Hydrotherapy

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Hydrotherapy

 

As the name implies, hydrotherapy is therapy with water in any of its forms—ice, cold water, hot water, steam, freshwater, or water imbued with special minerals. Water can be used on or in the body to enhance health and treat a variety of health problems.

 

HistoryAs water is the most prevalent substance on earth, it’s no surprise that

 

humans have long used water therapeutically. The oldest records describing hydrotherapy methods can be found in 6,000-year-old Sanskrit writings. Today’s Jacuzzis are but one of the latest in a long line of hydrotherapy methods developed over the centuries.

 

What It IsPeople are increasingly leery of the rising use of medications to treat all sorts of health problems, minor or major. One of the key appeals of hydrotherapy is its simplicity. It uses the most common substance in our

 

environment and one that we know to be essential to us.

 

The different ways in which water is used therapeutically are almost too numerous to mention. For instance, while fasting, it’s important to drink enough water to help cleanse the body of wastes and toxins. Swimming in water exercises muscles and relieves tensions. Taking a steam bath or sauna invigorates the body and induces sweating to flush out impurities. Taking a hot bath can help us combat a flu or cold. And the list could go on and on. Some forms of hydrotherapy are found only in clinic settings, such as whirlpools for rehabilitating injuries, and colon therapy, which uses special equipment to flush water through the colon.

 

Hydrotherapy also is offered by special spas that provide access to the healing effects of hot springs or mineral waters. Still other hydrotherapies are easily and inexpensively available right at home.

 

Hydrotherapy at HomeWater—whether in frozen, liquid, or vaporized form—can be used at home in various therapies to treat many common health conditions.

 

Baths and ShowersAlthough they may seem routine, baths and showers are healing and health-promoting activities. A hot bath or shower can encourage relaxation and invigorate the immune system. Soaking in a hot bath causes one to work up a sweat, flushing out impurities built up in the body and inducing a fever.

 

Cold baths and showers, on the other hand, can be energizing and stimulating and can combat fatigue. Cold water also reduces inflammation. Alternating hot and cold showers (or going from a hot sauna to a cold snow drift—a Scandinavian tradition) can have invigorating effects. The hot-cold contrast enhances circulation and organ functioning.

 

Bath AdditivesAdding certain natural ingredients to bathwater can boost its detoxifying power and relaxation potential. Essential oils used in aromatherapy are one option.

 

A blend of four drops of juniper (to enhance blood flow), two drops of grapefruit, two drops of rosemary (for calming), and one teaspoon of vegetable oil added to a tubful of water is one suggestion.

 

Another bath recipe—one that can restore natural body salts and cleanse the body—calls for combining a half-cup each of sea salt and Epsom salts, plus one-third cup of dried kelp or dulse seaweed in a blender to form a powder, and then adding this mixture to your bathwater. As an alternative, you can use it as a skin scrub. Put some of the powdered mix on a washcloth or a loofah, dampen slightly, and work it into your skin with a massaging motion. Follow with a bath or shower.

 

Sitz BathA European tradition, the sitz bath calls for immersing the pelvis and lower abdomen in hot or cold water or alternating hot and cold. The upper torso and the feet should be out of the water.

 

A hot sitz bath is recommended for uterine cramps, painful ovaries or testicles, prostate infections, and hemorrhoids. A brief cold sitz bath is good for inflammation, constipation, vaginal discharge, and impotence. Alternating five minutes in hot water and one minute in cold water (alternating three times ending with cold) is used for relieving congestion in the pelvis.

 

CAUTIONOils added to bathwater can make the tub slippery. Lay a rubber mat on the tub bottom and hold on to something stable as you enter and exit the

 

bath.

 

Foot BathDizziness, nausea, insomnia, shivering, cold feet, foot and leg cramps, sore throats, colds, and flu respond to a hot foot bath, but be sure to wrap the upper body in a blanket to avoid chills and promote sweating. Alternating hot and cold foot baths can treat swollen ankles, foot infections, toothaches, and abdominal congestion. The latter is also a good technique for headaches, when a cold compress is also placed on the head.

