FORMER care worker Zoe Ness had suffered from asthma since she was a child and about four years ago was diagnosed with bronchiectasis – a condition affecting the airways of the lungs and making her vulnerable to infection.

“I was really breathless and could hardly manage to climb stairs,” said the ex-family support worker. “I was in and out of hospital on a regular basis.”

But two years ago she discovered a therapy widely used in Eastern Europe which not only improved her health but also created a new career.

She said: “Two years ago I started having salt therapy and it made a massive difference to my life. I went for treatment a couple of times a week and after three weeks I noticed a huge improvement in my breathing.

“I haven’t been in hospital at all since I started salt therapy and I’ve been discharged by my consultant”.

Zoe, who comes from the Black Country, trekked all the way over to Milton Keynes for her treatment as it was the nearest place where she could receive dry aerosol halotherapy or salt therapy.

There were just six centres in the UK, including two in Scotland, but now Zoe and her partner David Hetherington, who works in the building trade, have set up their own centre at Brierley Hill, near Dudley, making it accessible to Worcestershire residents.

“As the nearest Salt Cave was 75 miles away in Milton Keynes, we decided to open a local branch. We wanted residents of the West Midlands and surrounding areas to have the opportunity to use salt therapy and improve their quality of life” she said.

The therapy has been found to help people suffering from respiratory problems, skin disease and allergies and is a natural treatment involving inhaling tiny salt particles.

Halotherapy is a high-tech spin-off from speleotherapy, which involves patients spending several hours a day in subterranean caves or salt mines over a period of two or three months. The treatment is very popular in Russia and other Eastern European countries.

The tiny particles of rock salt present in cave air have been shown to provide substantial benefits to patients with respiratory and skin diseases.

Halotherapy provides a controlled air environment which simulates the natural salt cave microclimate and uses the antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and mucolytic properties of salt.

Numerous studies carried out in Europe suggest it is an effective drug-free treatment for asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sinusitis and many other respiratory and skin conditions, as well as the hereditary disorder cystic fibrosis.

One of the advantages is that it can reduce or eliminate the need for strong medications like steroids which sometimes cause serious side effects.

The therapy is being provided at The Salt Cave, a brand new asthma and allergy clinic at The Waterfront East in Brierley Hill. It is being officially opened next week and for more information visit www.saltcave.co.uk or telephone 01384 686777.

• The benefits of salt therapy were noticed in Poland in the 19th century, when doctors observed that salt mine workers didn’t suffer with the same respiratory problems as the general population. The ancient Greeks also used salt therapy.

• Although the treatment is not widely available on the National Health Service, it has had government approval in Russia since 1990 and is very popular in Eastern European countries.