Medical Hydrology and Balneology: Environmental Aspects

Health Resort Medicine in Italy and Teaching
Medical Hydrology: the State of the Art
Fraioli A (1) , Fontana M (1) , Mennuni G (1) , Petraccia L (1) , Grassi M (1)
(1) Department Internal Medicine and Medical Disciplines, Unit of Internal Medicine E,
Medical Therapy and Thermal Medicine, School of Specialization in Thermal Medicine,
Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
antonio.fraioli@uniroma1.it
Spa therapy, using mineral waters, muds, baths in mineral water and caves,
is applied in 390 thermal stations, almost all in activity, standing in 185
thermal sites. In every region of Italy it is present one or more spa resorts.
Toscana, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Campania are leader regions of thermalism.
Overall 500 health resorts supply spa therapy, if we include also the
hotels qualified to give some thermal therapies or thermal wellness. Each
year about 1,500,000 people attend italian health resorts. So the thermal
system of Italy needs of specialists in Thermal Medicine, who know very
well the composition of mineral waters, their physical-chemical properties,
their medical applications, alone or associated or alternated with medical
therapy, physiotherapy and climatotherapy. Spa physicians also must know
very well the contraindications of spa therapy and the possible collateral
effects, albeit no frequent. Finally, university medical schools and spa resorts
perform controlled and longitudinal-observational studies to evaluate the
beneficial effects of spa therapy and the cost/benefit relationship of this
therapy. These efforts are documented by researches and studies published in
international medical journals.
The teaching of Thermal Medicine actually comprises in Italy: 1) School
of Specialization in Thermal Medicine. It is included in the Schools of Specialization
of medical area, class of General Medical Clinic, which include
Internal Medicine, Geriatry, Sport Medicine, Thermal Medicine, Medical
Oncology, Community Medicine. They are two Schools of Specialization in
Italy: one in Rome and one in Milano. National referee for the Schools is
Prof. Antonio Fraioli. 2) Basic knowledge of Thermal Medicine are given to
medical students mainly as seminarial activities. 3) Lectures of Thermal
Medicine are present in the Schools of Specialization in Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation and Rheumatology. 4) A II level Master in spa medicine
Balnea
2012, núm. 6, 269-270
269
ISBN: 978-84-669-1887-0
978-84-669-3482-4