Hydrotherapy Treatment of Chronic Disease
While in our treatment of acute diseases we use wet packs and cold
ablutions to promote the radiation of heat and thereby to reduce the
fever temperature, our aim in the treatment of chronic diseases is
to arouse the system to acute eliminative effort. In other words,
while in acute disease our hydropathic treatment is sedative, in
chronic diseases it is stimulative.
The Good Effects of Cold-Water Applications
(1) Stimulation of the Circulation. As before stated, cold water
applied to the surface of the body arouses and stimulates the
circulation all over the system. Blood counts before and after a
cold-water application show a very marked increase in the number of
red and white blood corpuscles. This does not mean that the cold
water has in a moment created new blood cells, but it means that the
blood has been stirred up and sent hurrying through the system, that
the lazy blood cells which were lying inactively in the sluggish and
stagnant blood stream and in the clogged and obstructed tissues are
aroused to increased activity.
Undoubtedly, the invigorating and stimulating influence of cold
sprays, ablutions, sitz baths, barefoot walking in the dewy grass or
on wet stones and all other cold-water applications depends largely
upon their electromagnetic effects upon the system. This has been
explained in Chapter Ten, "Natural Treatment of Acute Diseases."
(2) Elimination of Impurities. As the cold water drives the blood
with increased force through the system, it flushes the capillaries
in the tissues and cleanses them from the accumulations of morbid
matter and poisons which are one of the primary causes of acute and
chronic diseases.
As the blood rushes back to the surface it suffuses the skin, opens
and relaxes the pores and the minute blood vessels or capillaries
and thus unloads its impurities through the skin.
Why We Favor Cold Water
In the treatment of chronic diseases some advocates of natural
methods of healing still favor warm or hot applications in the form
of hot-water baths, different kinds of steam or sweat baths,
electric light baths, hot compresses, fomentations, etc.
However, the great majority of Nature Cure practitioners in Germany
have abandoned hot applications of any kind almost entirely because
of their weakening and enervating aftereffects and because in many
instances they have not only failed to produce the expected results,
but aggravated the disease conditions.
We can explain the different effects of hot and cold water as well
as of all other therapeutic agents upon the system by the Law of
Action and Reaction. Applied to physics, this law reads: "Action and
reaction are equal but opposite." I have adapted the Law of Action
and Reaction to therapeutics in a somewhat circumscribed way as
follows: "Every therapeutic agent affecting the human organism has a
primary, temporary, and a secondary, permanent effect. The
secondary, lasting effect is contrary to the primary, transient
effect."
The first, temporary effect of warmth above the body temperature,
whether it be applied in the form of hot air or water, steam or
light, is to draw the blood into the surface. Immediately after such
an application the skin will be red and hot.
The secondary and lasting effect, however (in accordance with the
Law of Action and Reaction), is that the blood recedes into the
interior of the body and leaves the skin in a bloodless and
enervated condition subject to chills and predisposed to "catching
cold."
On the other hand, the first, transient effect of cold-water
applications upon the body as a whole or any particular part is to
chill the surface and send the blood scurrying inward, leaving the
skin in a chilled, bloodless condition. This lack of blood and
sensation of cold are at once telegraphed over the afferent nerves
to headquarters in the brain, and from there the command goes forth
to the nerve centers regulating the circulation: "Send blood into
the surface!"
As a result, the circulation is stirred up and accelerated
throughout the system and the blood rushes with force into the
depleted skin, flushing the surface of the body with warm, red blood
and restoring to it the rosy color of health. This is the secondary
effect. In other words, the well-applied cold-water treatment is
followed by a good reaction and this is accompanied by many
permanent beneficial results.
The drawing and eliminating primary effect of hot applications, of
sweat baths, etc., is at best only temporary, lasting only a few
minutes and is always followed by a weakening reaction, while the
drawing and eliminating action of the cold-water applications, being
the secondary, lasting effect, exerts an enduring, invigorating and
tonic influence upon the skin which enables it to throw off morbid
matter not merely for ten or fifteen minutes, as in the sweat bath
under the infiuence of excessive heat, but continually, by day and
night.
The Danger of Prolonged or
Excessively Cold Applications
As we have pointed out in the chapter dealing with water treatment
in acute diseases, only water at ordinary temperature, as it comes
from well or faucet, should be used in hydropathic applications. It
is positively dangerous to apply ice bags to an inflamed organ or to
use icy water for packs and ablutions in febrile conditions.
Likewise, ice or icy water should not be used in the hydropathic
treatment of chronic diseases. Excessive cold is as suppressive in
its effects upon the organism as are poisonous antiseptics or
antifever medicines.
The baths, sprays, douches, etc., should not be kept up too long.
The duration of the cold-water applications must be regulated by the
individual conditions of the patient and by his powers of reaction;
but it should be borne in mind that it is the short, quick
application that produces the stimulating, electromagnetic effects
upon the system.
In the following pages are described some of the baths and other
cold-water applications that are especially adapted to the treatment
of chronic diseases.
