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Between sand and sea The therapeutic properties of the sand and the waters that bathe Porto Santo provide another way of discovering the island As propriedades terapêuticas do areal e das águas que banham Porto Santo são outra maneira de descobrir a ilha TEXT RÚBEN CASTRO
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orto Santo's long sandy beach is almost always a reference point when the name of the island comes up in conversation. But, apart from its beauty, there is something more than meets the eye after enjoying the nine kilometres of golden sandy beach. Experts have long proven the therapeutic benefits of the island's sand. Due to the small size and low degree of hardness of the grain, Porto Santo sand has a high rate of heat retention. Its composition includes marine microorganisms, algae and mollusc shells. It adheres
easily to the skin and the fact that it is rich in natural anti-inflammatory, such as strontium, is reason enough for its use for therapeutic and medicinal purposes, for example in arenotherapy and psammotherapy treatments, especially for illnesses such as rheumatism. Sand treatment is part of the local hotel offer, and is even a bet of the Hotel Porto Santo, with recourse to vats developed for this purpose. Lying on a kind of wooden bed, the golden sand, which comes out of a tube, is then spread over the patient's www.essential-madeira.com 34
O
longo areal do Porto Santo é quase sempre motivo de referência quando o nome da ilha surge em conversa. Mas, para além da sua beleza, há algo mais do que a vista pode alcançar depois de desfrutar dos nove quilómetros de praia de areia dourada. Há muito que os especialistas comprovaram os benefícios terapêuticos da areia da ilha. Devido à pequena dimensão e baixa dureza do grão, o areal de Porto Santo tem uma elevada taxa de retenção de calor. Na sua constituição destacam-se os microrganismos marinhos, as algas e as
