In the Bible, the Dead Sea is known as the 'Eastern Sea' or the 'Sea of the Arava'. The ancient Greeks and Romans called it 'Mare Asphaltitus', meaning the 'Clay Sea', due to the patches of clay, or asphalt floating on its surface. Later on, since life in this body of water was deemed impossible, it was dubbed the 'Dead Sea', and this term was adopted by various European languages. Mosaics from the Byzantine era depict fish swimming toward the Dead Sea from the Jordan River and rushing to turn back and flee toward the north, to the fresh water sources.



The Dead Sea region offers a rare combination of nature sites, history and unique healing centers, each of which has the potential to inspire autonomous tourism development. The Dead Sea, at approximately 417 meters below sea level, is the lowest point on the surface of the earth. It is a remnant of the ancient 'Lake Lisan', the body of water which once extended from the north of the Sea of Galilee to Hazeva in the Arava.

The water's salinity, with a concentration of about 340 grams per liter (10 times that of the Mediterranean!), makes floating natural and effortless and instills a sense of peace and tranquility. The air is dry, rich in oxygen and free of any environmental pollution, and the temperatures are relatively high, even in the height of winter. The fact that the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays are naturally filtered makes it possible to sunbathe without burning and is instrumental in treating various skin diseases. The natural 'healing waters' along the coast, which are rich in minerals and natural heat, combined with the black mud deposits, are the ideal foundation for health and beauty treatments.

The region's nature reserves and scenic diversity offer a unique combination of arid desert vistas and oases alongside pools and waterfalls teeming with diverse flora and fauna (mountain goats, pikas, insects, reptiles, various species of fowl, etc.). The region's historical sites are among the most renowned in the world, namely: Massada, Qumran, Jericho, Ein Gedi, the Roman fortresses and the monasteries in the Judea Desert.

A great many resources are invested in developing infrastructures, facilities and services dedicated to the tourist industry. The region offers about 4,000 rooms in hotels of various standards, kibbutz resort villages, hostels and other accommodation facilities, with adjacent services such as: parking lots, public beaches, well-kept nature reserves and fascinating tourist sites. The vacationers and tourists in the region can choose from a wide variety of excursions and activities, including desert tours on foot, in special vehicles and on camels, Bedouin accommodation, rock climbing and rappelling courses and excursions, as well as archeological and agricultural tours.

SOURCE OF LIFE AND HEALTH

A unique combination of natural resources having therapeutic effects has turned the Dead Sea area into a healing center unparalleled anywhere else on the face of the earth.

The salty seawater, with its unusually high concentration of minerals, the natural hot springs rich in minerals and sulphur, and

the extraordinary climatic conditions, including uniquely filtered sun rays and an oxygen-rich dry air, due to the high barometric pressure prevailing here in the lowest spot on earth (417 meters below sea level), a therapeutic black mud - all combine in providing the basis for the successful effect of the Dead Sea therapies.

Contributing to these ideal therapeutic conditions are the comfortable stable temperatures in this seaside desert most of the year, the pure unpolluted air, which is free of allergens and contaminants, while containing minerals deriving from evaporation of this inland sea that are healthy for breathing.

These natural resources have been shown to provide a beneficial effect on various illnesses, including chronic incurable diseases, and have led to the renowned reputation of the Dead Sea area as a natural spa constituting a source of promoting health and improving the quality of life.

For some 2,000 years (as the ancient texts attest), people have come to immerse themselves in the Dead Sea for healing purposes. The awareness of the healing attributes of the Dead Sea was truly reawakened at the beginning of the 1970s, when the scientific research studies in the area gained momentum and their findings were published.

All this recognition led to an accelerated development of hotel facilities, along with the establishment of health and therapy centers, operating on the basis of scientifically based findings, which as a result have turned the Dead Sea area into an attractive internationally recognized healing center, drawing each year tens of thousands of patients from around the world to find relief for their ailments and pains.

