Steam Shower and Spa Resource

Hot Water Healing (Part 2)

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.

Burr: Cold Water Healing (Part 1)

As mentioned briefly in an earlier blog, Having Trouble Sleeping, hydrotherapy can help with sleep. Today were going to explore how water temperatures can help your body with various other conditions. Many of us shower or bath rather quickly either in the morning or in the evening just for the simple task of cleaning ourselves. However, water can be used for so much more and with a little information we can all take advantage of the healing, soothing, and healthy properties of water.

Water is an instrument stimulating chemical and mechanical reactions in our body. Water temperatures can affect the flow of blood and thereby affect our blood pressure and circulation. Knowing how to use water’s capabilities effectively can help with muscle stiffness, hot flashes, wake/sleep cycles, and various other concerns. Let’s first take a look at the application of cold water.

If you’re having trouble staying wake in a company meeting or listening to a rambling friend try taking a break and putting your wrists under or submerging you arms up to your elbows in cold water for a few minutes. This simple process can reinvigorate you and is as effective as drinking a cup of coffee according to Giselle Roeder writer for Alive Magazine. Roeder also recommends filling the bath tub with cold water and lifting each leg in and out of the water for several minutes to help with hot flashes, muscle soreness, and sleep.

Cold water has been used throughout the centuries to help boost immune system functioning. One well known example is Father Sebastian Kneipp, a promoter of hydrotherapy in the 1800’s, who suffered from Tuberculosis which went into remission when he began taking dips several times a week in the icy Danube River. Cold water bathing has also been found helpful for itchy skin, sunburn, asthma, stimulating metabolism, and increasing sperm counts. Cold water stimulates your body, boosts your immune system, and invigorates your whole being.

Part 2 will explore the benefits of warm/hot water bathing.

Thank you for choosing Mybath.biz for all your bathroom needs!

Do You Having Trouble Sleeping?

Ah, sleep the cherished prize at the end of a hard day of work and play. This mentally and physically restful state refreshes our minds and rejuvenates our bodies to begin anew. The importance of this seemingly innocent endeavor is paramount when we discuss its affects on health and well-being. Some of us tend to have no problem falling asleep at the end of the day while others of us struggle night after night, which can lead to some serious health conditions like obesity, depression, heart disease, and diabetes to name a few.

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) reports while insomnia is linked to health, mood, cognitive performance, and memory problems, sleeplessness is under-recognized and therefore not often discussed by physicians and patients alike. This is not cool as there are more than 40 million people suffering with chronic sleep disorders as well as 30 million more with occasional sleep problems in the United States according to NSF.

Why is this a concern? Well, the NSF reports sleeplessness costs us around 16 billion dollars a year in medical expenses and billions more in driving accidents, work problems, and social activities. The NSF conducted a 2005 poll of American adult drivers finding 168 million people drove while feeling drowsy in the last year with 103 million reporting they actually feel asleep. Pretty scary when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports, “drowsy driving causes more than 100,000 crashes a year, resulting in 40,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths.” The NHTSA believes the numbers are much higher as driving drowsy is frequently underreported. So what can those of us with insomnia and other sleeping disorders do?

Take action by first consulting with a Sleeping Disorder Physician as there are a few severe sleeping disorders like sleep apnea which may need medical intervention. Several treatment approaches to managing sleep disorders are available which include some life style modifications. A few changes, tweaks, and adjustments to your daily life can aid tremendously in your sleep state. The following suggestions are ways you can help your body, mind, and spirit get the rest it needs to live your best life.

·         Establish a routine daily exercise program, which ends no later than 2-3 hours before bedtime.

·         Eat a wide variety of fresh whole foods including fruits, veggies, fiber, dairy, and meat. Make sure to finish eating approximately 3 hours and drinking liquids 2 hours before bedtime.

·         Reduce/avoid caffeine and alcohol especially close to bedtime. For some individuals, caffeine stays in the body for up to 12 hours.

