By Daniel H. Chong, N.D.
By now, many of you have learned of Dr. Mercola’s support for naturopathic medicine. Some of you may be very familiar with naturopathic medicine, and some of you may even be seeing a licensed naturopathic doctor. Although this is a wonderful thing, I fear that most of you, even those seeing a naturopath, are missing out on one of the most powerful treatments ever used in naturopathic medicine, hydrotherapy. Used as part of any treatment plan, hydrotherapy treatments can have a profound effect.
Unfortunately, there are few medical doctors out there who recommend this type of treatment to their patients. Worse yet, there are fewer and fewer naturopathic physicians using hydrotherapy as part of their treatment plans. This article is being written to give everyone a short lessen on, or reminder of, the power of hydrotherapy, in hopes that it will once again find its place amongst the common treatments being prescribed by truly health conscious physicians today.
A Brief History
Hydrotherapy, in one form or another, has been around for at least as long as animals have roamed the earth. There have been numerous accounts of sick or injured animals observed in the wild, soaking themselves or their injured parts in a cool stream everyday until they were well again. One of the first textbooks on hydrotherapy was written in 1697 by the English physician John Floyer. Since then, there have been numerous physicians and others who have become famous using various types of hydrotherapy treatments to cure people of countless illnesses. Many people have heard of John Harvey Kellog, who ran the famous Battle Creek Sanitorium in Michigan, and used many different hydrotherapy treatments, as well as massage, electrotherapy, and diet to help cure hundreds of previously “incurable” cases.
By the early 1900s, hydrotherapy was a common treatment employed by naturopathic physicians. Benedict Lust, Henry Lindlahr, and O.G. Carroll are three of the most famous naturopathic physicians who have ever lived. They combined hydrotherapy with other treatments such as herbal medicine, homeopathy, and diet therapy to help heal literally thousands of people whose conditions were originally considered incurable. Hydrotherapy was the center-point of their practices and many of the treatments that they used are still being used today.
Since the time of these great physicians, hydrotherapy has experienced a slow but steady decline in popularity as a common treatment in naturopathic offices, for numerous reasons. Some doctors lack the proper training and experience, as school curriculums no longer focus on hydrotherapy. Some doctors choose not to use these treatments, because they can be time consuming, and not very cost-effective. There are still a few doctors out there who continue to carry on with these wonderful treatments. These doctors are aware of the power of hydrotherapy, and will continue using it well into the future, regardless of what new supplements or other “miracle treatments” come along.
The Theory and Practice of Naturopathic Hydrotherapy
Naturopathic hydrotherapy differs slightly from the standard hydrotherapy commonly used by medical doctors and physical therapists. In general, M.D.s and physical therapists simply recognize the mechanical effects of hot and cold applied to the body, e.g., that hot will relax muscles, and cold will decrease inflammation. The naturopathic hydrotherapist also believes that hydrotherapy can affect the quality of blood in circulation. This is done primarily through treatments that tonify the digestive and detoxification organs (liver, kidney, lungs and intestinal tract) and thereby improve the nutrition received by the blood as well as help to cleanse the blood of endogenous and exogenous toxins.
This effect is accomplished by using an alternating application of hot and cold water to specific areas of the body. By switching back and forth between hot and cold, blood flow will be increased to that spot and the organs underlying that area. The naturopathic hydrotherapist views blood as the conveyer of life. Naturopathic hydrotherapy works because it optimizes the quality of blood while improving the efficiency of its circulation.
A naturopathic doctor will sometimes prescribe a hydrotherapy treatment specific for the patient’s condition, and that patient will perform this treatment on themselves at home. Some naturopathic doctors have the capacity to perform hydrotherapy treatments in their office, but such a situation is quite rare these days. Many of the commonly used hydrotherapy treatments work perfectly fine at home, but if possible they are best done in a doctor’s office. This allows for the entire treatment to be monitored and modified if necessary.
Some Classic Treatments
- Constitutional Hydrotherapy
- Alternating Footbath
- Warming Socks Treatment
- The Castor Oil Pack
- Alternating Hot and Cold Sitz Bath
- Alternating Hot and Cold Sinus Compress
- Nasal Lavage
Hydrotherapy treatments can fit seamlessly in with the diet, nutrition and lifestyle plan prescribed by Dr. Mercola. In fact the constitutional hydrotherapy treatment will help a person to better digest, absorb and assimilate the wealth of newfound nutrients from The No-Grain Diet. Aside from these assets, the constitutional hydrotherapy treatment can also be helpful with stress relief and depression, another of Dr. Mercola’s crucial components necessary for optimal health.
