Ancient and Unique Uzbekistan: The Fergana Region II

You can come to Fergana region not only to see ancient architectural monuments and enjoy the unique nature and culture but also to heal your health.

In many places of the Fergana region, there are unique mineral springs that have been used for medicinal purposes for a long time. Sanatorium villages have sprung up around these springs for many years. They are located in picturesque places with pleasant climatic conditions.

Besharyk district, Rapkon village. This photo is courtesy of the Press Service of Tourism and Sports Department of the Fergana Region.

Sanatoriums in Fergana and Fergana region provide guests with modern comfortable rest and quality care.

This photo is courtesy of the Press Service of Tourism and Sports Department of the Fergana Region.

Patients with diseases such as hypertension, asthma, diabetes, bronchitis, frequent colds, and heart failure are accepted for treatment in Fergana. Mud therapy is widely used using local silt-sulfide mud and mineral springs. They effectively fight against serious gynecological diseases and pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. The list of services also includes accommodation of guests in rooms, meals in the dining room according to the established schedule, as well as an entertainment program. The sanatoriums have a well-developed infrastructure.

This photo is courtesy of the Press Service of Tourism and Sports Department of the Fergana Region.

Spending time on the beach lying on the hot sand is possible not only for pleasure but also in order to improve your health with the help of the psammotherapy procedure.

Psammotherapy (translated from Latin – sand treatment) was known in ancient times. Hot sand treatment is mentioned in the writings of Herodotus, Galen, and Avicenna.

There is evidence that the Mayan Indians also knew about this amazing method. At the end of the nineteenth century, psammotherapy began to spread in European countries. In particular, in Dresden, Dr. Fleming opened the first psammotherapy hospital, in which various diseases of the joints were successfully treated.

In many archaeological sites, medical devices for various purposes are still found, dating back to the 10-11th centuries. This means that the medical field has been developed in the Fergana Valley since ancient times.

One of the famous places in the Fergana Valley where psamotherapy is practiced is the Bastom Buva Sanatorium, located in the Buvaida district of the Fergana region, in the village of Bastombuva. The village has its own history. There is a mausoleum of the 11-12 centuries of Sheikh Khozha Bayezid Bastomiy.

Along with the traditional methods of treatment, you can treat here with the healing sands of the village of Bastombuwa. For centuries, locals have used natural healing sands to relieve pain. Natural sand is used in the treatment of nerve inflammation, diseases of the joints of the hands and feet, salt accumulation in the joints and heels, kidney diseases, infertility, and other gynecological diseases.

The popular resort of psammotherapy Bastombuva gathers thousands of people who come from Tashkent and Samarkand twice a year, in June and August, to warm up in the hot sand.

This photo is courtesy of the Press Service of Tourism and Sports Department of the Fergana Region.

The psammotherapy procedure can be carried out both on the beach and indoors, where pre-heated sand is used for this purpose. The patient lies down on hot sand, after which his entire body (except for the head) is covered with a 5-6 cm layer of sand, the stomach is covered with a thinner layer (1-2 cm), and the heart area is left free. It is very important that during the procedure the head and uncovered part of the body are in a shaded place, for which an umbrella can be used. In case of any deterioration in well-being, the procedure should be stopped immediately, after which a cold compress should be placed on the heart area.

This photo is courtesy of the Press Service of Tourism and Sports Department of the Fergana Region.

Due to the mild action of sand baths, they are prescribed even for children and the elderly, and even for people with cardiovascular diseases.

The total duration of the procedure is up to 30 minutes for adults and 15 minutes for children and the elderly. After completing the procedure, you need to take a cool shower (with a water temperature of 37-36 ° C), get dressed, and rest a little (40-60 minutes, without going out into the sun). The procedures can be performed every other day or two days in a row with a mandatory break on the third day.

It is known from the physics course that sand is an excellent conductor of heat, this is exactly what, as well as its mechanical properties, underlie the method of psammotherapy. When in contact with the skin, hot sand quickly and evenly warms a person, which leads to increased sweating and increased metabolism. In addition, the heated sand exerts mechanical pressure on the skin, massaging it and the underlying tissues, and the person relaxes, feeling a pleasant warmth. The constant absorption of sweat by the sand protects the patient from overheating, which makes it easy to tolerate the procedure.

Also, hot sand activates blood and lymph circulation, increases sweating, normalizes kidney function, reduces pain, and enhances the course of oxidative processes in the body.

The range of application of psammotherapy is very wide, which is explained both by the simplicity and high efficiency of the method, and by a very small number of contraindications for use.

Psammotherapy is successfully applied:

• for diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system
• for some diseases of the respiratory system
• with neuralgia, chronic neuritis, and radiculitis
• with inflammation of the female genital organs
• to combat the effects of polio and rickets
• with disorders of the peripheral nervous system
• for chronic diseases of the digestive system
• to fight overweight
• In children, psammotherapy helps in the treatment of exudative diathesis, allergies, and rickets.

Psammotherapy is contraindicated for:

• pulmonary tuberculosis
• general depletion of the body or during an exacerbation of diseases
• children under 3 years old
• in all cases when thermal procedures are contraindicated

When it comes to alternative therapies, perhaps the friendliest of them are those that involve interacting with animals.

The Vodiy Tulporlari breeding complex for the Karabair horse farm has opened in the city of Kuvasay, Fergana region.

