Medical Hydrology and Balneology: Environmental Aspects

Does modern thermal medicine need new
standardized terminology?
Chojnowski J (1) , Ponikowska I (1)
(1) Department of Balneology and Physical Medicine, Ciechocinek, Poland
chojnowskij@cm.umk.pl
Introduction and Objectives
Thermal medicine is one of the oldest branch of medicine treating patients with
chronic diseases. Because of regional differences in natural substances and treatments
methods, that part of medicine doesn’t have a homogeneous English terminology,
methodology of since researches, methods to measure treatment results.
Improvement of modern medicine technology also required new English terminology.
Lack of common English terminology make difficulties in compare and analyzing
researches from different countries. That fact affect negative on metaanalyzing
results in accordance with EBM, where researches has problem to match keywords
to searching in data bases.
Taking those problems into account, during last meeting of Polish Association
of Balneology and Physical Medicine we discused about terminology and science’s
collaboration on Thermal Medicine. In time of debate we settled the only one
common definition: “Thermal Medicine”, which previes named spa medicine, also
declaration about international cooperation (“balneodeclaration”) was signed in.
Materials and Methods
Based on those establishes we created Discussing Work Group, which in time
since November 2011 until February 2012 discussed about most important and
general definitions from Thermal Medicine.
We obtain a agreement of text in all discussed group of definition. It’s only introduction
of work In further part of works we will include about 300 – 500 terms.
Results
Main purpose of the lecture is to present proposition of 23 balneological definitions
in English, which were discussed in international experts group and given
under discussion to forward action on homogeneous writing.
Definitions include terminology from: balneology, climatotherapy and partly
from hydrotherapy. Few of experts whom active taken a part in work of group
suggested changes to some definitions.
Balnea
2012, núm. 6, 251-252
251
ISBN: 978-84-669-1887-0
978-84-669-3482-4