Hydrotherapy Options

“Hydro” or water therapy is as old as recorded history and is still use in every culture in the world today. Simply stated, it is the application of water in any of its forms (liquid, steam, ice) in a therapeutic way. It’s likely you’ve already used hydrotherapy as an ice pack on a sprained ankle or a hot water bottle on a tight back. Hydrotherapy impacts blood circulation in some way. This is important because blood delivers nutrients to and removes wastes from tissues and organs. If circulation is poor or slow, healing nutrients cannot be delivered and toxins cannot be removed. General uses of hydrotherapy include pain and swelling of injuries, to induce a fever so as to improve immune function, and to hasten the elimination of toxins. Used consistently, it can be an excellent tool, often in conjunction with other therapies. There are many different applications of hydrotherapy. Below are three that can be easy to do and particularly useful in selected circumstances.

Sauna Hydrotherapy

The largest organ of elimination is your skin. Sweating can be an excellent way to compliment a detoxification or cleansing program. Sweating increases the rate of lipolysis or fat breakdown. Toxins (or xenobiotics) can be trapped in fat, and when liberated by increased temperature, can move into the blood stream. Sweating can then pull those toxins out through your skin. While any kind of sweating will do, saunas can be particularly useful as they can be tolerated for prolonged periods and can be done frequently and easily. Thus saunas can be a good adjunct to a detox or cleansing program.

Instructions: Saunas can be set at various temperatures. 150-170 degree Fahrenheit is a good range Drink 1 quart tepid water before sauna (take water into sauna) Spend 15 minutes in the sauna then take a cold water rinse. The cold rinse helps the ‘pumping’ of the circulatory system and increases the release of toxins Repeat process four times (for 1 hour) and may go up to 2 hours If heat bothers your head, wrap a wet towel around your head Make sure you ingest a good mineral supplement following the sauna to replenish any mineral loss through sweat

Hot and Cold Hydrotherapy

Alternating hot and cold (contrast hydrotherapy) is a common hydrotherapy treatment. The hot application expands blood vessels, filling them with blood, and the cold application constricts the blood vessels, forcing the blood to move on to other parts of the body. This pumping action can then help to move fluid and therefore accelerate a detoxification or cleansing program. The treatments below can be done several times a day. The amount of time the hot and cold is applied may vary (e.g., 5 minutes hot, 1 minute cold) as long as the cold application is of shorter duration than the hot. It is also important to end the treatment with the cold application. The hot application should be hot, but obviously not so hot as to burn.

Shower Method Hot shower for 5 minutes, allow the hot water to run on your back Cold water for 30 fast breaths or approximately 30-45 seconds

Repeat 3 times and end with cold Dry off quickly For an added benefit, go to bed and lie under the covers for 30 minutes, making sure you are extremely warm Get up and continue your day

Bath and wet sheet method This method is best done with someone to assist you. It is often useful to raise one’s body temperature which can help thwart the onset of a cold or flu. Get into a hot bath for 15 minutes or until you cannot stand the heat any longer. Get out of the tub and wrap yourself in a cold wet sheet. Get into a bed lined with towels and blankets (prepared ahead of time). This should induce sweating. Stay under the sheet for 30 to 60 minutes. Be extra careful not to get chilled.