·         Stop smoking especially close to bedtime as nicotine is a stimulant.

·         Maintain a bedtime and awake time routine as your body’s internal clock functions better.

·         Create a cozy bedroom favorable to sleep which is comfortable, cool, noiseless, and dark. I find a fan blowing in the background helps with periodic noises from outside.

·         Association Technique: If you awake easily during the night or have trouble falling asleep, try getting out of bed and sitting in the other room doing nothing until you become drowse. Also, avoid using your bedroom for watching television, reading, and eating so your mind associates your bedroom with sleep.

·         Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique: This works well for me and is simply lying in bed, focusing on your breathing, progressively tightening and releasing each muscle group starting with your feet ending with your scalp, and repeating until you drift to sleep. You can also focus on each muscle group going loose and limp as you relax the muscle group.

·         Aromatherapy: Use essential oils as part of your bedtime routine like rubbing on lavender to assist with relaxing.

·         Hydrotherapy: Soaking in hot water an hour or two before bedtime can also help with sleep as hot water can raise the body’s temperature increasing circulation. Taking a hot bath too close to bedtime can actually keep you awake, so make sure to fit in this relaxing activity early in the evening. Check out the new 2008 HydrOasis Hot Tub with 103 Jets available to you from Mybath.biz!

Many of the above suggestions can be found on the NSF’s website by clicking here. Hopefully, these techniques can aid you in getting the sleep your body needs. Thank you for reading the MyBath.biz blog and please send in your questions and comments on this article or topics you would like more information on.

Hydrotherapy Inside-Out

    My bath is committed to sustaining the healthy lifestyle of both the readers of our blog entires as well as the people who have chosen to invest in the high quality Rainforest Steam Showers, Far Infrared Saunas, Vanity sets and- as they're being installed all over the U.S. and Canada right now -the brand new HydrOasis Hot Tub.
    It is a well accepted fact inside the health community that it cannot be one thing alone upon which we base our individual states of health.  While our Luxury Steam Showers and Far Infrared Saunas aid in your healthy lifestyle it is imperative that you understand knowledge is the true remedy and your greatest ally in combating disease, deficiencies and illness.
    According to Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, M.D. and author of Your Body's Many Cries for Water, "the parts of the body that suffer the most from a shortage of water are those without direct vascular circulation, especially the joint cartilage in Fingers, Knees and the Spinal Vertebrae." 
    Further, according to Dr.Batmanghelidj, "Chronic pains are often indicators of Chronic Dehydration." 
    Alternative Medicine, the definitive guide states, "when any of your joints begin to signal pains that come and go, the first thought that should occur to you is that your body is severely short of water."  Many of these pains would generally be reported to a health care professional prematurely and result in medication being prescribed and not addressing the actual cause of the pain- only dulling and managing it.  This line of thought stretches to include Rheumatoid joint pain which is a direct signal of local water deficiency. Gone untreated and misdiagnosed can possibly lead to permanent cartilage damage. 
    It is important as you embark, or continue on your quest for health and participate in activities which result in perspiration and dehydration that you take your overall hydration very seriously.  Those of our customers who utilize Steam Inhalation as a therapy or use Far Infrared Saunas for everything from Endometriosis to Fibromyalgia please monitor your intake of water diligently to stay healthy and happy. 
      

Spas, Health, and Convenience

So what drives people to use spas? According to the 2004 International Spa Association (ISPA) consumer report, people use spas for work, escape, and indulgence. Further, the report reveals a core group of spa goers use these services to boost their health and well-being lifestyle (work) whereas occasional spa goers often seek life changing/altering experiences. The spa environment plays a central role in the overall experience spa goers seek as well as their likelihood of return.

