Dr. Shweta MishraB.N.Y.S COURSE RGSC, BHU

HYDROTHERAPY

HISTORY OF WATER CURE

Use of water as a therapeutic agent to relieve headache, ease pain, subdue a fever.

Use of hot water applications in everyday use to relieve pain & congestion.

Water has been a very important concept to man.his earliest settlements were always by a river or by sea, as it was there he found food, drink, cleanliness, health & joy.

Bathing – one of the instinctive habits, performed as a religious rite.

In Roman history –ANTONIUS MUSA appears as a ‘water cure physician.’ who cured Neurasthenia.

Water been always of value in the treatment & prevention of disease, various sanitaria called spas operating in Europe to this day.

Romans & Greeks had well appointed baths that were constantly used for restoration of health/ strength & energy which luxurious living had impaired.

In third century B.C –

HIPPOCRATES (The father of healing), Galen, Askepliades & many others remind us that cold water baths of all kind were instrumental in curing diseases. Water relieved fever-(important procedure.)

Vedic literature has many references to the efficacy of water in treatment of disease.

In 17th century all the existing knowledge of water cure was collected & published at one place.

In 1673, NICOLA LAZANI-a physician of NAPLES, published a learned treatise on the use of water in health.

In England , about the beginning of 18th century , Sir JOHN FLOYER & Dr. BAYNARD made large use of water which resulted in a book “ THE HISTORY OF COLD BATHING, BOTH ANCIENT AND MODERN” was practical & made a very specific learning.

FLOYER a physician of Lichfield, was struck by remedial use of certain springs as employed by neighbouring peasants.heinvestigated history of cold bathing and published this book in 1702. quickly several editions came and translated by Dr, S.J. HAHN of Silesia in his work published in 1738, “ The healing virtues of cold water, inwardly & outwardly applied, as approved by experience.”

VINCENT PRIESSNITZ of Graefenberg, in Eastern Silesia, now part of Czecho-slovakia. in 19th century institutionalized water cure very successfully.

Begining by applying water externally, Priessnitzgradually multiplied the types of administration .he introduced & demonstrated the values of wet compress, douche, bath, partial bath of all kind, the sweating process, the wet sheet & drinking of large amount of pure water. In addition to use water in all forms he insisted on proper exercise & diet, fresh air & mental repose to cure the disease. Using the Natural resources and setting up a new kind of medical treatment.

The success was so remarkable that learned medical men, , nobles , princes & royal person visited Grafenberg to study his wonderfully efficient methods.

Winternitz of Vienna visited his place and made experimental study on methods of Priessnitz to determine their physiological effects.

Currie of England made scientific study on the use of water in fever.

DIETEL- a brilliant pupil of ROKITANSKI, thus formulated the new medical thought: “Nature creates & maintains , therefore she must be able to heal.”

SEBASTIAN KNEIPP, a catholic Priest spread the tenets of Water cure.he found a book by Dr. Hahn, which was turning point in his life.he cured himself of the failing health.

Father kneipp became famous for Water cure, for more than 40 years he conducted a hydrotherapeutic clinic for treatment of almost every known disease.he practised art of healing with water.

In 1893 Father Kneipp consulted Pope Leo xiii for his health.

Book;” MY WATER CURE”

LOUIS KUHNE OF Leipzing Germany, pioneer of water cure, formulated & announced his revolutionary theory of the unity of disease which astouned the world & which has been the bedrock of Natural system of healing.

He defined disease as presence of foreign matter in the body which the body tries to expell & get rid of in various waysthroughvarious channels of elimination.

Kuhne speaks , there is one cause of disease & there is also one disease, which shows itself in different forms. This doctrine of UNITY OD DISEASE is the thesis of his brilliant treatise “NEO-NATUROPATHY or “NEW SCIENCE OF HEALING.”

In INDIA Kuhne’s method was populrised by late SHROTRIYA KRISHNA SWARUP of MORADABAD by publishing the hindi & urduversions of the book.

ADOLPH JUST- wrote a book “RETURN TO NATURE” ( a classic nature cure literature)

This book influenced the thought of Mahatma Gandhi , in his later years of life he established himself as a Nature cure physician by founding Nature Cure Institute in the village of Urli Kanchan, near , Pune.

HYDROTHERAPY

Atleast two litres of water should be taken everyday.

The interval between meal and the treatment should be atleast 3 hours.

Clean and pure water must be used for treatment.

water once used for any treatment, should not be reused.

Linen and packs should be thoroughly washed in hot water and dried before they are used for treatment.

Treatment rooms should be well ventilated, clean & comfortably warm.

Very weak patients and patients suffering from heart diseases, hypertension, extreme exhaustion, fever should not take prolonged cold treatment and sauna bath.

While undergoing hydrotherapeutic treatments, the temperature and duration of application should be strictly observed to obtain derived effects.

Unnecessary prolonging in the belief of curing better health is harmful.

Before and after taking cold water treatment patient should not walk barefoot on wet ground and wet grass and should not be exposed to cold air.

Cold water treatment should be discontinued immediately if the patient feels chill, even a second more may cause him nausea, giddiness or sometimes hydrotherapic fever.

After cold water treatments, patient should quickly dry themselves and undertake moderate exercise or brisk walk.

