Practical Hydrotherapy by John Harvey Kellogg

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 10, 1902

Practical Hydrotherapy

By John Harvey Kellogg

Lesson XVI—Hydrotherapy in Hot Weather

J. H. KELLOGG, M. D.

COLD is a universal antidote for heat, as heat is for cold. We use water to put out fire, and fire to warm water. There are no disorders or morbid conditions which so readily respond to the use of water, and which are so radically and readily benefited by hydriatic applications as those especially incident to hot weather. The public generally have found this out, and hence it is the custom in many countries, particularly in England and Scandinavia, and even in lands where the use of water is not so well understood, for those who can do so to leave their business, and make a trip to the seaside to get the benefit of the hydrotherapy of the sea.

We must remember, however, that what is good for one person is not always good for another, and perhaps as many are injured as are benefited by sea bathing. Very frequently people are made sick at the seashore because they overdo. They spend hours in the surf, and when they come out, they are completely exhausted. If one is unaccustomed to sea bathing, the bath at first should not be longer than two or three minutes; the next time it may be a little longer, and may be gradually lengthened, until one can safely stay in it ten or fifteen minutes. If the water is rather cold, one should not remain in it more than five or ten minutes; if it is very cold, not more than three or four seconds,—just long enough to get the impression of cold upon the skin. If one exercises vigorously by

swimming hard, he can stay in longer. Fleshy people can remain in the water longer than thin people, and adults longer than the very young. The benefit to be derived from sea bathing is due, first of all, to the low temperature of the water, the temperature of sea water seldom being above 70° or 75°. Water at that temperature very rapidly extracts heat from the body, so that if a person remains in water at that temperature a very great length of time, he loses considerable heat. So large an amount of heat might be carried off in this manner that one would suffer from shock, and the next day he might feel a great depression as the result. Fresh water is usually warmer than salt water; and in soft water, reaction occurs more quickly than in salt water, so that one may remain in it a little longer.

Cold has the marvelous property of increasing vital work of all kinds. When cold water is applied to the skin, impulses are sent inward that awaken every organ of the body. Let us see what takes place: When a person dashes into cold water, the first thing he does is to draw a deep breath; the lungs swell out, a deep inspiration is taken, and the heart begins to pound away with wonderfully increased vigor and strength. This deep breathing is purely involuntary, just as is the jerking of the leg when the bottom of the foot is titillated; it is one of the organic functions carried on by the bodily forces entirely independent of the will.

This deep breathing increases lung activity, thus bringing in more oxygen; it increases heart activity, so that the blood is circulated with greater force; hence we have more blood and purer blood carried into every tissue of the body. The result is a stirring up of the bodily forces, and a distribution throughout the system of a larger amount of highly vitalized and oxygenated blood. Thus we see that the blood-making powers of the body are increased by sea bathing or by the application of cold.

When a hot wave comes, every one is subject to its depressing influence. The babies suffer most, but adults often suffer greatly. Sometimes the mortality is enormous. But cold water comes in as an antidote for these bad effects. One cannot cool the atmosphere, but he can get into a tub of cold water, and sit down; he can get into a cool medium.

The Neutral Bath

One of the ways by which we can antagonize hot weather is by the neutral bath, which is a full bath at a temperature of from 92° to 95°; one can live in that kind of bath indefinitely. In cold weather a little warmer water may be used than in summer.

The neutral bath is good for children as well as adults. If a warm bath is taken in summer, the bather may be overheated; and if a cold bath is taken, it will cause a reaction, and one will be hotter than before; but the neutral bath (92° to 96°) produces no reaction, so one can take it at night, go to bed, and be comfortable. The neutral bath lowers the temperature, and at the same time is not exhausting; it dilutes the blood, and aids absorption; it increases the action of the kidneys, and soaks the skin full of water.

Suppose the baby is restless and wakeful. Put him into a neutral bath; make a sort of hammock of a sheet by pinning the corners or tying them down below the tub, and then place the baby on the sheet, and let it sink into the tub. One of my little girls showed me this method of preparing the bath for the baby, and I think it is very practical and original. If the temperature is 94°, the baby may stay in this bath a week, being taken out occasionally.

