| Hydrotherapy
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Hydro
therapy or "water therapy"
is the treatment of disease through
the use of water. Hydrothermal therapy
is the use of water temperature, such
as in hot tubs or spas. The focus
of hydrotherapy is to rid the body
of toxins that may be causing joint
pain and inflammation. Hydro therapy
treatments are also helpful in managing
chronic conditions such as rheumatoid
arthritis and osteo arthritis.
For treating many common ailments,
water healing is one of the oldest,
safest and cheapest methods. From
personal experience we know water
makes us feel better and is not just
for cleansing. After a strenuous day,
you know you'll feel much better after
soaking in a hot tub of water. The
hot water relieves fatigue and prevents
stiffness.
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The healing and recuperative properties
of hydro therapy are due to it's thermal
and mechanical effects. It employs the body's
reaction to hot and cold stimuli. From the
skin the nerves carry impulses deeper into
the body. This is instrumental in lessening
pain sensitivity, invigorating blood flow
and circulation, increasing the production
of stress hormones and stimulating the immune
system.
Hydrotherapy's more conventional uses are
the treatment of stress, muscle weakness,
balance disorders, diabetes and other diseases
that impair circulation, cramps, premenstrual
syndrome, arthritis, back pain, musculo-skeletal
injuries and soft tissue injuries.
Heat has the tendency to quiet and soothe
the body while slowing down the activity
of internal organs. A soak in a hot tub
will help when experiencing tense muscles
and anxiety from stress. One experiences
weightlessness when being submerged in water.
the body is given a break from the constant
pull of gravity. Water in motion stimulates
touch receptors on the skin releasing tight
muscles and boosting blood circulation.
The water kneads the body providing a massage
like feeling.
Using Hydrotherapy for the
Lower Back
 Lower
back pain is the number 2 reason in Canada
that people visit the doctor after colds
and the flu. Millions of people suffer needlessly
from lower back pain. A study published
in the British Journal of Rheumatology provided
evidence that hot tub therapy has short
and long term benefits for people with lower
back pain in 1995.
Researchers in France published a study
in the Journal of Rheumatology with wonderful
results. Examinations showed improvement
in health status (measured in back flexibility
and pain duration and intensity) of the
spa treatment group than in the medication-only
group after three weeks of consistent spa
therapy. The use of anti-inflammatory drugs
and analgesics also decreased in the spa
treatment group. This research information
was published in the March-April 1996 issue
of Arthritis Today.
Hydro therapy use in the back is useful
for diseases of the lungs, bronchial asthma,
multiple sclerosis, spinal disease, back
pain and weakened back muscles. it should
not be used on debilitated patients or those
with neurasthenia.
How About Arthritis?
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The
joints have the tendency to swell
and stiffen with heavy to moderate
exertion as we get older. One in six
Canadians have some form of arthritis.
The use of heat is recommended for
many people suffering from arthritis
and hydrotherapy is a great way to
distribute and deliver heat to many
parts of the body. The buoyancy of
water reduces body weight by approximately
85-90% and is what provides the relaxing
feeling of weightlessness. Many doctors
advise people with sore joints to
soak in warm water in the morning
before starting their daily activities.
Osteo arthritis patients usually
get better results with moist, warm
treatments as opposed to dry applications,
like electric heating pads. Exercising,
wading or swimming in a pool heated
to 85 degrees Fahrenheit is also very
effective when the affected part of
the body is immersed in the water.
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Alternating cold and hot baths are good
for treating hands and feet. The alternating
hot and cold stimulates circulation by causing
blood vessels to dilate, which is beneficial
for arthritic joints and aching feet. The
application of heat eases muscle tension,
is soothing and relieves pain.
Treatment for Insomnia
 Are
you not getting a good night of sleep anymore?
Losing sleep tends to make us feel bad,
short tempered and depressed. In July of
1998, Pool and Spa Magazine reported that
hot water bathing to induce sleep in 1,000
adults surveyed in a recent Gallup poll.
A Consumer Reports survey found that people
with mild sleep disorders listed a warm
bath as one of the most popular remedies.
A drop in body temperature can help ease
your body into a deeper sleep according
to a recent study. Soaking in a hot tub
at 104 degrees Fahrenheit an hour or two
before bedtime will cause the body's internal
thermostat to pull the body temperature
down, enabling deeper sleep. Soaking too
close to bedtime can make it harder to fall
asleep because of elevated body temperature
which is why it is suggested to soak an
hour or two before sleep time.
Rosalind Cartright, the director of Sleep
Disorders Service and Research Center suggested
that soaking in a hot tub could reset the
body thermostat, so people would wake up
more rested.
Soaking in a hot tub is a great way to
repair ravaged nerves while giving one a
better night of sleep. A leisurely soak
in a hot tub holds much promise for a good
night's sleep and is a good substitute on
days when you can't exercise.
Treating the Rest of the
Body with Hydrotherapy
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Using
hydro therapy for the face is useful
for relieving trigeminal neuralgia,
tooth aches, headaches and migraines
and relaxing tired eyes.
Treating the neck is useful for vertigo,
arthrosis of finger and hand joints,
tinnitus, mild depression, hyper sensitivity
to weather changes, tenseness in shoulder
and neck, headaches and migraines.
This treatment should not be used
by those suffering from raised intra-ocular
pressure, enlargement of the thyroid
or high blood pressure.
Hydrotherapy for the chest is useful
for angina pectoris, bronchial asthma
and bronchitis. Water temperature
should be moderated if there is angiospasm
risk. Water therapy for the upper
trunk (upper torso and arms) is useful
for improving blood flow to the heart,
lungs and pleura. It is useful for
stimulating respiratory and cardiac
activity, toning up, varicose veins,
nervous excitability, headaches, disease
of larynx and vocal cords, bronchial
asthma and bronchitis. This method
of hydrotherapy should not be used
if there is blood stasis in the pulmonary
circulation.
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Using hydro therapy on the arms is useful
for cold hands, catarrh in the nose and
throat, headaches, vertigo, heart problems,
rheumatism of the arms, neuralgia, paralysis
and nervous disorders.
Treating the hips with hydrotherapy is
useful ailments affecting the abdomen, reproductive
system, inflammations, pelvic congestion,
cramps, hemorrhoids, kidney pain and intestinal
pain. It is also useful for enlargement
of the gall bladder and stone formation,
enlargement of the liver, meteorism and
diabetes mellitus. It should not be used
for sciatia, irritable bladder, urinary
tract infections or during menstruation.
Hydrotherapy for the thighs can help improve
poor circulation and stimulate blood flow.
It is useful in the treatment of coxarthritis,
crural paralysis, muscular rheumatism and
varicose veins. Water therapy for the thighs
should also not be used for sciatia, irritable
bladder, urinary tract infections or during
menstruation.
Treating the feet and legs with hydro therapy
is useful for headaches and migraines, varicose
veins, contusions, sleeplessness and low
blood pressure. This type of water therapy
can help ward off vascular damage and influence
the digestive and reproductive organs. Like
the hips and thighs, hydrotherapy for the
feet and legs should not be used for sciatia,
irritable bladder, urinary tract infections
or during menstruation.
Hydrotherapy Risks
People with impaired temperature sensation
run the risk of scalding or frostbite at
temperature extremes.
Elderly people and young children may be
prone to exhaustion by too much heat and
should avoid long full body hot treatments.
Consult a physician to determine whether
a physical therapy is suitable for your
case when a condition is persistent or recurrent.
Also consult your doctor if you are pregnant
or have a heart disease. |
