We reach for medicine when we have a headache, but there are
many non medicinal treatment options available simply by understanding the
combinations of temperature, and length and form of application of water. For
example; When my Italian Grandfather would get a throbbing headache, my very
old-fashioned Grandmother used to make an herbal foot soak for him. As a child
I was confused by this.
The basic thing that you need to understand about
hydrotherapy is that hot creates
what’s called vasodilation. This
essentially means dilation of the veins. When the veins dilate, more blood is
allowed to travel through. In contrast to dilating the veins, is vasoconstriction. When cold is applied to an area, it constricts
the flow of blood, so in an area of injury where tissue is damaged, bringing
ice to the area immediately can prevent swelling and bruising by restricting
blood flow through constricted veins.
Understanding the injury process can be helpful, but just
knowing the basics can bring healing to you and your family in a handful of
cases. So, why did my Grandma use a hot foot bath for a headache? To open the
veins in the lower extremities drawing the excess blood from the head that’s causing
the throbbing. Are you thinking that she also used a cold pack on his head?
Good call, the answer is yes.
That’s Hydrotherapy 101. Temperatures are important, but
beyond Hydro 101 are the indications for ice or heat, along with the
contraindications for each. In any case, I don’t recommend using ice or heat
for longer than 20 minutes at a time. Keep in mind that you’re manipulating the
body’s natural flows in order to accomplish something in a single part of the
body. Once you’ve drawn or restricted a bunch of blood to a body part, you need
to give the rest of the body a chance to remain normal. Also, the body has natural
defense systems that aren’t in favor of your unnatural manipulations, so they
need to be tricked in short spurts.
So, when do you use ice or heat on an injury? Checkout this article on the Naturopathic Doctor News And Review.
An instructor in Chinese Medicine once told me “To keep it easy, if it’s hot, use ice, if
it’s not, use heat.” Although not quite that simple, it works. Examples
would be, a fresh black eye that hasn’t swelled yet, an ice pack would stop the
body’s natural responses from further injury that accompanies swelling. In the
very beginning, I would use 15-20 minutes of ice every couple of hours. I would
use ice until the threat of swelling and inflammation are gone. By adding heat
too soon, or by using heat on an injury that is becoming infected, you threaten
flushing undesirable cells into the blood stream. Here are some examples;
Tight Muscles: Tight, contracted muscles are not an injury.
They are muscles that need oxygen. By using a heat pack for 15-20 minutes, the
blood will begin to flow through the contracted area letting go of the stuck
tissue. This is why a nice Jacuzzi after a workout is so relaxing.
A Hot, Swollen Joint: Joints have plenty of tendinous muscle
attachments (no blood in tendons) that get aggravated causing the related bones
to become inflamed, and that brings excess fluid that causes swelling and pain.
By using ice, the excess fluid isn’t allowed in, lessening the pain. By adding
heat too soon, you encourage the debris filled fluid through the entire system.
By allowing the area to heal a little naturally, the injured cells will move
out on their own time.
Alternating: So, what are people talking about when they
suggest alternating ice and heat? This is called Alternate or Fluxion. This is
the act of greatly increasing the circulation to an area, then stopping it with
a short spurt of cold alternately, followed by heat again. This brings a flush
of blood that washes out accumulated toxins created by an injury. Going black
to the black eye that we treated with ice … Once the bruising starts to turn
yellow, it’s ready for Fluxion to remove the debris caused by the injury.
When using alternating hot and cold applications to the same
body area, there should be at least three alternating applications. The cold
duration should be about one fourth to one half as long as the hot
applications. Start with hot, always finish with cold.
Need to detox? Take a nice hot shower for 10 minutes. Switch
it to cold for 3 minutes, switch it back to nice and hot, finish with a splash
of cold. Be sure to drink lots of fresh, clean water for the rest of the day.
Simple! Free! Do it with a pool and Jacuzzi, or maybe your gym has a cold
plunge to use with the shower. Consult with your doctor before jumping into a cold plunge if you have hypertension.