In today’s fast paced world, Americans are seeking more avenues like the spa for achieving balanced lives. In 2005, approximately 32.2 million American adults visited a spa to “relieve stress, reduce stress, sooth aching joints/muscles, and feel better” according to the ISPA. As of August 2006, there were 13,757 spas in the United States, which is up from 10,128 in 2004 representing an annual growth of approximately 16%. The top benefits spa goers seek, value, and enjoy include: “relaxation, calm/quite/peacefulness, pampering, time out for themselves, and refreshment”.

So what gets in the way of more frequent spa use? The two infamous reasons spa goers don’t utilize spas more frequently according to the ISPA include: time and money. In an effort to overcome these two obstacles, Mybath.biz offers consumers the opportunity to create, customize, and enjoy spa products and equipment in the comfort of their own home. Creating a spa environment specific to your desires, tastes, and needs provides you with a cost and time effective way to reduce stress, sooth your aches and pains, and rejuvenating your soul at anytime you choose and for a one time reasonable price. With the average spa packages costing $500-$1,500 for an overnight/weekend, you can purchase many of Mybath.biz’s products in just a few trips to the spa.

To create your ideal home spa refuge consider what atmosphere encourages solace, retreat, and healing in your life. To create a home spa, some individuals take an area of their home like the basement to include a small workout room, sauna spot for detoxifying, and steam shower and/or hot tub room for hydrotherapy. This all encompassing spa room allows users to have all the equipment they need to treat, calm, and refresh themselves at anytime they choose. Some items to consider when designing, setting up, and creating a home spa include lighting, paint color, aromas, music, water-friendly furniture, and food/drink keepers. Spas are showing more and more importance to maintain balance, health, and well-being in a hectic world. So what are you waiting for? Jump in!

Pain Experiences and Hot Tub Relief

About ten years ago, I set out to shed a few pounds and took up jogging for exercise. After about a year of getting up each morning and jogging about 2 miles, I started to experience lower back pain.

At first, I thought a few days of rest would solve the problem and the pain did subside for a brief period of time. Although, the pain continued and spread into my right hip, which led to a visit with a local Chiropractor, lots over the counter pain medications, and an eventual trip to my Orthopedic Doctor. I frequently visited the Orthopedic Doctor growing for scoliosis, which is a curvature of the spine. After the appointment with the Orthopedic Doctor, I was scheduled for a reconstructive hip surgery involving the rearranging of several bones in my hip and pelvis area. I’ll spare the details.

        After the surgery, I spent a couple weeks in bed before being released for physical therapy. The physical therapy was an achievement and I was excited about getting back on my feet. The best part of physical therapy was the hot tub, although it wasn’t your standard hot tub. This special hot tub was a big metal container built for one individual, which I found amusing at the time although I so appreciated how it felt.

The experience of being in the moving water was like paradise as much of my pain subsided in the warm bubbling water. There is much research on hydrotherapy for lower back, joint, and muscular pain, which can explain the process in further detail. The only research I have to offer is my personal experience of being in the water and experiencing the relief first hand.

To check out some comfortable top of the line hot tubs, visit MyBath.biz for all your bathroom needs.

The BRAND NEW 2008 6-person HydrOasis Hot Tub with 103 Total Jets, 15 HP, 8” LCD TV, DVD/CD Player with MP3/MP 4 input and built with Phalanx Acrylic is about to be released.

Steam Showering letters

                Muscles are prone to a bevy of problems due simply to the way they exist and are exercised due to natural physiology.  Spasms and cramps are the most common ailments which see immediate relief in the use of steam showers.  Since muscles are in a constant state of contraction they build up waste materials- lactic acid – and fail to function properly.  However, their failure to function can be cured is the waste is given a way to exit the muscles, enter a steam shower, and allow room for nutrients to enter and repair damaged muscles- making you stronger and hastening recovery.  Steam showers relax tissues.  They expand and release what they are holding onto.  20 minutes would be good time spent in the steam shower giving the cells opportunities to contract and expand, release and take in nutrients quickening the process of recovery through the water dense environment of a steam shower. 