How to Keep the Feet Warm
The proverb says: "Keep the head cool and the feet warm." This is
good advice, but most people attempt to follow it by "doctoring"
their cold feet with hot-water bottles, warming pans, hot bricks or
irons, etc. These are excellent means of making the feet still
colder, because "heat makes cold and cold makes heat."
In accordance with the Law of Action and Reaction, hot applications
drive the blood away from the feet, while cold applications draw the
blood to the feet. Therefore, if your feet are cold and bloodless
(which means that the blood is congested in other parts of the
body), walk barefoot in the dewy grass, in a cool brook, on wet
stone pavements or on the snow.
Instead of putting a hot-water bottle to the feet of a bedridden
invalid, bathe his feet with cold water, adding a little salt for
its electric effect, then rub and knead (massage), and finish with a
magnetic treatment by holding his feet between your hands and
willing the blood to flow into them. This will have a lasting good
effect not only upon the feet, but upon the entire organism.
The following cold-water applications are very effective for curing
chronic cold feet:
(1) Foot Bath
Stand in cold water reaching up to the ankle for one minute only.
Dry the feet with a coarse towel and rub them vigorously with the
hands, or walk about briskly for a few minutes. Repeat if necessary.
(2) Leg Bath
(a) Stand in water up to the calves, then proceed as above.
(b) Stand in water up to the knees, then rub vigorously or walk as
directed.
(3) Barefoot Walking
Walk barefoot in wet grass or on wet stone pavements several times a
day, from ten to twenty minutes at a time, or less in case of
weakness. The early morning dew upon the grass is especially
beneficial; later in the day wet the grass or pavement with a hose.
After barefoot walking, dry and rub the feet thoroughly and take a
short, brisk walk in shoes and stockings.
(4) Indoor Water-Treading
Stand in a bathtub or large foottub containing about two inches of
cold water, step and splash vigorously for several minutes, then dry
and rub the feet and increase the circulation by walking around the
room a few times.
(5) Foot Spray
Turn the full force of water from a hydrant or hose first on one
foot, then on the other. Let the stream play alternately on the
upper part of the feet and on the soles. The coldness and force of
the water will draw the blood to the feet.
These applications are excellent as a means of stimulating and
equalizing the circulation and a sure cure for cold and clammy feet,
as well as for sweaty feet.
In this connection, we warn our readers most strongly against the
use of drying powders or antiseptic washes to suppress foot-sweat.
Epilepsy and other serious nervous disorders have been traced to
this practice.
(6) Partial Ablutions
Partial ablutions with cold water are very useful in many instances,
especially in local inflammation or where local congestion is to be
relieved. The "Kalte Guss" [cold water splashing] forms an important
feature of the Kneipp system of water cure.
Sprays or showers may be administered to the head, arms, chest,
back, thighs, knees or wherever indicated, with a dipper, a
sprinkler or a hose attached to the faucet or hydrant. The water
should be of natural temperature and the "guss" of short duration.
(7) Limb Bath
Take up cold water in the hollow of the hands from a running faucet
or a bucket filled with water, rub arms and legs briskly for a few
minutes.
(8) Upper Body Bath
Stand in an empty tub, take water in the hollow of the hands from a
running faucet or a bucket filled with cold water and rub briskly
the upper half of the body from neck to hips, for two or three
minutes. Use a towel or brush for those parts of the body that you
cannot reach with the hands.
(9) Lower Body Bath
Proceed as in (8), rubbing the lower part of the body from the waist
downward.
(10) Hip Bath
Sit in a large basin or in the bathtub in enough water to cover the
hips completely, the legs resting on the door or against the sides
of the tub. While taking the hip bath, knead and rub the abdomen.
Dry with a coarse towel, then rub and pat the skin with the hands
for a few minutes.
The duration of the hip bath and the temperature of the water must
be adapted to individual conditions. Until you are accustomed to
cold water, use water as cool as can be borne without discomfort.
(11) The Morning Cold Rub
The essentials for a cold rub, and in fact for every cold-water
treatment, are warmth of the body before the application, coolness
of the water (natural temperature), rapidity of action and friction
or exercise to stimulate the circulation. No cold-water treatment
should be taken when the body is in a chilled condition.
Directly from the warmth of the bed, or after sunbath and exercise
have produced a pleasant glow, go to the bathroom, sit in the empty
tub with the stopper in place, turn on the cold water, and as it
flows into the tub, catch it in the hollow of the hands and wash
first the limbs, then the abdomen, then chest and back. Throw the
water all over the body and rub the skin with the hands like you
wash your face.
Do this quickly but thoroughly. The entire procedure need not take
up more than a few minutes. By the time the bath is finished, there
may be from two to four inches of water in the tub. Use a towel or
brush for the back if you cannot reach it otherwise.
As long as there is a good reaction, the "cold rub" may be taken in
an unheated bathroom even in cold weather.
After the bath, dry the body quickly with a coarse towel and finish
by rubbing with the hands until the skin is dry and smooth and you
are aglow with the exercise, or expose the wet body to the fresh air
before an open window and rub with the hands until dry and warm.
