Flying down to the Aegean for therapy, healing waters and sunshine is becoming a trend for many Scandinavians. Balçova, a district of İzmir, provides medical tourists with the amenities of a resort, while providing old world treatments for international patients.More than twice the population of Istanbul, approximately 12.7 million, will travel to Turkey next year for business, for pleasure, and for health. Last year, 200,000 visitors-chiefly from Europe, the former Soviet Union and the Middle East-entered the country to reward themselves with a range of medical services. They joined foreign residents and some of the 4.5 million Turks living abroad who returned to utilize the Turkish healthcare system.Turkey delivers a sound, accessible, cost-effective medical tourism alternative. The incentive to travel to Turkey for medical procedures increased when Turkish Airlines announced a 25 percent fare discount for documented medical tourists.Positioned over major fault lines, the nation contains roughly 1,000 hot springs that carry water from the earth's crust. It is estimated that thermal tourism in Turkey annually generates the equivalent of US$100 million. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has launched the Thermal Tourism Cities Project to focus on development in the Marmara, Aegean and central Anatolian regions.
The legendary Trojan War was fought around 1200 BC. Agamemnon, commander of the Greek forces, purposely brought his soldiers for rest and recovery to what is now present-day Balçova, a district of İzmir. The hot springs there still bear Agamemnon's name.Depending on the source, they run from 20 to 40 liters per second at a temperature of 75 to 140 degrees Celsius into wells that are 700 to 765 meters deep. With a pH level of 6.4 and a mineral content exceeding one gram per liter, the water contains sodium, calcium bicarbonate, fluoride, chlorine, sulfate, potassium and iron. Continually monitored for quality, and deemed safe for drinking, it is also used to heat nearly 10,000 dwellings that the municipality has connected by pipeline.A short drive from downtown İzmir, Balçova is set amidst 167,000 square meters of pleasingly landscaped grounds comprising gardens, playing fields, expansive outdoor and indoor pools, walking trails, illuminated tennis courts, miniature golf, hotel accommodations, greenhouses and a sprawling clinic. The government-operated complex includes Balçova Thermal Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center, Balçova Thermal Hotel and the popular Aquacity water park. Thermal water flows from taps in the spa hotel's four suites and 204 rooms, two dozen of which are equipped for occupants with special needs.Balçova's restaurants prepare dishes from organic ingredients grown onsite. Using the area's freshest fruits and vegetables, the chefs create an appetizing, nutritious fusion of Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine that is served inside or alfresco. The kitchens comply with restricted diets.Since 1982, Balçova has taken in patients requiring orthopedic, neurological or geriatric rehabilitation, supervised weight loss, or treatment for the following: inflammatory rheumatic diseases, muscle and soft tissue diseases, degenerative joint diseases, bone metabolism diseases and post-traumatic or post-operative sequelae.A large staff of medical doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, massage therapists, psychologists, hydrotherapy assistants, laboratory and x-ray technicians work with a minimum of 5,000 residential patients per year. There is the added reassurance of 24-hour ambulance service to the neighboring university hospital a mere 500 meters away.A bright and modern dental clinic provides implants and porcelain veneers to enhance appearance and well being at a fraction of the cost in Europe or North America.Estheticians offer a full menu of aromatherapy massage, botanical soaks, body peels, epilation, botox injections, foot care and manicures.
Each year, from November to March, the Norwegian health ministry sends up to 1,200 patients to Balçova for customized active and passive therapy, and has done so since 1992. In comparison to a Turkish patient's typical two-week stay, the Scandinavians arrive for 28 days in groups of 80. Most suffer from inflammatory rheumatic conditions. The written observations of their own doctors accompany detailed case histories, diagnoses, and lab reports.Patients are assessed on their first day. Functional tests give a snapshot of posture, flexibility, range of motion, endurance, balance, joint stability, strength, respiration and hand function.Programming may entail individual and group exercise in a gym or 36-degree-Celsius thermal pool, hydrotherapy in jet baths or in underwater massages, balneotherapy in whirlpools or in aromatherapy baths, electrotherapy, paraffin hot wax application or manual massage.
