Hydrotherapy or Water Therapy

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Hydrotherapy or Water Therapy
RememberAs in the Spiritual...so in the physical
If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is
that saith to thee, Give me to drink thou
wouldest have asked of him, and he would have
given thee living water.
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Water is cleansing, inside and outit Represents
Life

• But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall
  give him shall never thirst but the water that I
  shall give him shall be in him a well of water
  springing up into everlasting life. John
  414
• Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean wash
  me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Ps. 517
• Wash you, make you clean put away the evil of
  your doings from before mine eyes cease to do
  evil. Is. 116
• And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be
  baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the
  name of the Lord. Acts 2216

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Understanding Hydrotherapy

• Physiological responses
• Hot dilates capillariesskin turns red
• Cold constricts capillariesskin can become white
• Underlying organs respond with either relaxation
  or increased activity
• Body temperature responds accordingly
• Metabolism, or body chemistry is
  accelerated/digestion improved
• Blood becomes more alkaline

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Benefits of Hydrotherapy

• The most effective therapy modality known to
  fight disease, ageing, infections, pain
• Weight Loss!!!
• Hormones increase in quality and
  effectiveness--balanced in conjunction with herbs
• Improved digestive tract functions
• Sets the stage for Detoxification,

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• Cleanses the body of morbid matter from Detox
• Brain and nervous system toned and calmed
• Heart rate is increased and strengthened
• Long term helps prevent heart attack and
  stroke--works in conjunction with all other 8
  laws of health

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• Mental clarity, increased emotional stability
• Immune system strengthened and enabled
• Lymph flow increased and activity increase
• White blood cells increase in numbers and
  chemistry, lymphocytes increase in numbers

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• Increased ability and strength of resistance to
  disease
• Quicker healing from trauma with minimal tissue
  damage
• Less burn scaring, quicker healing due to
  increased circulation in capillaries

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Lists of various types of hydrotherapyThere are
two kinds of hydrotherapy

• Fever Therapies
• Hot fomentations
• Hot tub soaks-can be medicated
• Wet sheet pack
• Russian steam bath
• Hot foot bath

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• Contrast Therapies
• Shower or spray type
• Plunges or underwater therapy
• There are several ways to apply contrast
• Local treatments
• Hot /or cold to extremities
• Local thermal applications
• Paraffin baths
• Cold mitten friction

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Water Temperatures and their effect

• Painfully hot 110-120F 42.8-46 C
  constriction
• Very hot 104-110 40-42.8 extreme
  dilatation
• Hot 100-104 38-40 dilatation
• Neutral 94-97 34.4-37 calming, relaxing
• Warm 92-100 34-38 refreshing
• Tepid 80-92 27-34 wound cleansing
• Cool 70-80 21-27 constricting
• Cold 55-70 13-21 therapeutically
  constricts
• Very Cold 32-55 0-13 severe
  constriction
• anesthetic

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• The effects of contrast shower plunge
• Toning to the whole body
• Increases the mobility of cell membrane gate
  openings and closings and the traffic of
  nutrients/waste in and out
• Strengthens and mobilizes the immune system cells
  and their chemistry
• Helps build muscle, including the heart muscle

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• Aides in detoxing and cleansing the body
• Helps body to shed unnecessary weight
• Opens and activates the skin pores
• Increases mental clarity, increases quality of
  brain chemistry
• Stimulates good hormone production and
  utilization of such

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• Stimulates joints to lubricate and de-mineralize
  crystal buildup, therefore aiding in the
  rebuilding of joint cartilage, reduces pain
• Increases lymph circulation, increasing the
  ability to fight infections
• Enables the body to be more oxygenated and
  utilize oxygen more effectively

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Hot and cold contrast therapies

• Shower or spray
• Skin brushtake at least 7-10 minutes
• Warm up in the shower then turn the hot water up
  until it is as hot as you can stand without it
  stinging or burning your skintime it for 3
  minutes
• Direct the water flow to the back of your head,
  neck, spine, and any affected part of your body

