Therapies
Hydrotherapy
What is
Hydrotherapy?
Hydrotherapy
is the use of water, either internally or externally, to maintain health and
prevent disease. Although it was the Romans who introduced spas throughout
the Roman empire, modern hydrotherapy is commonly attributed to Father
Sebastian Kneipp (1821-97), who believed that water would ‘dissolve,
remove and strengthen’. Dissolve matter-containing disease, remove
diseased matter from the body and strengthen the body by restoring cleansed
blood to the tissues and maximizing circulation.
According to its mineral content, water taken
internally can have a laxative, diuretic, phlegmatic (phlegm producing) or
diaphoretic (perspiration-inducing) effects. Used externally, water has the
power to improve blood and lymph circulation, relax tension in the tissues,
alleviate pain and calm the nervous system.
In the past, little controlled research had been
carried out into hydrotherapy; and what little there had been done, was more
often than not, conducted in Germany. However, in recent years some
interesting studies have been carried out into the varied forms and
applications of hydrotherapy in medicine.
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How
does it work?
There is no drug
on the market that can rival the number of beneficial physiological effects
that water is capable of producing, and it is widely available (unless you
happen to be in a desert) and cheap. In fact, there are no substances known
to man that possess as many remedial and health-promoting qualities as
water. Its therapeutic qualities include sedative, antipyretic (reducing
body temperature, anodyne (analgesic,), anticonvulsant, astringent, tonic,
anaesthetic, and derivative.
Sedative:
a warm water bath will invariably soothe and relax an
extremely nervous person and help soothe restful sleep.
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Antipyretic
(reducing body temperature): no drug can decrease body
temperature as quickly and efficiently and harmlessly as water Cold
water can reduce pulse from forty to twenty beats per minute and
decrease high body temperature within a matter of minutes. Anodyne
(analgesic) & Anaesthetic- Hot water fomentation’s are often
used to alleviate joint pain and prolonged use of cold water causes a
pain relieving numbness which is used for muscle pain and burn pains.
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Anticonvulsant:
Warm water is one of the most effective relaxants
alleviating convulsions and muscle spasms. It transfers heat into the
body to relax tense muscles and increase blood flow to the tissues.
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Astringent:
there is no better first aid treatment to arrest internal haemorrhage
(dg from sprained ankles,, than cold water.
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Derivative:
this is a method for removing blood from one part
of the body by increasing blood flow elsewhere.
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Clinical
Observations
Dr. Peter Ronchetti MACS LRCP
Medical adviser to the
Secretary for Transport 1978 - 1984
"In recent years technically
sophisticated aerated baths have been developed and are widely used
by the medical profession in Europe. For my
experiments I chose Balsan Hydrotherapy. There is no maintenance, running
costs are low and it is portable if one decides to move house".
The volunteer subjects were of all ages... some had pathological conditions,
others were fit, but in every
case there was a situation to assess, whether
the bath would help them. In many cases subjects have completely recovered
from muscle and joint injuries in half the expected time with convential
therap. Dr. Ronchetti
found that, in his experience, Balsan Hydrotherapy at 40 degrees centigrade
and used for 15 minutes with the ozoniser has the following effects:
Bromsgrove and Redditch Health
Authority, Barnsley Hall Hospital
Their report on a ward-based trial of Balsan Hydrotherapy with a client
group - age range 26-78 -
suffering from a variety
of anxiety-based conditions concludes:
"The nursing staff feel that it
would be a useful therapeutic aid in anxiety management and relaxation
therapy."
A Wilsthire Neck & Back Pain Centre
Over a period of 6 months, 30 patients with musculo-skeletal disorders
volunteered to use Balsan Hydrotherapy for 1-2 weeks. The trial was
conducted in the comfort of the patients' own homes.
It was found that the hydrobath proved a very
useful tool as an adjunct to osteopathy and physiotherapy at the clinic. -
Dr Anthony Coope
Extract from a report for
the Hydrotherapy Association
"Hydrotherapy, with its circulating
currents, allows for immediate and effective transfer of heat,
relaxing tense muscles and increasing blood flow to the tissues. The warmth
has a sedative effect on nerve endings and there fore reduces pain and
discomfort."
Philip A. Chinn, Grad.
Dip Phy., M.C.S.P., S.R.P.
& Mrs. C.E.
Chinn, Grad Dip.
Phy.,M.C.S.P., S.R.P. Chartered
and State Registered Physiotherapists
An extract from their report on a clinic using
Balsan Hydrotherapy over a period of two years, both personally and with a
wide group of patients, noted:
"Patients with back pain often arrive
with extreme increase in muscle spasm which acts to protect the part and
prevent movement. This spasm, however, also serves to increase pain. The
circle of pain is then repeated and compounded. One of the first aims of
treatment is the relief of pain and to do this spasm must be reduced.
The warmth of Hydrotherapy and the massaging
effect assists this pain relief particularly if the pain is muscular in
origin or the result of tension. Once an acute phase is over the
Hydrotherapy is a useful aid to help with the management of intermittent
periods of muscle spasm. The above also holds true for conditions such as
osteo arthritis."
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