Am I the only one to see the partial error of reasoning made by the "group of swimmers" who challenged Dr Richard Russell's claim that sea water could be a cure for all their ailments (The Argus, December 8)?

On their website they claim: "People did swim but to relieve themselves from the pressures of life rather than for the sake of their health." In other words - to reduce the degree of stress.

Slowly we are learning how intimately and inevitably mental and physical factors are inter-related and this is no more illustrated than in what we call "stress".

Even those who refuse to bathe in the sea delight in a good "soak" in the bath.

The spin-off benefits of sea-bathing are well established but its intrinsic benefits must not be overlooked.

-Reg Jenkins, Hove