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Natural sunlight (heliotherapy), of course, is the best source for ultraviolet light. Most people today get too little sunlight, except in short doses during the summertime. A source of ultraviolet radiation that approaches natural sunlight is the sunlamp bulb. It may be used on any household AC current and screwed into a standard reading lamp. Privacy should be secured and the eyes protected, covering them with a black cloth, or using dark glasses. Special precautions should be taken to avoid the burns that result from direct rays of the sunlamp. For average people the maximum time for first exposure should be about six minutes, with a distance from the lamp of thirty inches. For greater safety, a greater distance can be employed, with exposure time proportionately increased, depending upon the lamp manufacturer’s directions. One minute daily may be added to the exposure, up to fifteen minutes maximum. The eyes should always be protected. Gradual skin tanning will usually occur.

Ultraviolet rays aid the body in producing Vitamin D. This helps us absorb calcium, thus building strong bones and teeth. Infections in the skin are improved and a general tone of the body results from the regular use of sunlight or ultraviolet. Many other physiologic effects are being discovered, but the benefits can be had only by those who use this valuable remedial agent.

These are only a sample of many forms of hydrotherapy useful in home treatments. More complicated procedures can be given in sanitariums and hospitals where this therapy is emphasized. Water treatments do take time. So, remember that nature, if assisted, will do her work wisely and well. Hydrotherapy, massage, and physical medicine will continue to find their place in homes and hospitals where diseases are treated physiologically and where the body’s needs are truly regarded in your recovery from illness.

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A full-body steam bath may be taken either reclining or sitting. The Turkish bath is done in a cabinet with the individual seated and the head exposed.

A full-body steam bath with the patient reclining is called a Russian bath. These are used to produce sweating and for mild fever therapy. The body temperature is increased in this environment of 100% humidity, preventing
heat loss. There is usually an increase in pulse rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. Alcoholism and other addictions, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, and certain cases of influenza respond well to the steam bath.

Since this is a more vigorous treatment than other heating measures, certain considerations should be regarded. A generalized steam treatment is contraindicated in hypertension, diabetes, and cardiac impairment. An individual should have had a bowel movement within 24 hours previous to the treatment time and should void before taking the treatment.

Adequate fluid intake should be encouraged during and preceding the treatment, as any increased perspiration helps eliminate some wastes.

Preheating the body with a hot foot bath or using a fomentation to the spine is helpful. In the home, a hot plate with a kettle of water may be placed under a wooden stool or chair, on which the patient is seated. The feet are placed in a hot foot bath. A shower curtain with a hole cut out for the head may be wrapped around, much as in the barber chair or at the hairdresser’s. With complete covering in this way, the steam filling the area will cause a rapid onset of sweating. It may be necessary to apply a cold compress to the head, changing it frequently. Finish the treatment with a graduated spray. Patients should be adequately cooled after every steam treatment and rest for 1/2 to 1 hour.

With aromatic medications, such as tincture of benzoin, camphor gum, menthol, or eucalyptus oil, the steam bath can be therapeutic in relieving the inflammation of mucous membranes, common colds, sinusitis, and bronchitis. Other chronic conditions of the respiratory tract improve when these inhalant mixtures are used in conjunction with the steam.

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A neutral tub bath with a temperature of 94° to 98° F. is a valuable sedative. Effective in exhaustion of the central nervous system, insomnia, and nervous irritability, it becomes one of nature’s finest tranquilizers, as well as an inducer of restful sleep. The tub should be filled with water at the above temperature to cover the individual up to the neck.

The room should be quiet, with subdued light, and a pillow or folded towel placed under the head. When the individual lies quietly and relaxes in the water, the tub should be covered with a sheet to preserve the water temperature, as well as for privacy. The skin should be dried by gentle blotting, without friction or unnecessary rubbing, and at least thirty minutes of undisturbed rest should be allowed after this treatment.

Other types of baths can be used with medication. Dry starch may be added to a tub of water at neutral temperature to relieve skin irritation. Aveeno or finely pulverized oatmeal (sold at most pharmacies) may also be used, adding two cupfuls to a full tub of water for the relief of skin irritation. An Aveeno bath is not as drying as a starch bath. Lumping may be avoided by placing the Aveeno in a coarse muslin bag and soaking it in a towel of hot water first. Since these substances may make the bottom of the tub slippery, care should be taken to prevent falling. For itching of the skin water dispersible oil such as Alpha Keri, or oil of juniper (Almay Tar) may be used. A pine oil bath, using one-half ounce of balpine oil to a tub of water, is a pleasant, refreshing sedative and produces slight redness of the skin. Look in health food stores for these oils.

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The sprays apply water from multiple “needle” spray heads striking the entire body surface, except the head and the feet. They are used, not only for cleansing, but also as a tonic measure, with or without previous application of heat. Women should wear a shower cap. Ambulatory patients may prefer to wear thong sandals.

After the individual washes him or herself with soap and rinses well, the therapist adjusts the spray from a sedative temperature to hot and then to cold. The most sedative effects are seen with a neutral spray, while hot and cold contrast can be used as a vigorous tonic. The latter has a definite fatigue-relieving effect and can be employed as a progressive program in vascular exercise.

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Someone has said, –If a procedure is capable of doing good, it is also capable of doing harm.” The hot water bottle is generally considered a simple home remedy, but precautions are necessary to make it safe and effective.

Patients who are paralyzed or unconscious have an impaired sense of temperature and cannot tell if a hot water bottle is too hot. Those who have cold extremities may likewise have some impairment to the circulation. Burns may result if caution is not exercised in the use of hot water.

Water at 115° to 125° F. can be poured into the hot water bottle making it 1/3 to 1/2 full. Air should be expelled by placing the bottle on one side, until the water reaches the neck. The top is then closed securely and the device checked for leaks. A flannel cover or towel is used to cover the hot water bottle. It should NEVER be used without some protective covering. Avoid placing heating devices in contact with patients who are unconscious or paralyzed, who have poor circulation or advanced diabetes. If used properly, hot water bottles can relieve pain, relax and warm a bedfast patient, and even prolong the effect of fomentations. Congestion is relieved and sleep assisted by the use of this simple home remedy.

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