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Practical Hydrotherapy

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Michigan · Apr 22, 1902

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 79, No. 16.

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Practical Hydrotherapy

By GEO. THOMASON, M. D.

Lesson 10 — Sedative, or Quieting, Effects

GEO. THOMASON, M. D.
In a previous article mention was made of the fact that the effects of hydrotherapy might be divided into two great classes: tonic, or exciting; and sedative, or quieting. Illustrations of the various tonic effects and the mode of producing the same have been outlined, and we may now proceed to a study of the second division of the classification.
The necessity for quieting effects arises from the strenuous life led by the majority of civilized men and women of the present age. The mad rush for wealth, fame, political power, the demands of so-called “high life,” worry, overwork, and many other features which might be mentioned, are such a tax upon the vital energy of both men and women that unnatural conditions are produced. These conditions often lead to a voluntary sacrifice of many of the hours which should be spent in sleep, until there results such a hypersensitive or irritable condition of the nerves as to render natural sleep difficult, which necessitates resorting to artificial means of quieting the nerves.
Various indiscretions in reference to diet excite the digestive processes until there is necessity for the administration of a soothing, or quieting, potion. Hasty eating, overeating, too frequent meals, the use of condiments and various indigestibles, irritate the delicate lining membrane of the stomach, and lead to congestion, or too great a quantity of blood, with consequent overstimulation of the glands producing the digestive fluids. This necessitates periods of rest and quiet for the digestive function, or the application of a quieting measure of some sort.
As pointed out in the beginning of this series, water has the advantage over most other remedial agencies in that it is capable of producing almost any desired effect to aid nature in its curative efforts. For sedative effects it is sometimes desirable to use cold water, but when used with this end in view, the application must be continued until reaction is to a large degree suppressed.
The most desirable method of producing a sedative effect is by using water at the so-called neutral point. For the body, this is practically at a temperature of from 92° to 95°. Applications of water at this temperature are always sedative in effect. Immersion of the body in water at a neutral temperature shuts it away from all stimulating and exciting influences which are present under ordinary conditions. Friction of the clothing, changes in the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere, and other varying conditions, produce a constant stimulation of the nerves terminating in the skin. Thus, nerve impulses are incessantly traveling to and from the skin. The relief from the sensations experienced by the body in a bath at the temperature named, permits the nerves to rest, and the nerve cells generating the impulses have a period for the replenishing of their energy.
Such a bath taken at night for thirty or forty minutes, or even for an hour or more, just before retiring, as has been proved in many thousands of cases, enables nervous patients to secure restful sleep, which would otherwise be impossible. No harm can possibly result from a prolonging of the bath to any desired length. It is only necessary to maintain the water at the required temperature, and sleep may be secured while in the bath. Cases are on record of persons who have spent weeks and months continuously immersed in water at the neutral point,—persons who were obliged to remain under these conditions by reason of distressing burns or skin diseases.
The effect of the neutral bath may be continued by enveloping the body in a sheet wrung rather dry from cold water, and covered snugly with a sufficient number of blankets to avoid chilling. The pack may be continued until the sheet becomes dry, which will be several hours, taking care that the covering is not excessive, as this would produce overheating, and stimulation would follow, thus antagonizing the result desired. It is quite a common observation with manypersons that they are able to sleep better after partaking of a light meal just before retiring. Often the drinking of warm milk at bedtime is resorted to. This result is readily explained. Activity of the digestive process necessitates an increased quantity of blood in the region of the stomach. This congestion follows immediately upon partaking of food. Congestion of one part of the body results in the withdrawal of blood from other parts; and when the blood vessels in the region of the stomach are congested, there is a corresponding loss of blood in the brain. This favors sleep. There is consequently lessened brain activity and a tendency to sleep after a hearty meal. Perfect sleep, however, cannot take place while the digestive process is in operation. We may, however, utilize this principle of withdrawing blood from the head, producing the result in another way, and still avoid unnecessarily taxing the digestive process. A hot foot bath will withdraw blood from the brain, and this simple procedure, continued for fifteen or twenty minutes at night, will often result in securing excellent sleep, which would otherwise be difficult to obtain, owing to congestion of the brain and consequent mental activity.
The blood vessels of the abdominal area may also be used as a reservoir into which to draw the blood from the brain. This may be accomplished by hot applications, preferably fomentations, over the abdomen for ten or fifteen minutes just before retiring, rendering the effect permanent by the wearing of a moist abdominal girdle during the night. This girdle should consist of six or eight thicknesses of cheese cloth about eight inches in width, and of sufficient length to encircle the body. The cheese cloth should be wrung rather dry from cold water, placed about the abdomen directly in contact with the skin, and covered with a flannel, which is at least ten inches wide, and of sufficient length to pass around the body three or four times. This flannel should fit snugly, to prevent evaporation at the borders of the girdle. The moist girdle should become warm in at least fifteen or twenty minutes, and should retain its warmth during the night. It will thus act as a mild fomentation, and maintain the increased quantity of blood within the abdominal cavity, and conditions favoring sleep will result.