Rubbing in the morning. Rubbing: Tips and Tricks

Prepared by: Anastasia Kuzheleva

If you are tired of getting sick every time the weather changes, start tempering your body. This will help not only strengthen the immune system, but also improve metabolism, which contributes to weight loss, strengthen nervous system, heart and blood vessels. But do not immediately jump into the hole. How to temper properly - in our article.

Before listing all the safe hardening methods, remember the following:
Do not rush to do everything at once - otherwise the opposite effect will follow: you will get sick. Choose a few of the following items and gradually add the rest to them in turn.
You should start hardening only after making sure that you are absolutely healthy.
If you feel that you are getting sick, turn on a more gentle hardening mode, or temporarily refuse the procedures that made you feel worse.
Thermoregulation in children is weaker than in adults. Before you start hardening your baby, it is better to consult with your doctor.

1. Walking barefoot

To prepare your body for hardening, start walking around the apartment without slippers and in the lightest possible clothes. Yes, home sweaters, leggings and terry dressing gowns put away on the topmost shelf.

2. Sleep with an open window

Get in the habit of sleeping with the window open in the winter and with the window fully open in the summer. This not only hardens the body, but also has a beneficial effect on sleep. In a long unventilated room, carbon dioxide accumulates, inhaling it, a feeling of fatigue arises, people begin to yawn. Sleep in such a room is disturbing - most often nightmares.

3. Washing with cold water

You need to accustom your body to cold water from a small point - start washing yourself in the mornings and evenings cold water. The rule applies in all seasons.

4. Towel rubdown

To start hardening, wiping with a towel is one of the most safe ways improve thermoregulation, i.e. help maintain a constant body temperature in various climatic conditions.
Rubdowns are beneficial to everyone, except for people with diseases or skin disorders.
What do we have to do? Wet a towel with water at a temperature of 35 degrees and rub the whole body to redness. It takes less than two minutes. Gradually lower the temperature of the water by one degree. After a month, you can wipe yourself with a cold wet towel.

5. Air baths

Air has a positive effect on blood vessels and improves blood pressure. You can take air baths both at home and on the street.
Houses: open all the windows in the apartment, creating a draft, and undress. Close the windows after 5 minutes and open them again after 10 minutes.
On the street: it is most useful to take air baths in motion, if it is warm outside - put on a minimum of clothes and go out for a walk. In the cold season - dress so as not to freeze. It should be remembered that you can easily get sick if you walk in low temperature and high humidity. Do not harden outdoors in case of rain, fog and strong winds.

6. Pouring

It is worth starting to pour over individual parts of the body at room temperature. Best time for dousing - morning. Gradually move on to dousing the whole body. If this task is up to you, gradually lower the temperature of the water. So, after a few months, you will begin to douse yourself with cold water. In order not to chill the body, take a warm shower before dousing. If the terrain allows you, go outside to pour yourself, of course, in the summer. Pouring on the street in winter is equivalent to diving into an ice hole - it is reasonable only after several years of hardening.

7. Contrast shower

A contrast shower will speed up metabolic processes and improve work of cardio-vascular system. The main rules of a contrast shower are to spray the whole body with a stream of water and not delay the switching of hot and cold water. Start with several cycles of 30 seconds of hot water - 10 seconds of warm - 5 seconds of cold water. After a week, remove the middle part of the cycle, leaving only hot and cold water. After a week, complicate the task - 20 seconds of hot water - 10 seconds of cold. In a month you will be able to take a contrast shower 20-30 seconds of hot water, 20-30 seconds of cold.

8. Hardening feet

It is useful to harden the feet both for the general strengthening of the immune system, and for the prevention of flat feet or hyperhidrosis - excessive sweating. Fill the tub ankle-deep with water at room temperature and walk around in it for a few minutes. Gradually lower the temperature by 5 degrees.

9. Bath

Bath, sauna - are also a good source of hardening. After the bath, you can plunge into cold water, douse yourself with cold water or jump into the snow. Remember that sudden temperature changes are dangerous for an unprepared organism. If you have just begun to harden, the item “cold after the bath” is no longer needed. Take a warm shower.

