The previous blog I wrote on cold water healing provided me a new technique to help with waking up in the morning, which is no easy task. For the past four mornings, I have started bathing in warm/hot water and ended with a cold shower, which is quit a shocker at 6:30 in the morning. I will say however that I have been much more alert and my muscles haven’t felt as weighted down as they normally do. It is like drinking a cup of coffee. Now let’s turn to hot/warm water bathing to explore its health and healing benefits.
Ancient civilizations recognized the numerous health benefits of bathing. The father of medicine, Hippocrates, a fourth century BC Greek Physician recommended bathing for its therapeutic benefits and treatment of various illnesses. Rome, Greece, Japan, and other great cultures built extensive bath facilities utilizing them up to three times a day. Roman bath houses were central to daily life and the gathering place for community news updates. Have we become too busy, bought in to marketed medicine, or simply just uninformed that we have fallen away from historically effective healing practices? Let’s take a look at the therapeutic benefits of hot water therapy. Hot baths are calming, relaxing, and eases a myriad of health concerns from muscular pain to healing wounds.
There are a number of groups, organizations, and societies who recommend and treat those suffering from various illnesses with hot water bathing. The chief function of hot water bathing is to stimulate blood circulation nourishing and healing tissue as well as removing harmful toxins from the body. The following are reports on illnesses aided with hot water therapy.
Pressure Ulcers
An article written by Teresa Miller published in Physical Therapy reports on a collaborative hospital research project finding “daily use of whirlpool treatment along with conservative treatment improved the healing rate of pressure ulcers.”
Child Birth & Labor: Researchers with the University of Pennsylvania Health System reviewed the use of hydrotherapy during labor and reported its effectiveness to low risk women as a safe nonpharmacological alternative to cope with labor pains. Their findings reveal several other benefits including “increased relaxation, increased satisfaction, lower blood pressure, and increased diuresis with women who bathe during labor.”-Marilyn Stringer PhD, CRNP, RDMS, Lisa Hanes RN, MSN, CNM (1999) Hydrotherapy Use During Labor: An Integrative Review Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing e6 (1), 3–9. doi:10.1111/j.1524-475X.1999.00003.x
Lower back pain: A website for Spine Professional reports heat therapy like taking a hot bath is an effective and inexpensive treatment for those suffering from lower back pain. Check out their treatment recommendations by clicking here.
Menstruation: An article published by the Mayo Clinic on menstruation recommends hot water baths for easing discomfort.
Night Leg Cramps: Ohio Health recommends several treatment options for those who experience leg cramps at night including taking a hot bath. For more information on what causes leg cramps and how you can prevent them click here
Other Ailments: Muscle strain/spasms; hemorrhoids; arthritis; chronic rheumatic manifestations in joints, fibrous tissue, and muscles; colic in the gastric, intestinal, gall bladder, or urinary tracts; slight increase in metabolism; colds/flu; anxiety/stress; and so on click below
· Women’s Health Care Topic Article
· 50plus Article
· Readers Digest Article
That wraps up today's hot water blog. For a good deal on Hydrotherapy products please check out Mybath.biz for all your needs.
I just read your article on hot water therapy and I'm very curious. I suffer from lower back pains and I'm on my feet about 10hrs a day. I tried using those heat strips and they are a joke. How much tension do you think those massage jets can relax? What I really mean is how much pressure can they put out? If the PSI is high enough I could see the hot water treatment really being effective.
Posted by: ALAN | Nov 18, 2008 at 05:40 PM