What is Hydrotherapy?
History of hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy is the application of water in any form, either externally or internally, in the treatment of disease and the maintenance of health. The use of water as medicine dates back hundreds of years to the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Japanese. Think Roman bath houses, Japanese hot springs, and Egyptian essential oil-infused baths.
Modern hydrotherapy began in 1697 with the publication of History of Cold Bathing, and in the years that followed many individuals became actively engaged in practicing hydrotherapy. It was widely used and accepted in Germany, Britain, and other European countries prior to making its way to the states in the mid-1800’s.
At its height, it is estimated there were over 200 establishments administering hydrotherapy to people in the US, but a significant decline has been seen in the last century, in big part due to the rise of the modern medical system. Many of the centuries old personalized water therapy treatments have been pushed aside for medications, surgeries, and other higher intervention therapies. But the power of hydrotherapy is still ever-present and deserving of revival.
Principles of hydrotherapy
The key to hydrotherapy is found in the properties of water. It’s nontoxic, permitting internal and external use; a universal solvent, allowing for its usefulness in baths and showers; and most importantly, it stores and transmits heat. Water is a strong conductor of heat, absorbing more heat for a given weight than any other substance, which allows for its ability to cause heating and cooling effects when applied to the human body.
Temperature is the primary variable in hydrotherapy, and it applies both to the patient and the water being utilized. The temperature of water applied encourages the bodies natural response to heat and cold. The application of cold water, either directly or through wet towels, causes vasoconstriction of the blood vessels at the surface, driving circulation deeper into the core and vital organs. The application of hot water, through steam, direct application or hot towels, causes vasodilation of the blood vessels at the surface, drawing blood away from the core and vital organs as it moves outward to cool off.
Physiological benefits of hydrotherapy
The objective of hydrotherapy is to promote healing, either locally or systemically, by maximizing the circulation of well-oxygenated, nutrient rich blood. This is accomplished through three forms of water application: alternating hot and cold, or contrast hydrotherapy; prolonged use of hot or cold; and spinal reflex application.
Contrast hydrotherapy, also referred to as alternating hot and cold therapy, increases the rate of blood flow through an organ or area of the body. Rounds of heat are applied to an area, followed by short cold applications, resulting in increased blood flow and decreased congestion.
Prolonged use of hot or cold alters the volume of blood in an organ or area of the body. Cold water is used to drive blood out of an area, whereas hot water is used to draw blood into an area. An example of this would be a hot foot bath for the relief of head congestion; the heat at the feet draws blood down away from the congested area.
Spinal reflex water applications, both hot and cold, cause an affect in a distant area through local application. This occurs through spinal reflex arcs, which have been long studied and mapped to show which areas of the back correlate with specific internal organs or areas of the body.
In addition to increasing and decreasing the flow of blood into specific organs or areas of the body, hydrotherapy also supports detoxification through the organs of elimination, enhances the immune system, and nourishes the nervous system.
Common forms of hydrotherapy include:
Baths/Soaks
Contrast Showers
Sauna
Steam inhalation
Hot and Cold Compresses
Constitutional Hydrotherapy
References:
Boyle W, Saine A. Lectures In Naturopathic Hydrotherapy. 1st ed. East Palestine, Ohio: Buckeye Naturopathic Press; 1988.
Pizzorno J, Murray M. Textbook Of Natural Medicine. St. Louis, Mo.: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier; 2006:401-413.
