Benefit of Water Therapy
Water Therapy is a natural therapy based on the internal and external use of water in prevention and treatment of diseases, rehabilitation and improving ones overall well being
The human body consists of over 60 percent water. It is not surprising then that water has so many healing applications. Water heals from both the inside out and the outside in.
Water can be therapeutic in many ways, and here are the topics of this page:
- Physical water therapy - Hydrotherapy
- Benefit of water exercise for injuries and specific health conditions
- Healing Spring Water
- Water therapy spa: Rejuvenation through mineral bath in spring water (Balneotherapy)
- Seawater therapy
- Benefit of Sea Salt Water - Thalassotherapy
- Bath and Body: Relaxation and Detoxification, Home spa remedies
- Water Therapy Related Links
Physical Water Therapy:
Different recovery centers are using water therapy programs as integrative ways to address chronic illnesses and conditions that have not responded to conventional medical modalities.
In these centers, patients suffering from debilitating pain, diabetes, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other illnesses have significantly improved their quality of life.
Exercise is another potential pathway to reducing both depression and risk of heart disease. A recent study found that participation in an exercise training program was comparable to treatment with an antidepressant medication (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) for improving depressive symptoms in older adults diagnosed with major depression. Exercise, of course, is a major protective factor against heart disease as well. States the National Institutes of Health
Physical water therapy incorporates many techniques including:
swimming exercise, swimming pool games, water walking exercise, massage therapy, anti aging exercises, and stretching to treat physical dysfunction or injury.
There are many benefits from participation in a physical water therapy program beyond the fact that the aquatic environment is very enjoyable:
- The buoyancy of the water supports and lessens stress on the joints and encourages freer movement.
- Water also acts as a resistance to help build muscle strength.
Jump in! Burn fat, tone muscle and stay in shape even if you are plagued with knee, ankle, foot or leg problems...
Water fitness programs can be highly challenging and effective for people of all ages and they have multiple healing effects, like:
- Relief of pain and muscle spasm
- Re-education of walking patterns
- Increased joint range
- Increased muscle strength
- Improvement of peripheral circulation
- Balance enhancement
- Support of otherwise completely immobile people
- Recovery from surgery (e.g. joint replacement), or complex trauma
- Movement pattern improvement
- Functional retraining for work
- Alternative medicine for sports injuries
Physical Water Therapy recommended books
* see also Bath and Body Works for training and fitness
Benefit of Water Exercise:
1. Water Therapy - natural cure for arthritis:
- water may be the only way to save yourself from the surgeon's knife...
The hydrostatic force of the water is thought to bring about pain relief, which may result from taking stress off the affected joint, relaxation or other factors. It is most commonly prescribed for patients with psoriatic arthritis or for rheumatoid arthritis symptom ... Arthritis Treatments
2. Water therapy - a different approach for treating Fibromyalgia:
"Anyone in pain knows how soothing it is to slip into warm water. A sense of well-being flows over the skin and muscles and the mind stops working on its problems. When you add mild, appropriate exercise to the warm water, you’ve found an excellent recipe for relieving the aches and tenderness that accompanies fibromyalgia. By slowly stretching the neck, shoulders, upper back, and arms, you’ve begun to alleviate FM’s symptoms. Then, when performing exercises against the water’s resistance, you gain strength without risking injury. In deep water, there’s no impact during exercise, so walking and running are possible even for the sorest muscles and joints." - The National Fibromyalgia Association
3. Water Therapy - efficacy of aquatics for individuals with Asthma:
"There are numerous reasons why aquatics is good for individuals with asthma. These include low asthmogenicity, induces less severe bronchoconstriction, and enhances ventilatory muscle endurance and mucus clearance. Aquatics is well tolerated, it improves lung capacity, circulation, cough reflex and breath control. It also increases aerobic capacity, overall fitness, balance and coordination, and individuals can work at their own pace. . . ." Darlene A. Herfurt, MSHA, MBA - Water Therapy & Rehab Institute
