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The Dead Sea
is Alive
The Dead Sea is a unique body of water, unlike
any other on the face of the earth. It is the lowest and saltiest
of all deep, natural bodies of water, and has a singular chemical
composition. The remains of Roman spas found in the region provide
evidence that the Dead Sea area has been known for its therapeutic
advantages from ancient times.
After the establishment of the State of Israel,
scientific articles relating to various fields of medicine began
to appear showing that the Dead Sea region, and the Dead Sea itself,
has a beneficial effect on skin, joint, respiratory, eye, and other
disorders.
The Dead Sea region is Israel's major health
resort area. The unique spectrum of therapies offered in the region
include bathing in Dead Sea water and in the many thermal springs
along the western bank of the Dead Sea, special mud packs unique
to the region, and exposure to the sun and the region's unique ultraviolet
radiation. In addition to these therapies, the unique climatic characteristics
of the Dead Sea region are important, particularly the high barometric
pressure, the low relative humidity, the consistently high temperatures,
the paucity of rain, the absence of air pollution, and the high
partial oxygen pressure.
Many hormonal and physiological changes take
place while bathing in the Dead Sea or the thermal springs. The
mechanisms by which a broad spectrum of diseases, and in particular
autoimmune disorders, are alleviated have not been sufficiently
clarified. They probably incorporate several factors, including
a combination of mechanical, thermal and chemical effects.
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- 730:
Lowest Point on Earth
At some 730 meters below sea level, the
Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. At the bottom of the Dead Sea,
in an area nicknamed the Dead Sea's "Bermuda Triangle",
hot springs and magnetic motions have be detected. The continuous
movement of the earth's layers is "stretching" the Dead
Sea at the rate of one centimeter a year. Moreover, there is a greater
amount of rare metals at this depth.
The Tel Aviv University Dead Sea Research
Center, the Institute of Geophysics in Holon, the Geological Institute
in Jerusalem and numerous research institutes around the world are
hard at work trying to unlock the secrets of the Dead Sea.
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