The neutral bath is also good for old people and invalids. Any man or woman, no matter how hot the weather is, can take the neutral bath with advantage, and not fear overheating.

Sunstroke and Overheating

Suppose one has been overheated, or has had an attack of sunstroke; what is to be done? Water is the life saver, the best means in the world of saving people from the effects of sunstroke or overheating.

When sunstroke is about to occur, there is an elevation of temperature, the skin is dry, and the man stops sweating, so that there is no evaporation. But perspiration, the evaporation of which is constantly cooling us off, carries away the heat of the body so rapidly that the temperature does not ordinarily rise above 100° (98½° in the mouth, or 100° in the interior of the body). This is the temperature at which the vital processes are naturally carried on, and if the temperature rises above that, there is usually disease. At a temperature of 107°, death occurs quickly; at 110°, very quickly. If we apply cold water to the skin, it will have a tendency to drive the blood into the body, and to lessen the cooling off; but if at the same time we rub the surface vigorously, this brings the blood into the skin, and keeps it there, thus encouraging the cooling off; so, together with the cold water, there should be vigorous rubbing. The application of hot water would elevate the temperature still more, and cold water is dangerous, because the tendency is to drive the blood inward; but the cold bath, accompanied by vigorous rubbing, will save life, after sunstroke, in the majority of cases.

Sunstroke is a very dangerous accident, and without proper treatment, is likely to prove fatal; but with a cold-water pour from a height of five or six feet, the water being about 60° or colder (ice water if you can get it), and with two or three people rubbing the patient vigorously, we may expect a cure in almost every case. Especial pains should be taken to wet the head and the back of the neck, and to keep these parts cool.

Stomach Disorders

Hydrotherapy is the best remedy for the stomach and bowel disorders so prevalent in the summer. Cold applications to the abdominal surface are almost a panacea for excessive activity of the bowels. The reason is that the blood vessels of the congested parts are made to contract. A hot enema should be given for cleansing the bowels and stimulating the circulation. A cold compress to the abdomen, changed every hour or two, affords great relief. If there is pain, a fomentation should be applied for fifteen minutes, followed by the cold compress, to be changed every ten or fifteen minutes; it must be allowed to warm up, and then be changed. This keeps a current of vitalizing blood flowing through the part. By the cold application there is a contraction; and then as the blood warms up, there is a reaction and a crowding out of the blood. When the cold compress is applied again, there is another contraction; then as the compress becomes warm, reaction again takes place, and another crowding out of the blood; at each time fresh blood comes in, and the white corpuscles are enabled successfully to combat the parasites and to carry them off.

The Morning Bath

Some people complain that the cold morning bath is disagreeable in hot weather, that their skin becomes overheated. In such cases apply a hot sponge bath or shower bath, at from 110° to 120°, or as hot as the patient can bear it, for fifteen or twenty seconds. This is to be followed by a cooling off; after the cold water a douche of hot water should follow,—a short douche, while one can count ten, perhaps, of hot water, or water at 110°,—and then one will be cooled off for all day. One has only to stay in the hot water long enough to make an impression of heat upon the surface; this notifies the body that hot water is coming, and the body prepares for it by diminishing heat production and lowering all the activities which increase heat; the vessels of the skin are dilated, the blood is more rapidly cooled, and all the bodily functions are carried on at a little lower tide, the heat elimination being increased at the same time, so that, if there is a tendency to febrile action, it may be checked by this means.

If one is exhausted by a hard day's work, what is the best thing to give cold relief and to secure a comfortable night's rest? — A hot bath, at a temperature of from 104° to 110°, at bedtime, quickly cooled to 92°. Lie in this neutral bath till you feel sleepy, then rouse yourself and get into bed, and you will have a comfortable night's rest. A hot bath refreshes the system, stimulates the elimination of fatigue poisons, relieves irritation, and secures a comfortable condition for sleep.