Healing Power of Water: Contrast Hydrotherapy
Embrace this powerful nature cure for its safety and efficacy
Did you know that in naturopathic medical school, first year students perform hydrotherapy rotations as their first connection to treating patients? I participated in this myself as a student. We would apply hot towels to the chest and abdomen of the patient while they rested on a massage table. After a 10 minutes, we removed the warm towels and replaced them with towels placed in ice water and wrung out extremely well. The cold application would last for 5 minutes. The patient remained wrapped in warm blankets during the cold application. We repeated this 3 times and then ended on the cold application. This is what is known as constitutional hydrotherapy.
Patients who had colds, flu, pneumonia, aches and pains, low immune system, even chronic conditions like cancer or autoimmune conditions were all referred for hydrotherapy. Many got incredible benefits from the treatments and reported feeling revitalized after a session.
Looking back after these many years, I would say it was one of the most important therapeutics we learned because of its incredible power to move the blood in the body. After all the learning about many types of supplements, herbs and other interventions, hydrotherapy may be the most important (and effective).
What is this type of hydrotherapy? How can you make this part of your own wellness practice at home? How can you use this practice in the case of colds, flu and even very “scary” viruses that may emerge? Hydrotherapy may be very effective for any infection, even ones that seem very virulent or that we may be told there is only one (very expensive and complex) medicine that can resolve the issue. The truth is that the most simple remedies may be among the most powerful of all.
Let’s look at what we know about the quality of water in relation to blood flow to understand why the alternation of hot and cold water is so supremely powerful in helping to heal the human body.
“Our job is to make over the blood. Until we do, we’re just spinning our wheels. Health, and therefore healing, is proportional to the flow of healthy blood.” - Naturopathic practitioner from the 1950’s - Naturopathic Doctor, Harold Dick
Let’s look for a moment at what the great naturopathic doctor, Henry Lindlahr, from the turn of the last century talked about as the cause of disease. He warned that these were ultimately stressors that caused lowered vitality. It’s pretty amazing that he wrote this book in 1913 and stated that the following were the cause of illness.
“(Illness and disease are caused by…) lowered vitality due to overwork, nightwork, excesses, overstimulation, poisonous drugs and ill-advised surgical operations. Abnormal composition of blood and lymph due to the improper selection and combination of food and especially the lack or organic mineral salts and other nutritional elements. Accumulation of waste matter, morbid matter and poisons as well as to faulty diet, overeating, the use of alcoholic and narcotic stimulants, drugs, vaccines and the suppression of acute disease (which are nature’s cleansing and healing efforts) by poisonous drugs and surgical operations.” (From Nature Cure, by Henry Lindlahr).
Move blood; heal the body
The value of hydrotherapy is in its power to move blood in the body. In Chinese Medicine, the goal is often to remove stagnation. There is a lack of flow and therefore a lack of the delivery of oxygen and nutrition where it is needed when there is an absence of movement of the blood.
In a way, hydrotherapy principles are very simple. Warm applications cause vasodilation of blood vessels. The vessels open at the surface in order to release heat. This is known as vasodilation; the diameter of the vessel opening becoming larger and allowing increased blood flow to the surface. This also means that blood is moving away from the liver, the pancreas, the gut and more.
With cold applications, the opposite action takes place. The blood vessels at the surface of the skin now close. They want to conserve heat for the body and as such, they move the blood toward the center of the body. What comes along with blood? Oxygen, nutrition and glucose! So the deep organs of the body are bathed in nutrition and oxygen with a cold application or a cold bath plunge.
The alternation of the two kinds of applications - from short warm application to short cool application is very powerful. It can help to move blood and lymph, deliver nutrition and eliminate waste. This is all possible due to the application of water! It is so simple, so elegant and yet, so incredibly effective. Everyone should have the benefit of understanding this type of remedy that any family can utilize for both wellness and acute infection. Keep this information handy, especially the Warming Socks Treatment instructions below, for our upcoming cold and flu season.
Effects of a short hot application: Increase oxygen absorption, increase carbon dioxide excretion, decrease tissue tone, increase metabolic rate and increase blood glucose.
Effects of a short cold application: Increase oxygen absorption, increase carbon dioxide excretion, increase tissue tone, increase metabolic rate and decrease blood glucose.
It is the alternation of hot and cold application that causes the movement of fluids (blood and lymph) within the body. This will ultimately cause a boost in the immune system and overall feelings of well-being. If you go to the hot tubs or to a hot springs and soak, it will be more beneficial to do short hot soaks and alternate those with a cool shower or a cold plunge if they have a bath or place to do the cool or cold immersion.
Even during your daily shower or bath, be sure to end with a cool rinse at the end to enjoy some of the benefits of moving the blood in the body with hot/cold applications.
Here is how to do home hydrotherapy:
Warming Socks Treatment
Use this form of hydrotherapy for colds, flu, sore throat, ear infections, headaches, nasal congestion, cough, bronchitis and sinus infections.
Materials needed: 1 pair cotton socks (white, no coloring), 1 pair wool socks
Procedure - be sure to do this right before going to bed. Get right into a warm bed and go to sleep right away.
Be sure the room is warm and you have enough blankets on the bed to stay warm.
Take the cotton socks and soak them in cold water. Wring the socks out thoroughly. This will make the treatment more effective.
Be sure you are warm before doing this treatment. Place the cold cotton socks on. Go to bed after this and get under several layers of covers.
Go to sleep and rest. Remove both sets of socks upon waking and replace with a new set of dry socks.
Ariel Policano is a naturopathic doctor specializing in energy medicine, frequency technologies and principles of nature cure. Learn more at her YouTube Channel, @arielpolicano and at geniusbiofeedback.com