Seawater

The main components of seawater are chlorides, with sodium chloride (table salt) foremost among them. Magnesium, calcium and iodine compounds are also worth mentioning. The presence of iodine compounds was also demonstrated indirectly: in the past, people living along the coast suffered far less from widespread iodine-deficiency disorders than the rest of the population. The composition of the salt mixture in seawater is very similar to that of human blood, which is why the body absorbs and uses seawater particularly well. Seawater’s high oxygen content is also significant: at 30–35 percent, it is even higher than that of air (20%). The appeal of seawater is reflected not least in the popularity of coastal areas as holiday destinations and in the desire to have bathed in the sea at least once. Behind this desire, perhaps, lies an unconscious human urge to return to our origins, since the first living organisms on Earth apparently arose in the sea. Seawater is used to treat the effects of overwork and stress, such as insomnia, nervousness, premature signs of aging and other complaints. It is used primarily for bathing, but also as drinking water, by injection and through inhalation. Visitors to the Baltic Sea can enjoy the latter free of charge during a walk along the beach, in the form of so-called surf aerosol, a mixture of seawater and air.

Treatment with seawater in various combinations is a key component of so-called thalassotherapy. In short, this encompasses all forms of treatment using warm or cold, fresh, untreated seawater, sea air, algae, mud and sand. Thalassotherapy originated in the 19th century and was one of the foundations of bathing culture and tourism along the coasts (Baltic Sea hotels).