Salt water pools, especially those with a high concentration of salt, similar to that in the Dead Sea, ease the agony of arthritis, research by Manchester University’s Department of Life Sciences has clearly shown.

The scientists have found that the saline medium reduces painful inflammation of the joints.

Vincent Compan, head of the research team, said ‘‘this research opens up exciting opportunities. What we have identified has the potential to be used to help many patients.”

Dr Compan and colleague Paolo Pelegrin found that the salt water reduced the swelling of cells in the bodies of arthritis sufferers by dehydrating them. The salt worked the same whether it was injected directly into the patient or absorbed through the skin by means of immersion in a pool.

The research findings are music to the ears of Michael Zammit Tabona, managing director of the Fortina Spa Resort and Hotel Fortina, although he insists “this is nothing new for us”.

Zammit Tabona has long had background knowledge and been insisting about the value of highly concentrated sea water as an important medical teatment. But he said it was nevertheless re-assuring to learn that “our 14 years of experience have finally been vindicated.

“We based our confidence on thousands of years of anecdotal evidence passed on by our forefathers and ancient civilisations of how important immersion in sea water is, and we always had faith in it,” he said.

He pointed to the irony that although Malta was surrounded by sea water it was not being prescribed or used for such treatment. By contrast the Fortina Spa Resort went a step further and mimicked the concentration of salt water in the Dead Sea for the benefit of its clients.

The spa’s head physiotherapist, Alan Zammit, together with other medical staff, use the high salt content of the resort’s pool water to treat an array of conditions ranging from arthritis, post-operative patients, sports injuries to stroke patients for the past 14 years with great success.

Its clients include world-class athletes, including football players of Manchester United and Sheffield United, top-class sprinter Marlene Ottey, movie actors Rufus Swell (Zorro, The Illusionist), Matthew Marsdon (Helen of Troy) Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia) and recently, Angelina Jolie, besides many local sports champions.

Zammit Tabona recommends the use of the spa’s salt water pools as a means of recovery not only for athletes following strenuous exercises but also for people suffer-ing from physical or mental exhaustion.