Steam Showering letters:

          Ancient civilizations (not in anyway whatsoever intimating all their contributions to history have been antiquated, made obsolete or less applicable) discovered and exploited the curative elements of many of the Earth’s natural resources and environmental factors such as Steam- now intelligently harnessed in the form of Steam Showers as preventative medicine and/or Steam Showers playing an active role in curing already acquired ailments caused by pathogens or viruses which have invaded our bodies and slipped past the sentinels of our immune system.  Native American sweat lodges could be likened to the effects garnered from steam showers- mechanism not the same, alls well that ends well.   

Steam showers work in an entirely created-at-will healthy environment inside simple steam enclosures as well as the elaborate, well equipped and luxuriant steam showers which we have seen modern technology make marvels of in the last few decades.  Few organizations, be they of the medical field or those companies practicing the craft of remodeling and improving the bath and shower industry stand in as high esteem as the My Bath Steam Shower company which specializes in amalgamating the best of what the old has to offer with ALL that we imagine the future will shed light on scientifically- our imaginations being the only limiting factor in applying steam showers to enhance every aspect of our lives. 

“Every aspect” includes the soothing steam shower environment calming anxiety and stress- no more prescriptions needed in some cases, please refrain from fisticuffs when you shell out a co-pay for a young whipper-snapper of a doctor to say, “a steam shower should do the trick.  And in the event one doesn’t do the trick, feel free to take another steam shower…”  Gee, thanks for the liberty doc!

Any teenager past, present and future understands the frustration and borderline embarrassment of Acne; steam showers have proven powerfully effective for improving the quality of skin, old and young alike.  As a teenager’s skin is inundated with moisture inside the steam shower, be there on in their home, their pores are coaxed open to release toxins and cleanse the very pores out of which acne and pimples sprout.  Steam showers are currently likened to the blue jeans of bathroom fashion and utility… make no mistake, steam showers are here to stay! 

Steam Showering letters:

     Essential oils link us in a “made for one another” relationship with nature.  All essential oils are found in and derived from plants which grow naturally on the planet.  Perhaps some of the first medicine known to have ever been used; essential oils are the cumulative wisdom of countless civilizations of human kind who noticed certain physiological effects to the body when certain plants or herbs were ingested, chewed on, snorted, or burned to be inhaled as smoke, or heated with water and inhaled as a vapor.

                Several of the My Bath steam showers have Aromatherapy dispensers which allow you to enhance the steam shower experience, inhale and enjoy the positive effects of aromatherapy.  Whether you are looking to aid the steam shower at relaxing you directly before bed time, or perhaps after playing a baseball game with friends and family, or melding the steam with an invigorating essence to jump start you day, along with ending your session inside the shrine of a steam shower by gradually allowing the water to cool and then become tolerably cold for at least two minutes, instituting contrast hydrotherapy- all the while inhaling healing through the steam shower’s Aromatherapy dispenser. 

Steam Showering letters:

  Time (even twenty minutes to be spent in a Steam Shower) is a limited commodity in today’s society which is why health oriented philosophies and practices are leaving the gym and steam bath houses and entering our homes.  Entrepreneurs of business industry are collaborating with innovators of science and technology to make health decisions easy decisions and engineering ways to get maximum results out of a steam shower session which consumes no ore time than it takes for a regular shower.  Combining several steps of ones day into one, the steam shower industry is doing its best to pique your curiosity in health while entertaining you long enough for it to catch on.  It would be a hope that after some time enjoying and being regaled by the truly awesome technology pioneering the industry, you’d enjoy the steam shower for its health benefits and it could be the tipping off point for you to pursue health on your own, without technological goading or being enticed by electrical gadgets… though they are WAY COOL!

It is perhaps one of the ultimate ironies that one of the things we claim not to have enough time to care about is our health- the very things which ensure we WILL have more time for everything else.  Set aside twenty minutes a day to enjoy the benefits of a steam shower.  Steam showers fit inside any domicile, are simple to install with the aid of a certified plumber, and are also a special luxury to be enjoyed.