According to the website, Balneotherapy.com, balneotherapy is the "art and science of bathing." By making use of natural elements, such as hot springs and natural herbal substances, the therapy aims to, "enhance the immune system, stimulate circulatory process including lymph and blood circulation, accelerate cell activity, dilating [sic] tissue and vessels activating the self healing potential naturally."

A study published in the July 2005 issue of the journal, Joint Bone Spine, examined the use of balneotherapy in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis. The study was conducted in Turkey and examined balneotherapy only treatment, balneotherapy treatment in conjuction with NSAID treatment, and NSAID only treatment in 61 patients.

Although significant improvement was seen in all three groups of patients, the authors found and concluded that, "[balneotherapy] can be suggested as an effective symptomatic treatment modality in patients with AS." They add that, "sufficient improvement in clinical parameters can be obtained by [balneotherapy] alone."

Potential cardiovascular side effects such as heart attack caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been the focus of a plethora of recent research. However, compared to smoking, NSAIDs are much less of a threat to cardiovascular health. As reported by Rheumawire, JointandBone.org's news service, the largest NSAID study to date was recently concluded and Dr. Gurkipal Singh, the lead author of the study, reported his findings at the European League Against Rheumatism's (EULAR) 2005 meeting.