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Hydrotherapy: A Powerful Tool for Your Healing Arsenal

We've all seen our animals lick their sore paws, or drink more than usual amounts of water when they don't feel well. I once had a small black dog of unknown origin who, in her later years, suffered from a skin disorder that made her itch terribly. Almost weekly we would take a picnic to the beach: She would literally start to quiver with excitement as we approached Stinson Beach from our Mill Valley home and she could smell the ocean salt water. She would spend our entire beach time running in and out of the waves, getting soaked, rolling in the sand, then getting soaked again in the salt water. I know it helped her with the healing of her dermatitis, and certainly the itching. Injured animals in the wild have been observed soaking themselves or an injured paw in a cool stream until they felt well again. And we have all been instructed by our chiropractors to put ice on a sprained ankle or a whiplashed neck. The most well known form of hydrotherapy, of course, is cold for decreasing inflammation and hot for relaxing muscles. But there is much more to know about this little used form of naturopathic medicine. Read on.

Hot/Cold Treatment: The General Idea

This is my favorite. It's really easy and very very effective. This is to be done on a sprain, strain or inflammation of a joint AFTER the first 24 hours. During the first 24 hours after an injury, please ice 20 minutes on and 1 hour off for as many of the 24 hours as you can handle. After that, do this:

Sit on the side of your bathtub or stand up by your sink and place the injured limb (ankle, wrist, knee, elbow) so it can be positioned directly under the faucet. First of all do 15 seconds of water as hot as you can stand, then 15 seconds of water as cold as you can, then 15 seconds of hot, then 15 seconds of cold. Do this for 7 reps ending with cold. This will create a physiological pump, creating blood flow to the injured area and reducing inflammation by pumping out the inflammatory debris. After about the 3rd rep, you will actually feel the "pump." Do this 3 or 4 times a day until you feel better. (Wrap the injured part in an ACE bandage and elevate after each treatment. Also use well-placed magnets and either Panaway or Dr. Shulz's Deep Tissue Oil.)

Hot/Cold Treatment: Variations on a Theme

1) For sinus congestion and pain: Use two face cloths, one for hot water and one for cold water. Soak one cloth in hot water, the other in cold. After wringing it out, place the hot cloth over your nose and eyes and leave in place for 3 minutes. Then after wringing out the cold cloth (soak it in ice water), place it over your face for 30 seconds. Do this for 3 reps ending in cold.

2) For larger places on the body like sore necks or low backs or shoulders: For necks, you can do the hot-cold washcloth routine for 7 reps @ 30 seconds each hot then cold as described above. For larger areas like lowbacks, you will have to gut it through in the shower, alternating the hot cold. Don't worry, screaming is healthy for you. Let it all out when that cold water hits!

3) Sitz Baths: For vaginal infections, hemorrhoids, prostatitis, etc: Must have two bathtubs. Fill one with hot water to about 1/2 inch above your naval. The other tub with cold water to 1/2 inch below your naval. Sit in the hot tub for 3 minutes, then the cold tub for 30 seconds. Do three sets of hot and cold starting with hot and ending with cold. Dry off and rest.

Nasal Lavage: Great for your nose

Use for sore sinuses, infected sinuses or just for the common cold when you want to clear out your nose. Lots of people use a Neti pot. I just use a glass; I lean over the sink, closing one nostril and inhaling with the other.

Fill your glass with 8 oz. of warm water. Stir in 1/2 t. of salt. Lean over the sink. Close one nostil with your finger and inhale the salt water up your other nostril. Sniff the salt water way up there and try to have it make the loop into your throat. You will be spitting and hawking and blowing crud out of your nose into the sink. Now do the other nostril. Do this 2 or 3 times. Sometimes I will suggest that you add something else to the saltwater, like Berbercap, which will further cleanse the area. Pain or bleeding is not unusual, esp. if there is infection. If your condition worsens or you see no improvement after one week, call your doctor.

Warming sock treatment

Use for colds, headaches, sore throats, ear infections or any other problem involving congestion or infection in the upper body and head. Very effective.

Warm your feet first by soaking your them in hot water for five minutes. Then take a pair of cotton socks and wet the portion covering the feet with cold water. Wring the socks out so they are damp but not dripping. Put them on and cover the damp socks with wool socks. Go to bed and wrap up well with a warm blanket. Wear the socks all night and avoid getting chilled. Don't remove your socks in the middle of the night. It is a common mistake and will ruin the effectiveness of the treatment. They should be dry by morning.

Castor Oil Packs

Although not technically hydrotherapy, castor oil packs have many uses, particularly when placed on the torso, above specific organs, like the liver or the bowel for detoxification.

Get castor oil, a piece of wool or cotton flannel (comes in kits at Whole Foods), a hot water bottle, an old bath towel an old t-shirt and a big trash bag. Fold the flannel so it will fit over the area in question. Soak with the castor oil. Lie on a big trash bag (castor oil is messy and stains), and place the soaked flannel over your abdomen. Cover this with a small piece of plastic and place a hot water bottle (or heating pad) on top of the plastic. Cover everything with an old towel to insulate the heat. Leave pack on for at least 45 minutes. Try to fall asleep.

After finishing, wash your skin with some baking soda and water. Store everything for use again. You can store the soaked cloth in a big baggie and resuse time and again until it begins to change color. For maximum effectiveness, apply the pack for at least 4 consecutive days per week for one month. I have seen miracles occur with these castor oil packs.


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