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• After 3 minutes turn the hot way down to cold as
  cold as you can stand it, but not freezing,
  numbing cold, just cold enough to force you to
  breath deep and dance a littletime this for 1
  minute
• If your water is not so cold, you may have to
  stay in the cold longer
• Return to the hot water for 3 minutes then to the
  cold for 1 or more minutes, this is a round.
• Do 7 rounds of these daily, or multiple times in
  a day, cannot do too much

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Plunges

• This treatment is the same as the contrast
  showers, except it is more intense, and is done
  in two tubs of water.
• One tub is hot 108-110F 38-42C
• The other tub is cold 55-70F 13-21C
• Spend 5 minutes in the hot water
• Spend 1-2 minutes in the cold water-longer if you
  cannot get down to 55 degrees F, or 13 C

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• Immerse your whole body except your nose if
  possible
• Be sure to skin brush first
• Spend 33-5 min in hot then quickly go to cold and
  spend 1-3 min. repeat this 7 times, finishing
  with cold for 10 seconds
• When finished dry off very briskly
• Dress warmly and rest for 30 minutes at something
  quiet
• Work into this one with contrast showers first
  for a few days

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Fever Therapypossible effects and their solution!

• Uncontrollable shivering . .
• Hypotension . . . . . . . . . .
• Vertigo . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Palpitations of the heart . .
• Extreme skin sensitivity . tickling, muscle
  guarding, uncontrolled laughing
• Hyperventilation . . . . . . .
• Faintness, muscle twitching or jerking
• Nausea . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• Water too cold-increase temperature-do hot foot
  bath
• Pt dehydrated-give liquids
• Too intense-lessen intensity
• Same-give hawthorn, exercise
• Needs more skin brushing, Bowel detoxing, ice to
  head
• Lobelia, coach deep breathing
• Give cayenne, then lobelia, less intense hydro
  for a few times
• Dehydrated, cleanse stomach

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Considerations

• Always use ice pack over heart and or head or
  neck with fever therapies
• Keep cayenne and lobelia tinctures within reach
  and drop droppers full directly into mouth in
  emergencies
• Take a measurement of body temperature before the
  treatment then every 10 min. or less
• Hydrate-drink lots of fluids before during and
  after treatment such as hot lemon aide, yarrow,
  peppermint, or other tea

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• Heart patients, diabetics, stroke, trauma, and
  critically compromised disease patients begin
  easy and work into more intense
• Be sure to do treatments in warm area-no drafts.
• Monitor your patient at all times, be prepared to
  help
• Rule of therapy for after all TX----always rest
  one hour, covered, immediately following
  treatment

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Hot foot bath

• This is local immersion bath covering the feet,
  ankles, and lower legs at temperatures from
  100-115F or 38-41C
• Local and reflex pathways increase the blood flow
  through the feet and entire skin surface
  producing decongestion in internal organs and
  brain

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Benefits of the Hot Foot Bath

• Relieves congestive headache
• Relieves chest congestion
• Relieves pelvic congestion
• Stops epitasis or nose bleeding
• Aides in recovery from colds and infections of
  lungs this includes pneumonia all respiratory
  diseases
• And many more benefits

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• General Warming purposes
• This will prepare the patient for massage,
  general application of heat, tonic procedures,
  prevention of colds or to abort one
• To aid in relaxation and comfort, and to detox
  the body through herbs in the water
• To produce sweatingTX must be prolonged

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Russian Steam Bath

• Steam applied to skin while sitting in a chair
• Effects and indications
• To produce sweating
• For production of fever therapy-intense, short
  duration
• Increases body temperature-100 humidity-no heat
  loss
• Increases pulse rate, blood pressure, and
  metabolism

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• Marked peripheral vasodilatation
• Graduated hydrotherapy, for after other therapies
• Uses
• Arthritis, gout, obesity, substance abuse
  recovery, detoxification, infections,
  strengthening of immune system, hypothyroid
  disease, and many others
• Caution with use in
• Hypertension, diabetes, and cardiac impairment
  initially
• Once a fever therapy has been experienced for 2-3
  times you can graduate up to Russian Steam Chair.
  Or if needed you can do the RSChair, but not as
  hot or as long a time until the person is
  stronger.