The last statistics available revealed that for at least six months after discharge a 27.2 percent of patients taking analgesic medications lowered, while 31.2 percent of patients terminated their pharmaceutical usage. Similarly, 24.7 percent of those on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs cut their intake, and 23.8 percent stopped altogether.Other findings demonstrate a significant decrease in morning stiffness and articular pain, improved posture, increased thoracic expansion, higher satisfaction with overall well being and better performance of the activities of daily living.General manager Turabi Celebi can scarcely suppress his enthusiasm for the globally unique medical spa that he administers. He pulls out drawings for a possible future hamam (Turkish bath) that would synthesize traditional and contemporary approaches to care.There appear to be no serious side effects and only minimal risks to drug-free hydrotherapy. But contraindications such as cancer, acute infection, uncontrolled diabetes or hypertension must be respected.It is widely accepted that thermal stimulation lessens muscle hypertonicity, alleviates pain in the short term and increases blood circulation, extensibility of soft tissue and range of motion of involved joints.Additional studies by scientific researchers are required to build a greater body of solid evidence-based literature in this field.
Apart from Balçova, the province of İzmir has sufficient attractions for a lifetime of vacations. On the list are culture, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment venues in İzmir, the sandy beaches and surf of Çeşme and the historical abundance of Ephesus to the south and Pergamon to the north.Heart of the Aegean region, with 3.5 million inhabitants, İzmir is Turkey's third-largest metropolis and the second-biggest port. It is supported by a gleaming new international air terminal, rail networks and a one-line metro feeding in from the northeast suburbs. Out in the bay, 24 commuter ferries crisscross between eight quays.Backed by mountains and facing the sea, the city's core was rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1922. The end product resulted in wide palm-lined boulevards, spacious squares and parks and repurposed piers. A magnificent promenade called the Kordonboyu stretches alongside the harbor to fashionable Alsancak. Notable landmarks include the ruins of the Agora marketplace and the Kadifekale hilltop fortress, Kemeralti Bazaar, Hisar Mosque, the synagogues of Havra Street and the Clock Tower in Konak Square.For 18 years, Ekrem Demirtaş has toiled as energetic chairman of IZTO's executive board. The chamber's vigor is mirrored in the branding of İzmir "Rediscover Life", the international fair and festivals, the restoration of the Levantine mansion tourist sites and the exploitation of onshore cruise ship passenger potential."For humans, health is everything," Demirtaş said. "This city has access to a health history of thousands of years. I invite people to come to İzmir both for the sun and to experience medical tourism."
Indeed, there is truth in the notion of a restorative return to the Aegean. Negotiations are currently underway to provide eventual treatment for as many as 1.5 million Dutch senior citizens at medical spas in Çeşme and İzmir.Procedures in the West are expensive, and systems are snarled. Moreover, an aging demographic time bomb, especially in Europe, points to a vibrant destiny for medical tourism in Turkey where the average age is 27.7.The southern Aegean climate plays its role beautifully, sharing a bounty of sunshine on 300 days out of 365. And people from northerly lands continue to fly through gray skies toward the light, the warmth, the welcome, the healing waters and the professionals who are there ready to help them.
Freelance journalist David Stubbs, formerly editor of Canadian Chiropractor magazine, is a contributor to Canadian Health, the Canadian Medical Association's waiting-room publication for patients. A registered massage therapist, he has worked in private practice in southwestern Ontario and in resort spas in the Muskoka region north of Toronto. While living in Japan, he was associate editor of Hikari magazine as well as communications officer at Showa Women's University in Tokyo. Previously, he resided in the Cariboo district of British Columbia where he was editor of the weekly 100 Mile House Free Press.
