WHAT IS HYDROTHERAPY
Water provides a natural, comforting, and peaceful medium to relax and rejuvenate both the body and the mind. Since ancient times, people have used water to soothe their nerves or to energize their bodies. Hydrotherapy is the naturopathic medical use of water for promoting health and healing.
What is hydrotherapy?
Hydrotherapy is a complementary and alternative medical treatment protocol. It includes physical therapy, exercises, and relaxation, performed in water. The inherent benefits of water, the liquid that provides the medium for our bodily processes, promote natural healing, By taking advantage of several properties of water, including its temperature and pressure, it can aid in resolving health issues.
Hydrotherapy treatment dates back several centuries to the Roman, Egyptian, and Greek civilizations. It is a tried and tested healing modality that has also been traced to Asia, where the Japanese people used therapeutic natural hot springs. Today, it has become a popular therapy which can bestow many health benefits.
Why use hydrotherapy?
Hydrotherapy is beneficial for numerous reasons. It is often used in physical and occupational therapy protocols. Some of its reported benefits include:
- Easing painful muscle aches and tension
- Helping to alleviate stress and anxiety
- Relieving fatigue
- Boosting immunity
- Increasing blood circulation
- Reducing swelling and inflammation
- Relieving pain from hemorrhoids
- Reducing labor pains and menstrual cramps.
How does hydrotherapy work?
You have probably experienced the relief that water provides if you’ve soaked in a bathtub, hot tub, or swimming pool. Water can be beneficial to health because it possesses inherent healing properties.
Temperature
Depending on the temperature used, water therapy can be used for different purposes, Warm water can provide relief from swelling, pain, and inflammation. Cold water treatments also offer many similar benefits and are typically used in more acute injuries or conditions.
Pressure
Water, by nature, exerts substantial pressure or resistance. Exercising and training in water provides a resistant medium which helps the muscles to become fitter and stronger.
Buoyancy
The buoyancy effect of water gives the body a break from the forces of gravity. Gravity powerfully influences our everyday lives, whether we know it or not. The buoyancy of water can lift the body and support its weight, allowing the body to float into relaxation and pain reduction.
Massaging effect
The feeling of water flowing over the body is comforting for many, as it exerts a massaging effect. It can relax tension in the body and reduce the impact of stress. Specific parts of the body can also be healed and relaxed through targeted water jets or sprays. These are commonly used in sports therapy and injury recovery.
Water, water everywhere
Water is readily available—it’s literally everywhere—it comes from your bathtub faucet, it fills your community pool, and it falls from the sky. You can find sophisticated hydrotherapy treatments in wellness centers as well. You can take advantage of the easy availability of water just about anytime or anywhere.
If you would like to find out how water therapies can help you, contact a professional wellness center that offers hydrotherapy. Set up a visit and discover the many benefits of this ancient healing medium.