How Water Cures What Ails You

We all know the benefits of drinking water and with New Years resolutions happening now I thought this article on the benefits of hydrotherapy may show you another way to be healthier using water besides drinking it! Watching your back, Dr. K

Hydrotherapy can help with everything from easing the symptoms of arthritis and side effects of chemotherapy. These treatments are best performed under the watchful eye of an expert. However, individuals can use hydrotherapy to help with fevers, stress relief and detoxification.

HOW IT WORKS

Hydrotherapy has been used in all cultures since the beginning of civilization. Sometimes warm or hot water is used in hydrotherapy, other times cold... while alternating hot and cold has an especially intense impact on the body internally.
Heat calms and soothes, quieting the body, explains Dr. Kruzel. When you are anxious and your muscles are tense and tight, a hot shower or bath (I like to add Epsom salts and lavender) is just what the doctor ordered. This technique has worked wonders. In contrast, cold energizes and stimulates. When you are overtired and dragging, try a warm shower or bath followed by a short, cold rinse for a quick burst of energy.
According to Dr. Kruzel, hydrotherapy has a number of specific physiological effects on the body, depending on the type of therapy. It can...

• Stimulate circulation, ease digestion problems and thyroid function.

• Increase blood and oxygen flow.

• Boost white blood cell count and enhance immunity.

• Calm the central nervous system, easing anxiety, tension and insomnia.

• Loosen tight muscles.

• Kick temperature up a half degree or more.

HOW IT'S USED

Hydrotherapy comes in many forms. We're all familiar with hot baths and cold showers, but there are also sitz baths (baths taken in a sitting position that cover the hips and buttocks), foot baths, hot and cold compresses, steam inhalation, whirlpools, saunas and more. Here are Dr. Kruzel's favorite do-it-yourself techniques...

• Reduce congestion associated with colds and flu. Try a home steam treatment. Inhaling steam helps loosen secretions, thus reducing congestion. Simply fill a third of a bowl with hot water, pull a towel over your head and inhale the steam for several minutes. (Some people like to add a drop or two of an essential oil such as eucalyptus to the water.) Warm compresses with Epsom salts can also help sinuses drain.

• Melt away stress. Soak in a hot bath, or better yet a whirlpool, which has a massage-like effect. You might want to add soothing herbs to your bath, including lavender and chamomile.

• Sooth sore feet. Add a tablespoon of Epsom salts and three to five drops of your favorite essential oil to a bowl of hot water. Soak feet for five to 15 minutes.

• Sweat out metabolic wastes. After your workout at the gym, visit the sauna or steam room for 15 to 20 minutes. To prevent overheating, wipe your face and neck frequently with a cold, wet washcloth. Also: See precautions below.

For upper respiratory infections (URIs) and fever: Wet a T-shirt and socks with cold water, and wring as much water out of them as possible. Next take a warm shower, and afterward don the T-shirt and socks. Cover with a dry, warm sweat shirt and a dry pair of sweat socks, and climb into bed. Sounds uncomfortable, but Dr. Kruzel assures me that it calms the nervous system, and causes the fever to spike and then break. Note: This treatment should be supervised initially by a health-care professional.
More fever relief: Wet a towel with cold water, and wring it out. Wrap the towel around the base of the skull and neck. This cools blood going to the brain. Try dunking your feet in ice water for only a minute and toweling dry. This can draw circulation down away from the head. Alternatively, just take a cool bath.

A FEW SIMPLE PRECAUTIONS

If you want to utilize hydrotherapy as part of a regular treatment plan and want specific guidance, Dr. Kruzel recommends that you seek the care of a naturopathic doctor (ND). Other simple precautions to follow are...

• If you are pregnant or have abnormal blood pressure or heart disease, do not use saunas or steam baths.

• If you have diabetes, do not apply hot applications to the legs or feet as you may not be able to have accurate temperature sensation in the limbs.

• Do not use cold applications if you suffer from Raynaud's syndrome (a condition that causes parts of the body -- such as the fingers and toes -- to feel numb in response to cool temperatures or stress).

• The very young and the very old should avoid extended hot treatments. And -- those with heart problems, MS and pregnant people should do these treatments under the care of a physician.

Anyone who has ever luxuriated in a hot bath or soaked in a whirlpool is already aware of the symptomatic benefits of water therapy!