A bath taken in this manner combines the beneficial effects of cold
water, air, exercise and the magnetic friction of the hands on the
body (life on life). No lifeless instrument or mechanical appliance
can equal the dexterity, warmth and magnetism of the human hand.
The bath must be so conducted that it is followed by a feeling of
warmth and comfort. Some persons will be benefited by additional
exercise or, better still, a brisk walk in the open air, while
others will get better results by returning to the warmth of the
bed.
There is no better means for stimulating the general circulation and
for increasing the eliminative activities of the system than this
cold morning rub at the beginning of the day after the night's rest.
If kept up regularly, its good effects will soon become apparent.
This method of taking a morning bath is to be preferred to the
plunge into a tub filled with cold water. While persons with very
strong constitutions may experience no ill effects, to those who are
weak and do not react readily, the cold plunge might prove a severe
shock and strain upon the system.
When a bathtub is not available, take the morning cold rub in the
following manner:
Stand in an empty washtub. In front of you, in the tub, place a
basin or bucket filled with cold water. Wet the hands or a towel and
wash the body, part by part, from the feet upward, then dry and rub
with the hands as directed.
(12) The Evening Sitz Bath
The morning cold rub is stimulating in its effects, the evening sitz
bath is quieting and relaxing. The latter is therefore especially
beneficial if taken just before going to bed.
The cold water draws the blood from brain and spinal cord and
thereby insures better rest and sleep. It cools and relaxes the
abdominal organs, sphincters, and orifices, stimulates gently and
naturally the action of the bowels and of the urinary tract, and is
equally effective in chronic constipation and in affections of the
kidneys or bladder.
The sitz bath is best taken in the regular sitz bathtub made for the
purpose, but an ordinary bathtub or a washtub or pan may be used
with equally good effect.
Pour into the vessel a few inches of water at natural temperature,
as it comes from the faucet, and sit in the water until a good
reaction takes place--that is, until the first sensation of cold is
followed by a feeling of warmth. This may take from a few seconds to
a few minutes, according to the temperature of the water and the
individual powers of reaction.
Dry with a coarse towel, rub and pat the skin with the hands, then,
in order to establish good reaction, practice deep breathing for a
few minutes, alternating with the internal massage described in a
later chapter.
(13) The Head Bath
Loss or discoloration of the hair is generally due to the lack of
hair-building elements in the blood or to sluggish circulation in
the scalp and a diseased condition of the hair follicles. Nothing
more effectually stimulates the flow of blood to brain and scalp or
promotes the elimination of waste matter and poisons from these
parts than the head bath together with scalp massage.
Under no circumstances use hair tonics, dandruff or eczema cures, or
hair dyes. All such preparations contain poisons or at any rate
strong antiseptics and germcides. Dandruff is a form of elimination
and should not be suppressed. When the scalp is in good condition,
it will disappear of its own accord.
The Diagnosis from the Eye reveals the fact that glycerine, quinine,
resorcin and other poisonous antiseptics and stimulants absorbed
from scalp cures and hair tonics and deposited in the brain are in
many cases the real cause of chronic headaches, neuralgia,
dizziness, roaring in the ears, loss of hearing and sight, mental
depression, irritability and even insanity.
Cold water is an absolutely safe and at the same time a most
effective means to promote the growth of hair, as many of our
patients can testify.
Whenever you have occasion to wash the face, wash also the head
thoroughly with cold water. While doing so, vigorously pinch, knead
and massage the scalp with the finger tips. When feasible, turn the
stream from a hydrant or a hose upon the head. This will add the
good effect of friction to the coldness of the water.
Have your hair cut only during the third quarter of the moon. The
ladies may clip off the ends of their hair during that period.
Skeptics may smile at this as another evidence of ignorance and
superstition. However, "fools deride," etc. The country people in
many parts of Europe, who are much closer and wiser observers of
Nature and her ways than the conceited wise men of the schools, do
their sowing and reaping in accordance with the phases of the moon.
In order to insure vigorous growth, they sow and plant during the
growing moon; but their cutting and reaping is done during the
waning moon.
(14) The Eye Bath
For the eye bath the temperature of the water should be as cold as
the sensitive eyeball can stand, but not cold enough to cause
serious discomfort. A few grains of salt may be added to make the
water slightly saline.
Submerge forehead and eyes in a basin of water, open and close the
lids under water from six to eight times; repeat a few times. Bend
over a basin filled with water and with the hands dash the water
into the open eyes. Fill a glass eye-cup (which can be bought in any
drug store or department store) with water, bend the head forward
and press the cup securely against the eye; then bend backward and
open and shut the lid a number of times.
Many ailments of the eyes, for instance, the much-dreaded cataract,
are caused by defective circulation and the accumulation of
impurities and poisons in the system in general and in the mechanism
of the eyes in particular. All such cases yield readily to our
combination of natural methods of treatment, such as water
applications, massage and special exercises, combined with the
general Nature Cure regimen.
In a large number of cases treated in our sanitarium, patients who
had worn glasses for years were able to discard them. Weakened
eyesight and many serious so-called incurable affections of the eye,
including cataract and glaucoma, have been permanently cured.