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Wallow in your own home spa
Dr Geraldine Mitton
Posted Wed, 28 Apr 2004
From earliest times, water has been recognised to have therapeutic properties. The word ‘hydro’, meaning water, was formerly attached to places of healing. The Greek physician Galen, who lived in AD200, had hydrotherapy pools fed by ‘sacred springs’ in his temple of Asclepius near Pergamon in Turkey. Wherever they colonised, the Romans, too, built bathhouses, which were forerunners of today’s day spas. Beautifully designed and decorated, they incorporated steam rooms, hot and cold bathing pools, and massage and aromatherapy rooms. For the Romans, spending time each day at a spa was a form of preventive maintenance and not just a holistic feel-good experience.
In fact, ritual bathing for the purpose of cleansing the mind and body has been a part of Indian, Christian and African cultures since time immemorial.
Recently, mineral water therapy or thermal ‘cures’ have become popular at spas in Germany, France, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The practice of both drinking and bathing in natural mineral water was — and still is — recognised as having therapeutic benefits.
What are hydrotherapy’s effects?
One of the basic laws of laws of hydrotherapy is that of action and reaction. Application of any form of heat to the skin forces blood to the surface, whereas application of cold water has the initial effect of driving blood away from the surface. The secondary and lasting effect is that of warmth, since by the law of action and reaction the blood must circulate back to the vessels and tissues from which it was expelled. This law can best be seen at work in the three basic hydrotherapy baths — hot, cold and alternating hot and cold.
What are its benefits?
Can you practise hydrotherapy at home?
Yes, all you require is a shower, either overhead or a hand shower, and hot and cold water. Changing footbaths according to the Kneipp method — alternating hot and cold water — can be successful using two plastic buckets. You can even use a hosepipe in the garden to rev up your circulation.
One of the most beneficial practices everyone should implement as a daily routine is to take a shower. Start off with warm water, and then turn on the cold water for at least one minute. You will feel invigorated and will probably never catch a cold again. The secret is to apply cold water to a thoroughly warmed body but never to apply cold water to a cold body.
Skin brushing
Before experiencing body treatments such as seaweed wraps, it is essential to exfoliate the skin. In fact, daily dry skin brushing should be a part of everyone’s health regime.
What are the benefits?
Negative air ion therapy
How do you feel after taking a bracing walk along the beach next to the pounding surf, or with waves crashing on the rocks? Do you feel revitalised? You should be feeling the energising effect of negative air ions in the atmosphere. Negative air ions are generated next to moving water. They occur when there is good wave action at the seaside, or when you are standing next to a waterfall, or a fountain, after a thunderstorm, and even while standing under a shower in your bathroom.
By contrast, you will probably have experienced the enervating effect of positive air ions in the atmosphere. They occur just before a thunderstorm or with certain warm winds such as the berg wind. These winds generally make you feel tired, irritable and unproductive.
A good way to obtain your daily dose of negative ions is to have a shower, preferably after exercise so your body is really warm.
A mass of scientific research has shown that negative air ions:
Negative air ions are increased:
Positive air ions are increased:
This article is an edited extract from the 'Dr Geraldine Mitton's Anti-Ageing Handbook', by Dr Geraldine Mitton. The book is published by New Holland Publishers and the approximate price is R149.95