The complex on the territory of 2.5 hectares is equipped with open and closed arenas with a modern drainage system and a solarium. The soil consists of quartz sand from the Zhero deposit in the Navoi region.

Three stables, one of which is designed for young animals, have all the amenities for quality horse care. Drinking bowls, feeders, and other accessories in the stalls were brought from abroad. The barriers for sports games are manufactured by domestic enterprises in accordance with international standards.

On the territory of the complex, a special pool and a sand walker have been built. In addition, there is a laboratory with the necessary equipment, including ultrasound machines and blood analyzers.

Horse farm Karabair in the Fergana region. This photo is courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The uniqueness of hippotherapy lies in the harmonious combination of body-oriented and cognitive methods of influencing the patient’s psyche. Therapeutic horseback riding generally has a biomechanical effect on the human body, strengthening it. For example, it transmits motor impulses to the rider, similar to the movements of a person when walking. The movements of the muscles of the horse’s back, consisting of many elements, have a massaging and gentle warming (the temperature of the horse is 1.5 degrees higher than that of a human) effect on the muscles of the rider’s legs and pelvic organs, which increases blood flow in the limbs. At the horse’s gait, the main gait used in hippotherapy, the horse performs about 110 multidirectional oscillatory movements, which in turn are transmitted to the rider.

Horse farm Karabair in the Fergana region. This photo is courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In order to maintain the correct position while riding, the rider must maintain balance, coordinate and synchronize his movements. Thus, in a patient with cerebral palsy, muscles that are inactive in everyday life are included in the work.

Horse farm Karabair. This photo is courtesy of the Press Service of Tourism and Sports Department of the Fergana Region.

In addition, horseback riding stimulates the development of fine motor skills and perseverance, as well as improves the harmonious perception of the surrounding world in patients, including those with mental disorders of varying severity. It is important that in the process of rehabilitation there is a consistent transfer of the acquired physical, communication, and other skills from the riding situation to everyday life.

Horse farm Karabair. This photo is courtesy of the Press Service of Tourism and Sports Department of the Fergana Region.

Hippotherapy is used to rehabilitate patients with neurological and other disorders such as cerebral palsy, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injuries, and behavioral and mental disorders.

Horse farm Karabair in the Fergana region. This photo is courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Another common type of folk treatment is the use of camel milk.

Since ancient times, people have appreciated and used camel milk in the treatment of various diseases, mainly liver diseases and kidney defects. It was especially beneficial for people with diabetes. Although at that time this disease was not yet known as diabetes, nevertheless, people suffering from the symptoms of the so-called “sugar” disease felt serious relief with the daily use of camel milk.

This photo is courtesy of the Press Service of Tourism and Sports Department of the Fergana Region.

In appearance and taste, camel milk practically does not differ from cow’s milk. It is white in color, with a sweetish and slightly salty flavor, the intensity of which is determined by the animal’s food and the quality of the water.

Camel milk is very nutritious and completely safe to consume. It is believed that people who drink camel milk on a regular basis are less likely to get sick. The composition of camel milk is almost identical to that of a human mother. Fortified with proteins and vitamins, it is an ideal nutritional supplement for malnourished children and adults.

Camel breeding is especially developed in Yazyavan, Dangara, Altaryk, and Quva regions. Local residents, as well as tourists from all over the republic, especially come to places where they offer camel milk.

This photo is courtesy of the Press Service of Tourism and Sports Department of the Fergana Region.

The Fergana Valley is one of the most picturesque and fertile corners of Uzbekistan. One of the unique and largest pharmaceutical enterprises of Uzbekistan, specializing in the production of herbal preparations, has been operating here for many years.

The Mehrigiyo company. This photo is courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Let’s start with history. The Mehrigiyo company was founded in 1992. Then, in a small enterprise, leading specialists in the field of herbal medicine and alternative medicine were able to combine their efforts to create unique products and become a breakthrough in the field of domestic pharmaceuticals.

In a fairly short time, the company’s plant products have won the trust of consumers not only in Uzbekistan but also abroad. To achieve such a high quality of the products produced, the local specialists mastered not only high-tech harvesting and packaging of plants but also their cultivation on their own plantations. But as they say, what you grow up is what you reap.

The Mehrigiyo company. This photo is courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Medicinal plants that grow on the local plantations and carefully sorted for future consumers are not just well-known dietary supplements. Herbal teas, herbs, and medicinal preparations, medicinal extracts, and balms are a natural protection against many ailments and diseases.

Today, a wide drug network of the company’s products is successfully sold in the domestic and foreign markets.

The Mehrigiyo company. This photo is courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

If you want to see how lavender grows in Uzbekistan or have breakfast on a poppy field, visit the Mehrigiyo plantation in the Fergana Valley.

One of the stunning and most beautiful places on the eastern border of the country, between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, is the unique mountain exclave Shakhimardan, which is 55 km away. from Fergana. Shakhimardan is surrounded by Kyrgyz territory and is located at an altitude of 1550 meters. Shakhimardan has the purest mountain air, it is washed on both sides by two rivers Oqsu and Koksu, which eventually unite into one large river Shakhimardan-sai. The nature of one of the most picturesque corners is famous for its transparent mountain rivers and healing springs, magnificent slopes, and depressions. Just 7 kilometers from Shakhimardan, there is a miracle of nature – the blue lake Kurbankul. A fabulous lake with the purest and clear water is located in the middle of the mountains of the Alay range.

The Blue Lake in Shakhimardan. This photo is courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan.