The power of water

Hydrotherapy is one of the most effective natural therapies to treat female discomforts. It helps you to relax and fight against the tension brought on by hormonal changes. The following is a guide to hydrotherapy techniques for each ailment.

+ Water, in liquid, solid or vapor form, can be used as an effective therapy to treat typical female discomforts. Water helps to regulate the body's temperature, eliminate toxins and stimulate or calm the nervous system.

• A brief cold shower can help to energize you in cases of depression or anxiety.
• Applying warm or hot water over the entire body or specific parts of the body during a shower can help to soothe nervous tension brought on by PMS or menopause.

NOTE

You should always consult your physician before taking hydrotherapy practices.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Hydrotherapy should be practiced in a warm, well-ventilated room.
• It's not recommended to practice this therapy right before or after eating meals.
• Do not hold your breath during treatment, you should keep breathing regulary.
• Before exposing the body to cold water, the body should be warmed up, and in a warm room. You should avoid using cold water therapy when your body is feeling weak; in this case it's advised to use hot baths that relax and lower your blood pressure.
• Always after using hydrotherapy, dry your face and your hair with a towel and leave the rest of the body moist, covering up with a blanket or comforter. After taking a baths, it's best to lie down in a warm, cozy bed.

• Ice or cold water is very effective in reducing swelling in the ankles brought on by poor blood circulation or by water retention.
• Soaking in a hot bath helps to decongest and completely relax the body. However, women who suffer from low blood pressure should use caution.
• Steam baths, and other water treatments for female discomforts increase blood flow to the skin's surface, provoking sweating and at the same time cleaning the body from the inside out.
• Adding a few drops of essential oils to a vaporizer with hot steam, helps to bring on a deep sleep when you are having trouble sleeping, especially for pregnant women in the last trimester. (Essential oils recommended to bring on sleep are myrrh and tangerine, because they don't have any side effects.)
• Showers, especially if accompanied by a rubbing with a sponge or rough textured cloth, increase the skin's breathing and stimulate the metabolism, blood circulation and oxygen flow. This can be a key resource during menopause.
• Baths stimulate the irrigation of the abdominal and pelvic region, relieving premenstrual and menopause symptoms.

WATER EXERCISE

Recommended for menopause, pregnancy and PMS. You can use this therapy in the bathtub of your own home. It's refreshing, improves blood circulation, regulates the body's temperature, calms the nervous system and strengthens the veins in the legs. It can also be used to help bring on repairing sleep.

Instructions

• Fill the bathtub with cold water.
• Imitate a stork, (stand in the tub, kicking up water with each step) walk in the water for thirty seconds to one minute.
• Get out of the bathtub. Dry your body with your hands, not a towel.
• Put on cotton socks and walk around a warm room, until your legs warm up, or cover up in your bed.

Warning. This exercise is not recommended for women suffering from urinary tract infections, poor circulation or cramps in the legs.

IMMEDIATE RELIEF

The following exercises are effective and easy for specific discomforts.

Bandages or clothes

Using bandages or linen cloths on specific points of the body, can help to relieve specific pains. They can be soaked in cold, tepid or hot water, depending on your discomfort. Wring the cloth out before placing it on your skin.

∎ For headaches.

Water acts on symptoms related to headaches caused by premenstrual tension. For immediate relief, soak a linen cloth in cold water, wring it out and place it on your forehead or over your eyes. Rest with your eyes closed for as long as you feel comfortable. Continue to soak the cloth as many times as necessary.

∎ For tension in the neck.

Alternating with cold and hot compresses on the back can help to relieve accumulated tension in this part of the body.

∎ For abdominal pain.

Tepid compresses on the skin above the abdomen can bring a pleasant sense of warmth to relax the abdominal organs.

Effusions

Consists of applying spurts of varying temperatures of water on a specific point of the body, to relieve specific pains.

∎ For uterus pains during PMS.

It's recommended an effusion on the abdominal region. Using a hand held showerhead apply warm water on the muscles, and continue upward at the base of the rib cage. This is not only helpful for uterus pains, but also helps to relax the entire body and to improve the metabolism and digestion. Apply water for three or four minutes, using the showerhead to release constant and strong water pressure.

HEALING BATHS

There's nothing more comforting than drawing a warm bath (hot but not too hot) and adding a few drops of essential oils to relieve particular symptoms. Imagine soaking away the pain.

• For circulatory problems

Add 2 cups of sea salt or 3-4 drops of cyprus and/or camomile essential oils to a bathtub filled with hot water. Soak for 10 minutes to improve circulatory problems caused by PMS.

• To fight water retention

Hormonal activity before menstruation and during your period tends to cause water retention, causing your ankles to swell and straining your kidneys and liver. To help fight symptoms draw a hot bath with a mixed herbal infusion. You can add essential oils of orange, camomile or rose.

• For your skin during pregnancy

During pregnancy women tend to suffer from skin irritation. To prevent your skin from reacting take a warm bath, with equal quantities of oatmeal and lime buds in a linen cloth bag soaked in the water. As an alternative you can soften the skin by adding a cloth bag with chopped cucumber. If your skin is continuously irritated, soak a cotton ball in spring water and apply on the affected areas after the bath.

Safety. Pregnant women should avoid sauna baths, Turkish baths and soaking in hot water.

Med-Express