4. Did you know that: Swimming is a liberating experience for many blind people?
"There are a surprising number of blind people who have never had the courage to move rapidly, or run full speed for fear of colliding with something. Some of us, who did have the courage if not the sense, have the scars to prove it. Diving into a pool, and swimming full out, or diving deep and swimming the length under water gives a real sense of freedom. In a pool you can assume many different body positions while moving through the water which feels wonderful, is good for you physically, and actually sensual. My sense of touch is developed not only in my fingers but also all over. When touch becomes a primary sense, instead of a secondary one, you pay much more attention to your skin sensations everywhere. The water in the pool is stimulating to the entire skin area." ... Benefit of Swimming for Visual Impairment -
The
Complete Waterpower Workout Book: Program for Fitness, Injury Prevention,
and Healing
" I had a devastating knee injury about five and one half months ago (the doctor stated that I may never be able to obtain my pre-injury range of motion). The traditional rehab was going very slowly and very painfully. I asked my physician if I could exercise in the water, and after his approval, I started with the workouts in this book along with my prescribed rehab. I have gained 80% of my pre-injury range of motion and on a good start with my strength and balance with VERY little pain!! My physical therapist said I started improving much more rapidly after starting the water workouts and I have already exceeded the expected post-operative range of motion. I could not have done it without the water workouts!!" tells a reader
Psychological benefits of water therapy include:
- Relaxation due to warmth and weightlessness
- Increased feeling of health and well being
- Increased self-confidence
- Recreation
- Improved mood through positive interaction with other participants
And guess what :
Pets can benefit from water therapy too!
Swimming is a form of rehabilitation therapy particularly appropriate for dogs and horses recovering from a range of conditions - especially those involving problems with limbs. All animals can swim by instinct. How much they enjoy it depends on their confidence in the water and this can be increased by gradual acclimatization. Read more...
Pets need clean water daily to stay cool and maintain a proper hydration level. Use a dish that is deep enough to hold a reasonable amount of water for one day. Ensure their fresh drinking water supply, ... because they need your love and lots of care.
Drinking Water Therapy
"There are isolated places on earth where people are very healthy and live for very long periods of time. They don't have dental caries or cancer, or the diseases of civilization...
There are five of these isolated cultures in the world, and these people live long, healthy, productive lives, even into very old age, men fathering children after the age of 100. Hunza Valley is one of them... "
"I finally succeeded in duplicating the Hunza water minerals and developed a product called Crystal Energy." - Tells Dr. Patrick Flanagan
MegaHydrate® increases the absorption of water by your body and helps you keep hydrated, eliminating toxins and dangerous metals. So to experiment a full water therapy, try immerse baths and MegaHydrate® this way you can enjoy all the best that water can do for you! Remember, your body is made of at least 60 of water, so you must keep it moisturized!
Drinking Sea Water
The health and appearance of our skin depends on adequate internal water consumption, although sea salt bath treatments applied externally can also improve healing, even of a diseased organ or muscle tissue. Concentrated seawater has been found to be the mildest water to the human body and its higher concentrations of magnesium, sodium, nitrate- nitrogen, iodine, phosphate-phosphorus, and silicate- silicon may have a good influence on human health.As the natural iodine boosts thyroid activity, food fuels are used before they can turn into fatty deposits, speeding weight loss and helping in cellulite control. Positive effects have been shown in cases of psoriasis and dermatitis, among many others.
The American Indians who resided in the Utah area near the Great Salt Lake regularly drank small quantities of the inland sea water. They discovered that this practice enhanced the effect of their herbal remedies.
It was based on this folk use that Hartly Anderson set up a company to extract the exceptionally pure and concentrated form of sea water and to market it for health purposes. That was over 30 years ago, and many people testify to the therapeutic properties of these mineral rich waters and the beneficial effects when combined with herb's and other nutrients.
The famed Poznan School of medicine in Poland found after years of research that herb's acted synergistically with minerals and vitamins, providing a superior therapeutic modality, than when minerals are not included...
