Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy is the use of water to revitalize, maintain, and restore health. It is perhaps the oldest of all therapeutic methods The term Hydrotherapy is derived from two German words-Hydro (water) and therapia(healing).It is one of the important treatments in Naturopathy..
About Hydrotherapy
Father Sebastian Kneipp, a 19th century Bavarian monk, is said to be the father of Hydrotherapy. Kneipp believed that disease could be cured by using water to eliminate waste from the body. This therapy uses water at different temperatures, forms and pressure to alleviate the ailments of the body.
PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS
There is a physiological basis to hydrotherapy. Cold is stimulating, and it causes superficial blood vessels to constrict, shunting the blood to internal organs. Hot water is relaxing, causes blood vessels to dilate, and removes wastes from body tissues. Alternating hot can cold water also improves elimination, decreases inflammation, and stimulates circulation.
Applications
Hip bath, Spinal bath, Steam bath, Asthma bath,Immersion bath, Sitz bath, Spinal spray, Arm and Foot bath etc are the commonly used treatments for various ailments.
We use packs also as a treatment aid in Hydrotherapy. Common among them are Chest pack, Abdominal pack, Pelvic pack, Kidney pack, Gastro-Hepatic pack etc.