Taking a therapeutic foot bath can be a powerful tool to combat many common ailments. Sit back, relax, and soak your feet this week!
Hydrotherapy is an ancient treatment in which water is used in healing. It has been used in the treatment of disease or injury by many cultures, including those of ancient Rome, Greece, China, and Japan.
In the 19th century, a Bavarian monk named Father Sebastian Kneipp helped repopularize the therapeutic use of water in healing. There are now many dozens of methods of applying hydrotherapy, including immersion baths, footbaths, saunas, wraps, and packs.
Foot baths are a simple yet powerful treatment for the following conditions:
- Cold feet
- Upper respiratory tract infections, chest congestion, flu, cough
- Headache
- Menstrual cramps
- Insomnia
If you are fighting a cold, having difficulty sleeping, battling a headache, or suffering from menstrual cramps, try a nourishing foot bath:
nourished foot bath
- sit in a chair and place your feet and ankles in a bucket or bathtub full of hot water (ideal temperature between 105-115 degrees F)
- remove your feet after 10-15 minutes and dry them well
- put on a pair of cotton socks that have been soaked in ice-cold water and wrung out
- cover with a pair of dry wool or cotton socks
- leave the socks on for at least 30 minutes
- enjoy the benefits
* hot foot baths are contraindicated in people with diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, severe cardiac disease, and peripheral vascular disease.
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