proximity to and affiliation with Hadassah will lead to major advances in the research, and ultimately the treatment, of respiratory diseases.”

Speleotherapy, the core of the Derech Hamelach network’s offerings, is a natural respiratory remedy whereby dry salt aerosol is passively inhaled in a specially-constructed salt room, or “Speleochamber.”  The therapy – popular in Russia and Eastern Europe –  involves breathing in microscopic salt particles that act as a natural disinfectant, accelerating mucus clearance and improving lung function while killing harmful bacteria and soothing the respiratory system.

“The leading researchers at Hadassah have expressed a great interest in Speleotherapy and we look forward to working with Breathewell on the development of this promising therapy,” added Yael Rogel-Fuchs, VP of New Business Development at Hadasit, the Technology Transfer Company of Hadassah Medical Organization.
In addition to growing their business in Israel, Breathewell hopes to build on the strength of their local brand in order to propel the company toward a successful expansion into the U.S. market, a process for which the company is currently seeking funding.

Though Speleotherapy is currently seen as a treatment for “sick people,” Derech Hamelach hopes that their Salt Rooms will begin to attract individuals without respiratory conditions who simply see regular treatments as a quick and effortless way to keep their lungs healthy and strengthen their immune systems –  keys for healthy living.

Breathewell LTD (www.breathewell.com), the Israeli daughter company of US–based Breathewell LLC, was established in 2008 with the purpose of studying and providing natural therapies to patients suffering from respiratory and chronic illnesses such as asthma, COPD, chronic bronchitis, sinusitis and chronic ear infections. The company’s Salt Room centers focus on Speleotherapy and Halotherapy and are supervised by Israel’s leading Speleotherapy consultant. Breathewell opened its first Israeli clinic in Modi’in in Feb 2009 and have plans to open additional facilities in Israel and expand the business to North America in the coming months.

Hadasit (www.hadasit.co.il), the Technology Transfer Company of Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) in Jerusalem, promotes and commercializes HMO’s continuously generated intellectual property (IP) and Research & Development (R&D) capabilities. IP generated by HMO has already gained global recognition due to Hadasit’s successful enterprising of Hadassah’s biomedical technology, including novel therapeutics, diagnostics and medical devices.

Jerusalem BioPark (www.biojerusalem.org.il) is located in the heart of the Ein Kerem Hadassah campus adjacent to Hadassah University Hospitals and Hebrew University’s Medical School. This proximity fosters synergistic partnerships between Hadassah’s institutions and the companies and professionals based in the park, all who share the goal of developing therapeutic life science technologies.