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Heres how

• Place patient on a wooden chair or one that will
  not rustplastic is ok
• Under chair, place a hot plate/burner with a
  kettle of water, heat to boiling, adjust heat
• Drape patient with plastic, then a sheet, closing
  snugly around neck, and all around
• Note the time--treatment is for 20-30 minutes or
  as tolerated

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• Be sure to have done the preliminaries
• Temperature check, hydration, cayenne/ lobelia
  present, Ice bag ready, stay with patient and
  monitor closely, time the treatment.
• Be sure the steam is directed away from the
  patient burns easily. If necessary drape the
  chair with a towel, so it is hanging down in the
  direct pathway of the steam

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Hot Fomentations

• These are hot towels that are wet and
  heated in a microwave, wool packs steamed etc,
  and applied to the chest and back for fever
  therapy. They can also be applied to other
  parts of the body and alternated with cold packs
  for a contrast local stimulation. But for
  systemic TX here are the
• Steps to take in this treatment
• This can follow a contrast shower, or just start
  the treatment, but skin brush first.

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• 2. Be sure to hydrate well before, during and
  after treatment
• 3. Remove clothing and sit or lye on a prepared
  surface to prepare the surface place 1-2 natural
  fiber blankets, then a plastic sheet, followed
  by a cotton sheet.
• 4. Place feet in a hot water bath of at least
  110F-42Ccan even put a pinch of cayenne pepper
  powder in the water, note the time...

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• Place a dry towel on the chest because it is
  tender skin, then wrap up in all of the wraps of
  the prepared surface, making it snug at the
  neck-do not allow any air to escape or flow in
• 6. Place heated towel (should be almost too hot
  to handle) on chest towel and recover
• 7. Place heated towel to back and re-cover.
  Towels should be folded in half and half again.
  They will cover the spine and most of the back as
  well as down the chest. The towel on the back
  goes directly on the back as the skin is tougher
  there.

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• 8. Continue to change the towels as often as the
  microwave heats them, at least every 3-4 minutes.
  This can be done with a kettle of water and
  steaming the towels as well. Keep exchanging the
  towels noting what time the person begins to
  sweat. They will want to sweat for at least 30
  minutes

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• 9. Monitor the bodys temperature every 7
  minutes or so, keep watch for over heating, using
  cayenne or lobelia if necessary for faintness,
  spasms or twitching. Be sure to use ice pack on
  head
• 10. Take patient out of pack when 30 minutes of
  sweating has occurred or if not tolerating the
  treatment
• 11. Apply cold right away either with cold mitten
  friction rub or shower, or plunge. Plunge is
  just a little more intense than h/c
• 12. Lastly be sure to lie down/sit covered
  immediately after for 1 hour to allow the body to
  return to normal

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Hot and cold to local areas

• This will help relieve certain selected headaches
  due to the passive congestion of the common cold,
  nervous and muscular tension, and certain
  headaches due to trauma
• Important considerations
• --Explain procedure to patient
• --Have the patient lying down

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• Alternate hot/cold to the head should not be used
  in headache due to hypertension and only in
  carefully selected cases of trauma. It would be
  better to do a Hot Foot Bath
• Protect the bed with plastic, can use a pillow
• Have the ice pack long and narrow and not too
  bulky to fit the neck adequately
• Begin placing the feet in a hot tub of water on
  the bed at 105-115F 40-45C increase as needed to
  keep temperature comfortable but hot.

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• 3. Place a hot towel under the cervical spine
  and to sides of the neck two hot water bags may
  be used, or rice packs heated in the microwave
• Place a compress wrung from ice water on the
  face, covering the top of the head and ears.
  Press down firmly over the forehead and the
  temporal arteries renew every minute three times
• Replace the fomentation to the neck with covered
  long, narrow ice bag or two covered ice bags one
  on each side of the neck

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• 6. Replace the cold compress to the face with a
  hot towel cover the ears and forehead but do not
  cover the nose, allowing breathing of cool air.
  Protect the eyes from excessive heat and do not
  press down on this one
• 7. Continue the alternations for 3 complete
  sets of heat and cold
• 8. Holding the feet above the foot tub, pour
  cold water over feet and dry thoroughly