 

Hand BathDipping a hand into hot water relieves hand cramps. Immersing the hand in cold water is helpful for stopping nosebleeds and treating sunstroke.

 

MORE BATH ADDITIONSHerbs, oils, and other home ingredients can be added to bathwater for health benefits. Here are a few samples:

 

Chamomile, lavender, and linden flowers create a calming bath. Essential oils such as lavender, rose, clary sage, ylang ylang, and patchouli relieve stress, headaches, muscle tension, and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

 

Epsom salts contain magnesium sulfate, which relaxes muscles and calms the nervous system.

 

Hot Packs and CompressesHot packs are commercially available, but to make a hot compress, soak a towel in hot water and wring out. Hot packs or compresses applied to the body can relieve sciatica, intestinal colic, painful menstrual periods, gallstones, muscle spasms, and pain. Be careful not to use water hot enough to cause scalding.

 

Ice Packs and Cold CompressesIce or gel packs are available on the market, but you can devise your own ice pack with a plastic bag of ice cubes. A bag of frozen peas works well, too. To make a cold compress, soak a cloth in ice water and wring out. Ice packs help to reduce swelling, inflammation, pain, or congestion. Thus, they are useful for sprains, tendinitis, bursitis, crushing injuries, and injuries due to blows.

 

Cold compresses provide the benefits of forcing blood away from an area, removing the toxins with it and relieving heat. Cold compresses can relieve or prevent headaches accompanying a fever and can reduce minor inflammations. A cold compress on the back of the neck can relieve nosebleeds.

 

Contrast HydrotherapyThis type of hydrotherapy involves alternating hot and cold compresses or hot and cold water immersions. The alternations increase blood flow through an area. In the case of injuries, ice should be applied during the first 24 to 36 hours. After that, alternate hot (five minutes) and cold (one-half to one minute). Always end with cold. Also use alternations for tendinitis, bursitis, arthritis, and local infections.

 

SteamSteam cleansing in the form of a sauna, Turkish bath, or Russian bath is

 

excellent for eliminating impurities and stimulating circulation throughout the body. Most people do not have these available at home, but one simple strategy for using steam as a health aid can easily be done in your kitchen. Boil a pot full of water, adding a little wintergreen oil or mint leaves if you like. Remove the pot from the burner. Then place a towel over your head to form a tent and lean over the steaming pot to breathe in the vapors. (Be careful not to get too close or to breathe too deeply because steam can cause scalding.) This procedure soothes the respiratory tract and helps to clear congestion.

 

Professional HydrotherapySome hydrotherapies cannot be done at home. Special equipment, such as whirlpools and steam baths, or special expertise, such as certain wraps or manipulations, often require the treatment be performed at a treatment facility.

 

Constitutional HydrotherapyNaturopathic physicians use this method for promoting overall health and immune system strength. Many conditions respond to constitutional hydrotherapy, including: asthma gastroenteritis arthritis upper respiratory infections bronchitis ulcerative colitis premenstrual syndrome

 

You can also do an adapted version of constitutional hydrotherapy at home, with a little help from a friend, by following these steps: Have the person lie face up on top of a sheet and blanket. Cover his or her trunk from the neck to the waist with two hot wet towels that have been wrung out. Over this, wrap the person in the sheet and blanket and leave on for five minutes. Lift the blanket and sheet and place a fresh hot bath towel on top of the other two hot towels. Flip all three at once so the fresh towel is on the person’s skin. Then remove the two old towels, leaving the new hot towel in place. Place a cold towel on top of the new hot towel and flip again so the cold one is against the person’s skin. Remove the hot towel, leaving the cold one, and wrap the person in the sheet and blanket again. (Add an extra layer of blanket if the person is

 

cold.) Leave on for ten minutes until the cold towel is nicely warmed. Lift the blanket and remove the now-warm towel. Have the person turn over to lie facedown. Repeat the process on the back side.

 

American Association of Naturopathic Physicians

 

 

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