The local thermal springs, whose temperature reaches 73.4 °C, belongs to Podkrušnohorská area of Kyselka. Due to the high temperatures terms is performing mechanical mixture of water and gaseous CO2, causing among other things discountinous nature splash of Hot Spring. The basic chemical composition of each sprain is almost identical. Carlsbad warm water is a natural ionic solution containing dissolved carbon dioxide – CO2. Main dissolving components are sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium, bicarbonate, sulphate and chloride, and many other minerals in small to trace amounts of active ionic form.
Each springs differ in their temperature, the content of free dissolved carbon dioxide concentration and radioactivity side and tracers. In the terminology it is thermal, hypotonic, highly mineralized mineral water of type Na-HCO3SO4Cl (alkaline Glauber’s salt, according to the older nomenclature alcalic-muriatic). A large role in the medicinal effect of the use of these waters has a content of pharmacologically active substances.
Springs are lightly radioactive, fault structures in which circulates thermal water, emits into the atmosphere a number of important substances that seem to have a beneficial effect on the human body.
For the needs of the spa industry, meaning for drinking cures, carried out in five colonnade buildings and four headwaters pavilions and Glorieta, and other internal and external balneo is now used by 12 major springs renowned for the natural healing resources: Hot Spring, The Source of Charles IV., Lower Chateau Spring, Upper Chateau Spring, Market Spring, Mill Spring, Rusalka Spring, Wenceslaus Spring, Libuše Spring, Rock Spring, Liberty Park Spring, New Park Spring Old Park Spring, Snake Spring.
Until the 18th century people in Karlovy Vary were treated only by baths, although already in. 1521 dr. Václav Payer recommended to use local thermal water for drinking as well. Patients remained in line with the findings of the former spa medicine in hot baths, served in public pools, often for several days, until their skin has been “eaten away”. Thermal water was also used for the treatment of skin diseases. Four large pools were build at the Hot Spring. First for patients with internal and rheumatic pains, the other for those who suffered from scabies; in third lepers were bathed and fourth was for patients with skin ulcers.
Drinking cure took over after about 250 years later, at the initiative of Dr. David Becher, who was one of the first conducted a chemical analysis. Treatment through drinking soon proved especially excelled in diseases of the stomach, intestines and liver, and soon suppressed disproportionate baths.
Even drinking cure ran out to an extreme by time, patients were gradually forced to drink 11-51 cups at about 140 m of water, which is 1.5 – 7 liters per day. Scientific knowledge was gradually mitigate and mutual harmonization of the two basic types of treatment, bathing and drinking. The basis for today’s Carlsbad treatment is repeated drinking of thermal water, which in turn means an increased supply of water and minerals to the body and then regulate water and mineral economy of the organism. Besides the direct impact on congestion, metabolism and detoxification happens in the body’s cells which favorably affects Carlsbad and microbial colonization of the intestines and their production. Carlsbad treatment is therefore natural pharmacological treatment of diseases and postoperative gastrointestinal and biliary tract, liver, pancreas and certain metabolic diseases (diabetes), and urinary tract.
The mineral content is about 6.5 grams per liter. If a patient drinks one liter of Carlsbad water a day for 3 weeks, he receives 130-140g of these minerals. Transferred to the idea to half-gram tablets (eg. size of Aspirin) in terms of 260 to 280 tablets – about 13 tablets a day. Carlsbad treatment is not homeopathy or alternative healing, but regular pharmacotherapy arising naturally and well balanced set of minerals in active form.
Drinking cure is always carried out at the springs for at least three weeks before eating (half to 1 hour before meals), in the morning, in the evening, and sometimes even before lunchtime – drinking 200 to 600 milliliters of water prescribed by the physician. It is also necessary to observe the “Ten Commandments of Drinking Cure at Karlovy Vary”. An inseparable part of the complex Carlsbad treatment is not only drinking cure of Carlsbad springs, but appropriate diet as well and also complementary balneology and physiotherapy treatment procedures.
