Hydrotherapy – Physiological Effects of Water
Learning Objectives
On completion of this lesson, you will be able to learn –
- Water and hydrotherapy
- Electrolytes and body fluids
- Therapeutic bath.
What is Hydrotherapy?
Water like air is a basic necessity without which life cannot be
maintained. Water is the principal constituent of the human body. It is
indispensable to the metabolic processes in the cells. Water is a
universal solvent. Almost all water is derived from rain, hail, snow, and
dew, etc. All human beings need safe and pure water for drinking
purposes. Safe water is one which when taken does not harm the consumer.
Hydrotherapy is one kind of physiotherapy. Treatment by using water for
metallic processes in the cell swimming is called hydrotherapy.
Electrolytes and Body Fluids
The diagnosis and treatment of electrolyte disorders is a skill learned
by experience and practice. Like all clinical skills, it is dependent on
a proper understanding of basic science. We are still very dependent on
ready access to water for our survival and man cannot survive for more
than a couple of days without a source of freshwater. Dehydration is
still a major cause of loss of human life. Millions of lives are lost
each year in developing countries from disorders of fluid and electrolyte
therapy.
A proper understanding of the control of fluid and electrolyte balance
is essential. This can only be achieved by considering the
extra-cellular fluids as a watery environment whose composition is
critical to the function of every organ, tissue, and cell in the body.
Body Water and Fluid Compositions
Water is the main constituent of the body and total body water varies with age
and sex and it ranges from 45- 60% of body weight or 40-60 liters of water.
Normal males have around 60% of body weight as water and females 52% of body
weight. The lower percentage of water in the female is due to the higher fat
content of the body. Body water can be divided into two compartments
intracellular fluid (IFC) as the major component comprising two-third of body
water and extracellular fluid (ECF) making up the remaining one-third of body
water. Plasma influences the composition of the extracellular fluid around all
the cells of the body. Plasma is circulated around the body via the
cardiovascular system and changes in the composition of plasma affect all
cells.
Total body water is divided into an extra-cellular fluid (ECF) and
intracellular fluid (ICF) compartments. The ECF can be further divided into an
infra-vascular compartment (Plasma) and interstitial fluid (IntF)
Na+ is the major action of ECF and K+ the major action of ICF.
Therapeutic Baths
Water has been used as a valuable therapeutic agent since
time immemorial. In all major ancient civilizations, bathing was
considered an important measure for the maintenance of health and
prevention of disease. Water exerts beneficial effects on the human
system. It equalizes circulation, boosts muscular tone, and aids
digestion and nutrition. It also tones up the activity of the preparatory
gland and in the process eliminates the damaged cells and toxic matter
from the system. The common water temperature chart is cold 10°C to
18°C, neutral 32°C to 36°C, and hot 40°C to 45°C. Above 45°C, water loses
its therapeutic value and is destructive.
The main methods of water treatment, which can be employed in the healing
of various diseases, are described below.
Cold Compress
This is a local application using a cloth, which has been wrung out in
cold water. The cloth should be folded into a broad strip and dipped in
cold water or ice water. The compress is generally applied to the head,
neck, chest, abdomen, and back. The cold compress is an effective means
of controlling inflammatory conditions of the liver, spleen, stomach,
kidneys, intestines, lungs, brain, pelvic organ, and so on. It is also
advantageous in cases of fever and heart disease.
Heating Compress
This is a cold compress covered in such a manner as to bring warmth.
A heating compress consists of three or four folds of linen cloth wrung
out on cold water. Then it is covered completely with dry flannel or
blanket to prevent the circulation of air and help accumulation of body
heat. It is sometimes applied for several hours. A heating compress can
be applied to the throat, hoarseness, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, and
laryngitis. An abdominal compress helps those suffering from gastritis
hyperacidity, indigestion, and jaundice diarrhea, dysentery. The chest
compress is helpful for inflamed joints, rheumatism, rheumatic fever, and
sprains.
Hip Baths
The hip bath is one of the most useful forms of hydrotherapy. This mode
of treatment involves only the hips bath and the abdominal region below
the navel. A special type of tub is used for this purpose. The tub is
filled with water in such a way that it covers the hips and reaches up to
the navel when the patient sits in it. Hip bath is given in cold, hot,
and neutral alternative temperatures. Let us discuss them below.
i. Cold Hip Bath
The water temperature should be 10°C to 18°C. The duration of the bath
is usually 10 minutes. A cold hip bath is a routine treatment for most
diseases. It relieves constipation, indigestion, and obesity and helps
the eliminative organs to function properly. It is also helpful in
uterine problems like irregular menstruation, chronic uterine infections,
pelvic inflammation, piles, hepatic congestion, chronic congestion of the
prostate gland, uterine and ovarian displacements, diarrhea, dysentery,
hemorrhage of the bladder, and so on.
ii. Hot Hip Bath
The bath is generally taken for 8 to 10 minutes at a water temperature of 40°C
to 45°C. The bath should start at 40°C and gradually increased to 45°C. A hot
hip bath helps to relieve painful menstruation, pain in the pelvic organs,
painful urination, and painful piles.
iii. Neutral Hip Bath
The temperature of the water should be 32°C to 36°C. This bath
is generally taken for 20 minutes to an hour. The neutral hip bath helps
to relieve all acute and sub-acute inflammatory conditions. It also
relieves neuralgia of the fallopian tubes, painful spasms of the vagina.
iv. Alternate Hip Bath
The temperature in the hot tub should be 40°C to 45°C and in the cold tub
10°C to 18°C. The patient should be alternately sit in the hot tub for 5
minutes and then in the cold tub for 3 minutes. The duration of the bath is
generally 10 to 20 minutes. The bath relieves chronic inflammatory
conditions of the pelvic viscera such as salpingitis, ovaritis, cellulitis.
v. Hot Foot Bath
In this bath, the patient should keep his /her legs in a tub or a bucket
filled with hot water at a temperature of 40°C to 45°C. Before taking this
bath, a glass of water should be taken and the body should be covered with a
blanket so that no heat escapes from the footbath. The head should be
protected with a cold compress. The duration of the bath is generally from 5
to 10 minutes. The hot footbath stimulates the involuntary muscles of the
uterus, intestines, bladder, and other pelvic and abdominal organs. It also
relieves sprains and ankle joint pains, headaches. In women, it helps
restore menstruation if suspended.
Precaution
Certain precautions are necessary while taking these therapeutic baths. Full
baths should be avoided within 3 hours after a meal and one hour before it.
Local baths like the hip baths and footbaths may, however, be taken two
hours after a meal. Clean and pure water must be used for baths and water
once used should not be used again. While taking baths, temperature and
duration should be strictly observed to obtain the desired effects. Women
should not take any of the baths during menstruation. They can take only hip
baths during pregnancy till the completion of the third month.
