Water as a Health and Healing Agent
Drinking water at body temperature is a great agent for health. Mineral water, too is valuable, for the minerals achieve a natural balance in the system. Quantities of warm water help digestion and often stimulate the colon if it is sluggish. Drinking a glass of warm or hot water, with a little lemon juice immediately on rising is a true and tested remedy to flush out the system. It also helps to stimulate circulation, calm the stomach and encourage bowel action.
One of the best ways of taking water is in the form of herbal teas, which are easy to make, pleasant to taste and often alleviate a wide range of symptoms.
Herbal TeasPeppermint tea, may be used to combat chills, colic, dizziness, stomach flatulence, nausea, diarrhoea, and the Flu. Even nightmares are said to disappear if peppermint tea is taken before going to bed. It is an excellent night time drink which cleanses and strengthens the body.
Sassafras Tea is also a cleanser of the entire body system, whilst Sage Tea makes an excellent tranquilliser as well as alleviating night sweats and hot flushes during the menopause. Probably valerian is the best known “nerve tonic” among herbal teas. It is often used to promote sleep and also has pain relieving qualities. Another natural sedative is camomile tea and also relieves headaches and nervous tension generally. Where nausea is the problem, basil tea is worth trying.
Rosemary tea is good for menstrual pains, nervous depression, colds and headaches whilst lemon tea is good for skin problems like acne. If psoriasis is a problem, sarsaparilla tea can be taken. Herbal teas in general have been used as a dietary aid, as they seem to act as appetite suppressors. If you are trying to lose weight, drink a glass of herbal tea about an hour before meals. You may find then that you need less food to satisfy your appetite.
There are a large number of herbal teas available and it is well worth your while to experiment with these, finding the ones that bring you the best health benefits. Most health food shops carry a wide range. It is certainly an excellent way of enhancing the already great way of taking water internally.
Infections and First AidIn dealing with infection, the first “medicine” should be pure water. This is taken internally for infections and externally for infected cuts and for the skin. Warm water is preferable as it is more likely to draw out toxins and impurities from the body. Herbs such as goldenseal, ginger, and sassafras help this process along.
Water has great health benefits when applied externally. Sunburn for example can be relieved by immediately applying cool water to the skin. Burns are also best handled in this way, by immediately immersing in cold water. Applying icepacks for 48 hours can alleviate muscle sprains and strains. After this period, it is best to use hot compresses alternating with cold compresses every 5 minutes
Compresses are thick pieces of cloth wrung out in hot or cold water. These provide natural relief for aching stiffness or pain in joints and muscles by stimulating the circulation. This increases the flow of nutrients to injured areas and promotes the removal of toxins and waste products. Pain in any part of the body indicates some form of congestion in the affected area and alternative hot and cold compresses will relieve this condition faster than any other remedy.
A hot Compress applied to the lower spine and covered with a towel can relieve low back pain and soothes the nerve centres of the back so that a spasm is relieved. A cold compress stimulates and refreshes the nervous system.
Water used for Massage and RelaxationA shower can also be used as a form of hydrotherapy. Turn the hands upwards so that the needlepoint spray “massages” them. If you are able to sit in the shower, allow the showerhead to needle spray “massage” the soles of your feet too.
Turning your back so that the water exerts pressure up and down your spine will relax the whole body, increase blood flow and be beneficial to the health of your nerves. Baths are more popular as a healing water treatment. The hot bath, as hot as can be tolerated, relieves headaches, especially migraines. In addition it helps the body to relax, soothes nerves, calms digestion, relieves pain in the joints and has a sedative effect. These baths should not last longer than 15-20 minutes. If you would rather a stimulating effect rather than a sedative effect finish off with a cool or cold bath or shower by letting the cold-water tap run. Hot footbaths also have a beneficial health benefits. Standing in a basin of hot water ankle deep for up to15 minutes at a time provides total body relaxation, and does wonders for tired aching feet.
A one-minute soak in cold water to finish off should also relieve tiredness. Dry your feet well after the treatment in a footbath, probe for tender spots and massage them thoroughly. However, if your feet are bruised or injured, do not use the hot treatment but cool them with ice cubes wrapped in a towel.
Bathing with Epsom salts can relieve and treat sciatica, rheumatism and neuritis. The effect is to eliminate uric acid from the body. Use approximately 1.3 kilos of Epsom salts to half a tub of water, which is as hot as can be comfortably tolerated. Remain in the water until you are perspiring freely. At this stage emerge from the bath, dry off, cover yourself with blankets and gradually cool off.
Even haemorrhoids can benefit from water treatment. By sitting for half an hour a day in a warm bath, you relax the affected areas, and the body will naturally shrink them.
Water treatment for the Eyes
Tired and swollen eyes can be soothed with a piece of cotton wool soaked in cold water and placed over the closed eyelids. This treatment relaxes the eyes and this relaxation helps the function of the eyes as well. Many visual defects are a result of straining the eyes. Therefore cure lies more in eliminating the strain rather than in the use of glasses. Once you come to rely on the support given by your glasses, you accept the visual effects as part of you, as “incurable”. This may be true in some cases but not always.
Should you be involved in close work, which needs you to use a concentrated gaze, it is advisable to occasionally look away at things in the distance. Let your eyes move around, changing their focus between the far distance and the close work in which you are involved. This also applies when you are driving. Do not stare but let your eyes move about, focussing on objects which are different distances away from you. Frequent blinking also helps.
If your eyes are tired and itchy, don’t rub them. Either soothe them with water treatment or try “palming”. Block out light by cupping your hands over your eyes without actually touching them. Palm for periods of 2-3 minutes until your eyes feel more relaxed. When removing your cupped hands, blink rapidly. Even if you are not tired, it is worth resting them in this way.
As you can see, there are many ways in which you can use water to heal, to improve health, to alleviate health problems and to relax you. Water is one of the most versatile agents around and is frequently used to great effect.
Hydrotherapy pools are used a great deal to help arthritis sufferers and people with other physical health problems, but there is no reason why you cannot use hydrotherapy at home in your own bathroom if you are suffering from pain and stiffness. This has the additional benefit of doing away with the need to take painkilling drugs.
Further Reading
More about the benefits of water for health here
Other Alternative Health Therapies
Learn the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
Nutritional and alternative therapy for cancer treatment
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