Water is necessary for good health.
Besides drinking it, there are many
benefits of using water outside
your body.
Water is inexpensive,
abundant, and non-toxic. Besides that, it
works. The proper use of hot and cold
water relieves pain, prevents and treats
infection. Water, sunlight, and fresh air
are nature’s cleansing agents. Your body,
as well as your house, needs these
cleansers.
Have you ever thought about
using water as an inexpensive way to help
you feel better and to combat the little
annoyances of life? Water’s secret is its
“high specific heat.” Water (as steam,
liquid, or ice) does an excellent job of
“giving off” and absorbing heat. For
example: If you hold ice cubes on your
neck, your neck will get much colder much
faster than if you simply had a bare neck
in 32 degrees F weather. The ice has done
a super job of absorbing the heat in your
neck. The same principle works in reverse.
If you sink your feet in warm water, your
feet will warm up much more quickly than
if you held them close to a heater. The
water again performed outstandingly! This
time it has given much needed heat to your
cold feet.
Because of this property,
water can do wonders for conditions that
are related to congestion of blood or
fluid, or poor circulation. Let’s look at
a few things you can do in your home.
ONE STEP AT
A TIME: WHAT TO DO
Baths do much more than simply clean your
skin. A warm bath soothes the nerves and
equalizes the circulation. The mind and
body become invigorated, the intellect
becomes brighter, and every faculty
becomes livelier. Respiration is improved
and your muscles are made more flexible.
The kidney, bowels, stomach and liver are
helped in their work. The digestion is
also improved. All of these are especially
true when a hot or warm bath is followed
with an application of cool to cold water.
Not so cold as to shock the system but
enough difference in the water temperature
to cause the skin to react. A hot water
shower (hot enough to be tolerated)
followed by a cold water application
increases the red blood cells from 20-35
percent. These red blood cells clean and
nourish the body. But even more important,
the white blood cells, which fight
infections, are increased from 200 to 300
percent after a hot and cold water
treatment.
In the evening, a good,
old- fashioned bath with warm water will
help relieve insomnia. It will do much to
help you relax and relieve the stress from
the day.
A hot (110 degrees F) foot
bath soon produces warm, pink feet. The
heat has caused the blood vessels in your
feet to dilate (become larger in diameter)
so they are naturally holding more blood.
Hence, the pink skin effect. This effect
has implications for other parts of the
body that may be congested.
Got a headache? Some forms
of headaches are caused by a congestion of
blood in the head, especially pressure
headaches of sedentary workers who must
concentrate for long periods of time. The
head, being a cranial cavity, cannot
expand and the pressure becomes painful.
For relief of headache pain, hold an ice
cold wash cloth to the forehead and soak
the feet in hot water. Often, within a few
minutes, the headache will be gone!
Got abdominal cramps? If
the abdominal cramps are due to congestion
(such as menstrual cramps), the solution,
again is a hot foot bath. The pooling of
blood in the feet will bring decongestion
and relief for that painful abdomen.
APPLICATION: HOW TO DO IT
A cool down shower is just
what it sounds like! You shower first in
hot water, then turn on the cold. This
challenges your circulatory system and is
one of the best cold and flu preventives!
Your white blood cells (part of the body’s
defense system) will be called from the
spleen and other storage depots, into your
blood stream, ready to fight any incoming
virus or germ you may encounter. In
addition, it is a far superior “eye-
opener” than that morning
cup of coffee!
COOL DOWN SHOWER PROCEDURE
When you are through with
your daily routine in the shower, turn up
the hot water as hot as you can tolerate
it (105-110 degrees F). After a minute or
two, turn the cold water on. Start with a
mild contrast when you begin this routine,
but increase your tolerance gradually
until you can tolerate it as cold as it
gets. Jumping and rubbing your skin while
in the cold water will help (just don’t
fall). Leave the cold on for about 30
seconds. Never leave it on so long that
you actually feel chilled. This will have
an undesirable effect. (If you feel
chilled, turn the hot water back on until
you feel warm, then try a briefer
application of cold.) Turn the water off
and dry yourself briskly.
CONTRAST SHOWER
A contrast shower is a
modification of the cool down shower.
Instead of only one contrast being given,
the contrast is repeated 3 times. That is,
about 3 minutes of hot water, then 30
seconds of cold, 3 times. This is an
excellent treatment for virtually any
systemic infection, but it should be done
when the symptom first begin. It can be
repeated 1-2 times daily throughout the
illness.
COLD OR FLU: At the first
sign of a cold or flu, go home immediately
and take a contrast shower. Briskly dry
your body and go to bed for one hour
minimum. In many cases the cold can be
averted. Timing is very important. If the
germs are allowed to multiply all day it
is almost impossible to check them
YOUR
CHALLENGE: YOU CAN DO IT
Instead of going for a
pill, try these simple treatments.
And remember, Health is by Choice...not by
chance! The choice is yours. You don’t
have to be a statistic. By adopting a
better lifestyle and wiser lifestyle
habits, you can live longer, feel better,
and enjoy a healthier, more productive
life. How we choose to live is how we
choose to die.
Nancy Schmieder works with the Better Living Ministries in
Wayland , NY as a Certified Lifestyle Consultant and Specialist.
The Better Living Ministries is a Community Resource for Lifestyle
Education and Support. Health by Choice is a practical, simple
journey on how to incorporate healthy habits into your lifestyle.
Nancy is a Mother of five and she lives with her family in
Springwater , NY . Her e-mail address is
n.schmieder@frontiernet.net
