500,000 take to thermal baths

THE number of people visiting thermal baths for medical treatments is rising, but doctors remain sceptical about their effectiveness.

In 2015 more than 560,000 people visited 89 thermal baths in France, up 2.5% on the previous year according to figures by the Conseil national des établissements thermaux (CNETh).

It says the baths can help with rheumatism, asthma or eczema, sleeping problems and depression - and the State will give a 65% reimbursement of a set tariff for such treatments

CNETh is currently holding its annual salon in Paris and executive officer, Claude-Eugène Bouvier, said the figures were the sixth annual consecutive rise.

He added that one of the key reasons was an ageing population with older people seeing the baths as an alternative to “medicinal gavage” where they are stuffed with drugs.

While the president of the scientific council for the Association française pour la recherche thermale said that 150 studies over 25 years had shown the effectiveness of thermal baths, other medical institutions are not convinced.

The former president of the nation union of junior doctors,Théo Combes, said he remained sceptical “over allegations of therapeutic effectiveness”.

“I see patients who, sometimes come back on better form, sometimes more tired, this contrasts with the publicity for these baths,” he said.

“If it was as miraculous as that, we would know it,” he added.

Thermal baths needed to be examined as to whether they were an effective use of public money, said Dr Combes.

Doctors can prescribe a treatment at thermal baths and the state reimburses 65% of a set tariff for these visits. It is estimated that 43% of the baths’ €500 million turnover gets ploughed back into the state in the form of social charges and tax.

Photo: Flickr/David