10. Bathing and winter swimming

Swimming in the river in the summer is also one of the ways to temper. Rarely, when the water in the rivers middle lane Russia warms up by more than 25 degrees. If you have been hardening for more than a year, try to swim for a few minutes or at least briefly go into cold water during the rest of the year. And for baptism, plunge into the hole.

The rules for wiping at a temperature are not very complicated. The fabric is dipped into a container with a prepared warm solution (you can squeeze it out slightly) and the patient's body is wiped. The procedure is performed with light movements, avoiding pressure and intensive rubbing of the solution. First wipe the palms and feet, armpits and popliteal cavities, i.e. locations of large vessels. For small children, this is enough. School-age children and adults can be wiped over the entire body. First - the arms, from the hands to the shoulders, chest bypassing the area of ​​skin located above the heart. Then they wipe the stomach, bypassing the inguinal region, go down to the legs, wiping them from top to bottom. The patient turns over on his stomach and wipes the surface of his back, buttocks and legs.

Wiping with vinegar at a temperature

Apple cider vinegar for rubbing at a temperature is preferable, according to apologists for rubbing. It does not have such an aggressive effect as usual, moreover, being absorbed through the surface of the skin, it has a calming effect on the nervous system.

Wiping vinegar is used only diluted. When making a solution for rubbing a child, the following proportions must be observed - one tablespoon of 9% vinegar, both apple and ordinary, is diluted in 1/2 liter of warm (≈37 ° C) water. During the procedure, you need to ensure that the solution does not cool down.

Wiping with vinegar and water at a temperature in adolescents and adults is done with a solution in a 1: 1 ratio.

At the end of the procedure, the patient is covered with a light sheet and a napkin soaked in an already cooled wiping solution is placed on the forehead. It must be periodically changed as it warms up.

Wiping with vodka at a temperature

Even supporters of this method do not recommend such rubdowns for children under the age of three, in other sources age restrictions extend up to seven years.

It is recommended to dilute vodka for wiping with water, observing equal proportions, and the same composition is used for any age category.

Rubbing is carried out according to the usual method, then for one and a half minutes the patient's body is blown with warm air using a hair dryer (the air temperature switch is set to the middle position).

For greater effect, you can prepare a solution of three components by mixing vodka, vinegar and water in equal proportions.

After the procedure, the patient is put to bed, covering without fanaticism. A napkin moistened with cool water is placed on his forehead, which is periodically refreshed.

Rubbing with water at a temperature

Wiping with water at a temperature is recognized even by opponents of procedures using vinegar and vodka, since water is not toxic and, if it does not help, it will not harm. Modern research has shown that vodka and vinegar do not have any advantages as antipyretics over plain water, but they can have side effects.

Sponging with cold water at a temperature is unacceptable, as it will cause chills, and the body will try to warm itself with a further increase in temperature. Hot doesn't work either. The water temperature should not differ greatly from body temperature (lower by no more than 2-3 °).

Wiping with a wet towel at a temperature is most acceptable. The towel should be soaked in warm water, squeeze lightly and wipe the body with it. This procedure can be repeated with an interval of 30 minutes many times.

Rubbing a child at a temperature of modern pediatrics allows only water. Acetic rubdown at a temperature in an adult modern medicine is also not welcome, as well as alcohol-containing products, however, the choice is up to the patient.

Wiping at a temperature during pregnancy, of course, is best done with water. The technique is the same, only wiping the stomach is not recommended. And it is better to limit yourself to the palms, feet, axillary and popliteal areas.

Traditional medicine does not deny the possibility of wiping a pregnant woman with vinegar or vodka, but from a modern point of view, this should not be done. A pregnant woman does not need the risks associated with the action of toxic substances, which they are.

Children, pregnant women and adults can be wiped at a temperature with special wet wipes that are sold in pharmacies.

Hardening of the body help protect against winter colds, as well as increase the body's resistance to viral infections. By the way, this method known to mankind since ancient times. History confirms that the first information about the hardening of the body is known to us from the Indian epic Rig Veda (this is approximately 1500 BC), and over time, the famous doctor Hippocrates agitated for this useful exercise. The fact is that it greatly increases the resistance of our body to the undesirable effects of cold and heat, as well as low atmospheric pressure and solar radiation.

