UpClose & Personal - Richard Eidson

Hydrotherapy treatments are a fundamental part of spa and wellness programs. These treatments are enjoyable and produce many immediate and long-term benefits. This article is going to consider why hydrotherapy is so effective.

My interest in hydrotherapy comes from inventing hydrotherapy equipment and treatments. I will make reference to the Steamy Wonder Steam Canopy, manufactured by Natural Health Technologies and the Mermaid Hydrotherapy Massage Table, manufactured by Golden Ratio. I helped co-invent these to be used for different hydrotherapy treatments.

Hydrotherapy generally means applying the therapeutic value of water in its various forms of fluid water, both hot and cold, under pressure and in the form of steam and ice to the body through various techniques to produce positive, healing benefits.

We are all familiar with various forms of steam therapy, hydro-tub baths and wet-table treatments. But why do they make us feel so good and produce such healing benefits?

When we do body treatments, including all forms massage and facials, we touch and sense a solid body of skin, muscles and bones. In reality, the human body is truly a fluid system under constant fluid transformation at every level.

We know that the body is approximately 70% water; that blood is 91% water and that the fluid environment of each of our 50 trillion cells is 90% water. But this water does not just sit there; it is in a state of constant fluid dynamics. The human body on average has 1.25 gallons of blood. This flows constantly through your circulatory system that is 93,000 miles long.

During a 24-hour daily cycle, this system, with the heart as its pump, will re-circulate the human body’s total volume of blood 2,800 times. Blood must bring nutrients, oxygen, water and other essential elements to every cell in the body as well as remove carbon dioxide, metabolic wastes and other elements from the body. And this process goes on continuously, without interruption, from before we are born until we die. Any impediments to the normal flow of these fluids to and from the cells can result in impaired functioning.

Nutrients, oxygen and other substances must leave the blood and travel through the fluid environment of the interstitial spaces to reach every cell in the body (50 trillion). There they enter through the cell membrane. They are then transformed by various metabolic and other processes that enable each cell to perform its unique and vital role in the normal functioning of the human body.

Substances such as carbon dioxide that are produced by the cell’s metabolic activity need to be removed. These wastes travel back through the cell membrane, through the interstitial fluids to the circulatory or lymphatic system and are excreted from the body. If they are not removed in a normal manner, a toxic buildup can result with negative consequences on the health of the body.

And also we have the lymphatic system, which is in a state of constant fluid dynamics. As part of the process mentioned above, the lymphatic system collects fluids from the interstitial spaces, cleanses them and returns this purified lymphatic fluid back to the circulatory system at a volume of three quarts per day. Anything that blocks or interferes with the flow and activity of the lymphatic system will create problems such as fluid retention and swelling.

And the human brain, which is 90% water and spinal cord, is surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is in constant motion and renews itself four times each day. The total volume of CSF is not large, but its role in cushioning and nurturing the brain is essential to health and its constant circulation is essential. The CSF also has a certain pulse/rhythm. If this normal rhythm and pulse is disturbed by some trauma to the body, various disturbances can be experienced in different parts of the body.

From this perspective, it is possible to understand the human body as systems in states of perpetual fluid dynamics. Anything that interferes with the natural flow of these various fluid systems will produce health problems in related areas.

Approaches that will remedy these problems or even allow these fluid systems to express their full natural potential will significantly enhance body functioning. This will not only help with health problems, but will also facilitate significant gains in the areas of healthy aging, beauty, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. And hydrotherapy is a powerful healing technology to produce these benefits.

When various forms of hydrotherapy are used on the human body, both internally and externally, special things happen. It’s as if the body is naturally familiar and comfortable with water. It responds naturally in a very favorable way to produce significant positive changes. Therefore, it’s not hard to understand why hydrotherapy has been used by all great healing traditions, from ancient to modern times, for healing, prevention, enhancement and spiritual development.

We will now consider two forms of hydrotherapy: the steam bath, using the unique Steamy Wonder steam canopy and dry hydrotherapy using the innovative Mermaid table.

Steam is a form of hydrotherapy used in both ancient and modern times.
One form of steam treatment uses the Steamy Wonder steam canopy. This portable canopy is placed over a client on a massage table. After about five minutes, the temperature inside the canopy increases from room temperature to about 120°F and a significant change starts to take place in the hydro-dynamics of the body.

Almost immediately, the heart rate starts to increase. This in turn creates more flow of blood in the body and the blood vessels in the skin begin to dilate. The 2.5 million sweat glands become activated causing perspiration. About 1 quart of perspiration will flow out of the body through the sweat glands during a steam treatment.

Although most of perspiration is water, toxins are also eliminated. Carbon dioxide and metabolic wastes are effectively discharged as the result of increased circulation. A therapist is Florida reported that clients going through chemotherapy noticed significant improvements after a steam treatment.

Also, as the metabolic rate of the body increases, the flow of nutrients and oxygen to the cells increases.

The portable Steamy Wonder makes steam therapy accessible to massage therapists allowing their clients to experience results normally available only at full-service spas.

Another innovative piece of equipment is the Mermaid Hydrotherapy Massage Table. Its deep cushion of heated water supports the body during massage and bodywork and incorporates many important hydrotherapy features that work with the fundamental fluid nature of the human body:

• The water supports the weight of the various parts of the body equally. This creates a cushioning effect that allows the body to be completely relaxed. Clients feel comfortable on the table for long periods of time.

• The fluid properties of the Mermaid table allow it conform perfectly to unique shape of every individual. People come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Over-weight, very large, those who have injuries or sensitive body areas, and pregnant women all report that this is the only massage table they have ever been comfortable on.

• Treatments on the Mermaid table allow unrestricted flow of the circulatory system and the other fluid systems of the body. The fluid nature of the body, with its vast circulatory and lymphatic systems, functions more naturally and with less restrictions than on traditional massage tables.

• The human body is a holistic system composed of many parts. On the Mermaid table, massage strokes or other manipulations on the bodywork in harmony with the body as a whole. Traditional massage tables restrict movement of body to the parts being worked on relative to the entire body. Clients on the Mermaid table report having much greater total body awareness while specific areas of the body are being worked on. This produces a deeper sense of well-being and relaxation.

• The temperature of the water warms the body in a natural way that creates deeply relaxing effects while helping to reduce tension and stiffness in muscles, fascia and ligaments.

Therapy on the Mermaid is a unique solution to the problem of offering hydrotherapy without plumbing and sanitation considerations.

What we have seen is a perspective of the human body as a combination of fluid systems in constant change. These fluid systems are composed mainly of water and the use of water in the form of hydrotherapy works naturally with the body to produce profound therapeutic benefits.

In the next article, we will review how hydrotherapy was used effectively for prevention and cure in this country when doctors were allowed to prescribe hydrotherapy as medical treatments. At Excelsior Springs, Missouri, a location of natural healing springs, 500,000 people a year visited the numerous clinics there for healing treatments.

Scientific information was taken from the book, 1,001 Facts about the Human Body, DK press.

If you have any questions or comments, you can e-mail me at innospa@lisco.com