After cold water treatment, bath should be taken only after an interval of 30-45 min.

While taking hot treatment, necessary precautions mentioned in the concerned treatment procedure should be taken for better results.

before taking hot treatment, the patient should drink about 1-2 glasses of cold water.

The head should always be protected with a wet towel, to keep the brain cool otherwise the patient may feel nausea, giddiness or even may faint.

Sometimes, during a treatment a healing crisis may occur. It generally consists of aggravation of the disease, fever, diarrhoea, cold etc.

Since it is nothing but a vigorous action of the body to eliminate the disease producing morbid matter & they should not be suppressed.

During the period of crisis, treatment and diet should be strictly followed and complete bed rest should be taken.

TEMPERATURE OF WATER

VERY COLD: 32°- 55° F

COLD: 55°- 65° F

COOL: 65°-80° F

TEPID: 80°-92° F

WARM: 92°-98° F (Neutral 94°-97° F)

HOT: 98°- 104° F

VERY HOT: 104° & above.

{ (° F-32)x5/9= ° C}

°

DEFINITION

Hydrotherapy is a modality of treating the disease with the use of water in different forms, volume, pressure & temperature for a definite period of time to attain the desired effect.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF HYDROTHERAPY

Cold is a vital tonic

primary effect of a cold application is excitant.

Secondary effect is restorative, invigorative, tonic.

Heat is depressant.

The effect of an application of heat is depressant, sedative or atonic.

CLASSIFICATION OF HYDRIATIC EFFECTS

HYDRIATIC EFFECTS

EXCITANT

PRIMARY

GENERAL LOCAL

HEMOSTATIC(Direct, indirect)

CARDIAC EFFECT

UTERINE EFFECT

VESICLE EFFECT(Bladder

effect)

INTESTINAL EFFECT(ENEMA

, COLON THERAPY

SECONDARY

GENERAL

RESTORATIVE

TONIC

CALORIFIC

LOCAL

SUDORIFIC(improve

perspiration)

EXPECTORANT

DIURETIC

CHOLOAGOGIC(increase liver

activity)

PEPTOGENIC(increase stomach

and intestinal activity)

EMMENAGOGIC(menstrual functions are

improved)

REVULSIVE(reflex/exitant)

DERIVATIVE(HFB)

RESOLUTIVE(ALTERNATE

PACKS)

ALTERATIVE(perspirationisincreased to improve edema/reduce obesity)

CALORIFIC

SEDATIVE

CIRCULATORY EFFECT

ANTIPHLOGISTIC(reuduce

inflammation/congestion)

Hemostatic(stop b/f)

NERVOUS EFFECT

HIPNOTIC

CALMATIVE

ANALGESIC

ANAESTHETIC

ANTISPASMODIC

THERMAL EFFECT

ANTITHERMIC(abstract body

heat)

ANTIPYRETIC(reduce heat

production also)

SECRETORY EFFECT(improv

e activity of gland)

TECHNIQUES OF HYDROTHERAPY

BATHS

COMPRESS

PACKS

POULTICES

FOMENTATIONS

STUPES

AFFUSIONSSTEAM INHALATIONWATER DRINKINGSPONGINGDOUCHE LAVAGES: ENEMA & IRRIGATIONS

BATHS

SITZ BATH/ HIP BATH

FOOT & ARM BATH

FULL IMMERSION BATH

RUSSIAN BATH

TURKISH BATH

STEAM BATH

HIP BATH

FOOT AND ARM BATH

FULL IMMERSION BATH

RUSSIAN & TURKISH BATH

STEAM BATH

STEAM INHALATION

DOUCHE

HOT DOUCHE

NEUTRAL DOUCHE

COLD DOUCHE

SCOTCH DOUCHE/ REVULSIVE DOUCHE

ALTERNATE HOT AND COLD DOUCHE

COMPRESSES

COLD COMPRESS

HEATING COMPRESS/ HEATING THROAT COMPRESS/ HEATING JOINT COMPRESS

REVULSIVE COMPRESS OR ALTERNATE HOT & COLD COMPRESS

PACKS

LEG PACK

HAND PACK

KNEE PACK

CEPHALIC PACK

GASTROHEPATIC PACK

KIDNEY PACK

FULL WET SHEET PACK

DRY PACKS

DRY CHEST PACK

DRY BLANKET PACK

POULTICES

CHARCOAL POULTICE

COTTON POULTICE

WATER DRINKING

COLD WATER DRINKING

HOT WATER DRINKING

AFFUSIONS

PAIL POUR/ GENERAL AFFUSION

SPONGING

PLAIN WATER SPONGING

TEPID SPONGING

COOL/ COLD SPONGE

SALINE SPONGE

ALKALINE SPONGE

LAVAGES

ENEMA

RECTAL IRRIGATION

VAGINAL ITRRIGATION

URETHRAL IRRIGATION

FOMENTATION

A FOMENTATION IS A LOCAL APPLICATION OF MOIST HEAT BY MEANS OF CLOTHS WRUNG FROM HOT WATER.

STUPES

APPLICATION OF MEDICAMENT BY MEANS OF FOMENTATION.

Eg. Turpentine, mustard, menthol

HOT-WATER BOTTLES

ICE-BAG

THANKYOU