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Glite Dictionary
heliotherapy

heliotherapy

1 8.8
The use of sunlight to treat some illnesses
  • noun
  • /ˌhiːliəʊˈθɛrəpi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : helioterapia

Examples

  • Lately, she's been obsessed with one of the patients in the heliotherapy ward, a young girl named Sophie.

    Lights Out (2016)

  • The doctor recommends heliotherapy to help treat the patient's skin condition using sunlight.

  • Many skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis, can benefit from the practice of heliotherapy as it uses natural sunlight to promote healing.

  • Doctors in some regions advocate heliotherapy as a means to use sunlight for therapeutic effects, particularly for certain skin disorders.

Synonyms

insolation
vsheliotherapy
  • Archaic
9.9

Exposure to sunlight for health treatment

focuses on treating particular health conditions rather than body exposure

How Therapeutic

phototherapy
  • Specialized
1 5.8
heliotherapy
  • Specialized
1 8.8
insolation
  • Archaic
9.9

Surface Forms

heliotherapy singular
heliotherapies plural

Morphology

heliotherapy = therapy (semi-transparent) = helio + therapy

The word is formed by the combining form 'helio-' (sun) plus 'therapy'; the relation is clear but 'helio-' may be unfamiliar to B1 learners.

Etymology

Heliotherapy comes from Greek parts helio- meaning 'sun' and -therapy meaning 'healing'. That's why heliotherapy is literally 'sun healing' and refers to using sunlight to treat illness.