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As featured on the Business City Guide in association with TheTimes.co.uk and TheSundayTimes.co.uk

Fish therapy – a combination of nature and technology for your skin. A beauty procedure as well as psoriasis treatment.

One of the biggest organs in our body is skin. It performs vital functions - it protects our body from external aggression and keeps the inner environment in balance. Only healthy skin is capable of functioning well and the main purpose of skin care is to facilitate this process. Proper skin care makes your skin look healthier, more beautiful and improves regeneration.

However, when applying different beauty products, it is important to make sure whether they are harmful to our body. Until recently it was commonly believed that skin was waterproof and that substances would not reach our body through it. Today this has been proven wrong. Up to 80% of the substances we apply on our skin diffuse into our blood stream. This means that substances used in creams or other cosmetics end up in our bodies.

Consequently, keeping skin healthy and beautiful without damaging it with chemicals has become an increasingly important issue.  A unique, effective and completely natural way to take care of your skin is FISH THERAPY.

Fish Therapy or Ichthyotherapy is a unique relaxing procedure, during which special doctor fish (Latin garra rufa) improve your skin as well as your blood stream. In addition to a moisturized healthy skin, the procedure reduces stress.

Fish therapy is carried out in specially designed baths with approximately 200 doctor fish in it. The water is enriched with oxygen and sea salt. As a result you will get healthy-looking glowy skin. 

The Health Clinic in collaboration with Dr. Fisch Kalateraapia Salong provide a unique opportunity to pamper your skin using fish therapy. Dr. Fisch Kalateraapia Salong is located in Arigato sports centre in Tallinn and it is the only place in Estonia where the procedure is available.

We also offer psoriasis treatment since May 2010. According to medical research, ichthyotherapy is one of the most effective alternative treatments for psoriasis. It is a pleasant and relaxing procedure which helps the patient achieve a long-term remission. 

According to the Medical University of Vienna pilot research “Ichthyotherapy as Alternative Treatment for Patients with Psoriasis” (http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/3/4/483), next important aspects were observed:

• At the end of the 3 week treatment course 46.3 % of patients achieved at least a 75% recovery (PASI*-75) and 44.8% a 50% recovery (PASI-50).
• Response to treatment was complete or marked in 47.8 % of patients, moderate in 43.3% and slight in 8.9%. No patient failed to respond at all.
• Reported average remission was  8.58 months.
• 65.1% of  patients stated that if a relapse ocurred, it was not as severe as before the baseline.
• When compared to previous treatment, 87.5% of patients reported a more favourable outcome with ichtyotherapy.

The study found that ichthyotherapy is an effective and safe alternative treatment for patients with psoriasis.

EFFECTS OF ICHTHYOTHERAPY: STUDY RESULTS

The questionnaire was answered immediately after 3 weeks of  therapy.

How much did your skin condition improve after the treatment considering	Extremely	Considerably	A little	Not at all
Itching? (n=63)	46 (73,0%)	15 (23.8%)	2 (3.2%)	0
Pain? (n=54)	48 (88.9%)	6 (11.1%)	0	0
Skin tension? (n=62)	51 (82.3%)	11 (17.7%)	0	0
Induration?  (n=64)	49 (76.6%)	14 (21.9%)	1 (1.6%)	0
Scaling?  (n=66)	56 (84.8%)	9 (13.6%)	1 (1.5%)	0
Psycological problems?** (n=66)	31 (47%)	18 (27.3%)	4 (6.1%)	1  (1.5%)
Have you attained your treatment goal? (n=66)	44 (66.7%)	21 (31.8%)	1 (1.5%)	0
	yes	Probably yes	Probably no	Ei
Would you use this kind of therapy again?	59 (89.4%)	6 (9.1%)	1 (1.5%)	0