THE DEAD SEA EFFECT

The accumulated clinical experience and research data on all aspects of climatic therapy, which is based on a combination of exposure of the body to the sun with an immersion in the Dead Sea waters, has enabled physicians to establish a protocol of treatment methods referred to as 'Dead Sea Climatotherapy.'

Medical and scientific research studies indicate that Dead Sea Climatotherapy is very effective in treating numerous illnesses, the most common being the skin disease, psoriasis. Dead Sea climatotherapy has also been found to have therapeutic effects on atopic dermatitis (skin allergy), vitiligo (loss of pigmentation), and early stage mycosis fungoides (skin cancer).

Natural springs containing minerals and sulphur, black medicinal mud, with antibacterial activity and hyperemic properties, are also found along the shores of the Dead Sea.

An anti-aging effect discovered recently in the Dead Sea minerals, as well as in the medicinal mud, has made the Dead Sea even more popular, attracting people who seek to slow down their skin aging process.

As opposed to the artificial treatments administered in the conventional clinic or hospital environment, the relaxing atmosphere during Dead Sea climatotherapy, where patients mix socially with other guests in a hotel atmosphere, has often been shown to have psychological benefits, by providing a positive affect on the patients' self image and, as a result, on his or her quality of live.

THE DEAD SEA TREATMENT

The beneficial effects of Dead Sea climatotherapy on dermatological diseases, such as psoriasis, eczema, lichen planus and vitiligo, have been amply documented in a multitude of scientific publications over the past 40 years.

These studies have established that optimum results in the treatment of psoriasis, for example, are achieved by a short-term immersion in the Dead Sea water, followed in most cases and depending on the time of the year by a 1½-2½ gradual exposure to the sun once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Winter is not recommended for this kind of disease.

A rooftop meteorological station on the southwestern shore of the Dead Sea performs continuous UV monitoring and provides online data on the intensity of the daily solar ambient radiation. Studies with radiosensitive detector badges placed on the body have been conducted recently to determine the actual amount of radiation absorbed by sunbathers.

A special computerized program is installed in the solarium at Ein Bokek, enabling patients to regulate their initial daily exposure time by themselves, based on their skin type and the radiation intensity measured during exposure.

The actual amount of energy to which the patient's body is exposed by these schemes is about one third of the amount applied in artificial irradiation therapy regimes, yet the therapeutic results of the Dead Sea natural treatment lead to a 80-90% remission, comparing favorably with artificial irradiation modes. The mean duration of remission has been studied in 64 German psoriasis patients and found to last on the average six months.

The Effects of Dead Sea Climatotherapy on the Pathogenesis in Psoriasis

A study published in 2003 examined the effects of Dead Sea climatotherapy on the pathological changes and immunological modulation in psoriatic patients' skin.

Histological examination of the skin found that the characteristic pathological changes found in psoriasis had normalized, while immunological studies showed a major reversal in immunological activation.

Preliminary data show that optimum results in clearing psoriatic lesions were achieved faster when Dead Sea climatotherapy is combined with topical administration of calcipotriol.

Repeat studies have shown that even severe forms of psoriasis, which otherwise require hospitalization and often need systemic medications, such as oral retinoids, methotrexate or cyclosporine, respond remarkably to climatotherapy, let alone milder forms, all without the potential side effects often associated with the administration of these systemic medications.

Dead Sea Climatotherapy is subsidized by sick funds and national health agencies: A study performed by the Swiss Psoriasis Association has shown that economically, while being equally effective as artificial treatments given to severely affected psoriasis patients, Dead Sea climatotherapy is less expensive when comparing overall expenditures for both modes of therapy.

In view of its cost effectiveness, health funds in Western European countries, such as Germany and Denemark, as well as in several Eastern European countries, subsidize Dead Sea climatotherapy for skin diseases, while Norway also subsidizes Dead Sea treatments for joint diseases.