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• Cool face by sponging with a cold compress
• 10. Dry thoroughly, especially the hair
• 11. Have the patient rest at least 30 minutes
  after treatment, avoid chilling

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Hot Tub Soak

• Use this as often as you need to for soaking away
  aches, pains, tiredness, mental anxiety,
  sluggishness, onset of colds, flu, boosting the
  immune system
• Begin with hydrationHot lemon aide or favorite
  tea, Echinacea is a good one
• Gather ice bag, drink and anything else for
  comfort
• Run water into tub at 104-106F 40-41C

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• Can add charcoal, Epsom salts, sea salt, herbs
  get creative, lavender oil is nice
• Soak for as long as you need to for relief-Japan
  does it for 11 hours at a time. Just be sure to
  keep hydrated
• Finish off with a cold shower and lie down for 1
  hour afterwards, covered, allowing body to
  balance out, if doing this for sleep
• do not finish with cold
• Can be done during the night for sleep, just
  before bedtime or any time during the night

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Wet Sheet Pack
This is a drawing therapy. It will
draw off extra fluid build up, toxic waste, drugs
poisons, infection throw off, abnormal labs.

• It is a procedure in which the patient is wrapped
  in a wet sheet, then in enough dry blanket
  coverings to regulate evaporation and to control
  the temperature.
• The effects of a wet sheet pack depend upon its
  duration and number of blankets applied to
  control evaporation. According to the degree of
  heat generated within the pack, it passes through
  three stages as follows

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• COOLING/EVAPORATION.....Antipyretic in Fevers, so
  if your goal is lowering fever, then you will
  need one hour plus
• NEUTRAL...Insomnia, mania, delirium, restlessness
• This will require at least two hours plus
• HEATING/SWEATING.......Alcoholism, nicotine
  poisoning, chronic nephritis, and gout, may also
  be used for fevers of infants and children,
  bronchitis, colds, flu, cancer, and many others
• 4. Generally the goal is to be in this for 4
  hours minimum or all night

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Procedure

• Heat the body with some form of fever therapy
• Hot tub soak is easiest adding 1/3 cup cayenne
  and ginger powder to a sock and squeezing it in
  the bath water is quite opening to the pores of
  the skin and enhancing to the circulation,
  therefore detoxing to the entire body
• Be sure to Vaseline all tender areas first.
• Goal Fever needs to be 102..20 minutes
• 103..15 minutes
• 104..10 minutes

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• 30-45 minutes is adequate time for this warming.
  After 45 minutes remove the patient in this
  manner.
• Have a large sheet soaking in ice water and
  slightly wring it out when ready to drape
  patient. Have them slowly stand up outside the
  tub, urinate, then wrap the sheet across their
  back and bring it up over their outstretched
  arms, leaving enough to cover the feet well when
  lying down. Bring the arms in to cover the body
• The key to comfort is to wrap the wet sheet
  loosely around the body so movement of the arms
  and legs is non restricting

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• Walk to the bed prepared with a plastic sheet
  over the mattress and pillow, and one under the
  blankets over the patient.
• After the blankets are all in place, tuck a
  towel around their neck, under their head between
  them and the plastic. The towel adds insulation
  for the ice pack you must have in place under the
  head while in the pack.

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• Keep the blankets folded in around the neck to
  keep any cold air out, do not leave anything but
  the head out.
• The wet sheet must come in contact with all of
  the skin at all times and once in the pack it
  must not be broken until ready to come out.

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• If done during the daytime, a good video or some
  form of entertainment is quite helpful
• Sponging their face of the sweat periodically is
  essential for comfort, they can expect to feel
  their skin hot with the cayenne for about 30
  minutes and it slowly dissipates

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• Keep enough blankets on to keep them sweating
• Keep a urinal inside the pack for usage during
  the treatment, or at least a folded towel. Keep
  them drinking every 15 minutes while awake
• For little children the bath need not be so hot
  or so long, but must be in the pack until they
  sweat for at least 30 minutes (at least one full
  hour inside the pack). This will break a fever
  and speed the healing
• When ready to break the pack, just unwrap, and
  walk directly to the shower and finish with a few
  rounds of hot/cold, dry off briskly, dress with
  warm clothing
• Lie down for about one hour covered to normalize.