So there are such basic ways of hardening:

• air hardening,
• water procedures, which include: wiping with a towel, dousing with water, a contrast shower, swimming in natural reservoirs, as well as in pools and sea water,
• solar baths,
• winter snowing,
• walking barefoot in the morning dew,
• winter swimming - that is, swimming in winter in reservoirs,
• baths, saunas with bathing in cold water.

The most relevant summer view is hardening by the sun. First of all, these are sunbathing, which are “taken” easily and conveniently, for example, in a passive state. That is, you can rest easy, lying on the sand. And there are sunbathing and in an active state, when you walk along the beach or play volleyball.

water hardening- this is perhaps the most known species hardening, which includes washing and dousing with water (cold!), As well as wiping with a towel and a contrast shower.

According to the recommendations of experts, it is useful to start in summer period. So you protect the body from a kind of stress as much as possible, since our body should perceive everything new (previously untested) gradually and under gentle conditions. And, of course, it’s better to start in the summer, because in the cold winter it’s morally difficult to force yourself to “make friends” with cold water. And, importantly, incorrect (hasty) hardening in winter can provoke colds. Therefore, if you decide to improve your health, then start hardening your body in the summer, gradually increasing the level of difficulty, and thus prepare the body for winter procedures.

Examples of simple hardening:

Rubdown

Wiping is preferably carried out at a temperature not lower than 18 ° C. First you need to moisten a towel or a piece of cloth (naturally, natural) in cold water, then with fairly quick movements you should first wipe your hands, then the upper and lower parts of the body. After a wet wiping, it is necessary to quickly wipe the body with a dry towel.

Foot hardening

This method is ideal for people who have a tendency of the body to frequent colds (ARI). So, you should in the evening, about an hour before bedtime, lower your legs to the middle of the lower leg for 3 minutes in cool water. It is advisable to start with a temperature somewhere around 37-38 ° C, gradually (every 2 days) lowering it by 1 ° C. Thus, after 2-3 months you can safely dip your feet in ice water. Important point: if it happens that you caught a cold in the process of hardening itself, then you should immediately stop these water procedures (at least for three days), and then start again from the temperature at which you stopped before the cold.

It is important to get used to the contrast shower procedure gradually. To do this, in the first two weeks, you should take a shower at a comfortable temperature. Over time, make one contrast and about 5-10 seconds. stand under cold water. Then gradually after two weeks go to two, and later - to three contrasts.

We are offering to you contrast shower example:

1. The water is warm - residence time: 20-40 seconds.
2. Hot water (comfortable temperature) - residence time 30 seconds-1.5 minutes.
3. The water is cold - residence time: 20 seconds -1 minute.
4. Hot water - residence time: 20-40 seconds.
5. The water is cold - residence time: 1 minute or more.

hardening

The benefit of hardening the body is that natural factors such as air, water, sun are used for this procedure.

As a result of regular hardening, habituation reactions occur in the human body, which contribute to the expansion of the range, which helps to endure fluctuations in external temperature. As a result, a hardened person perfectly tolerates cooling, and he also has a great increase in the body's resistance to a lack of oxygen (hypoxia).

According to experts, the process of thermoregulation is a rapid response of blood vessels in case of cooling or vice versa - overheating of the body by narrowing / expanding, which in turn leads to a limitation (or increase) of heat transfer. Therefore, at various external temperatures, an ideal balance is maintained between heat transfer and heat production.

In addition to the above, hardening contributes to the normalization of our nervous system, strengthening it. It also positively increases the stability of our emotional sphere, thanks to which we become more restrained and balanced. Also, there is an increased endurance of our body, its performance and mood as a whole improves.

When tempering, the following conditions MUST be observed.

• Graduality of the procedure, that is, from simple to complex

Agree, swimming in an ice-hole or walking barefoot in the snow is a more than serious test for our unprepared body. We must listen to our feelings. Therefore, in the process of hardening with cold water, it is necessary to gradually reduce the temperature and increase the duration of the procedure. Please note: you need to temper yourself continuously every day. Organize your time so that hardening becomes a good habit, just like washing your face in the morning and brushing your teeth. Don't let momentary weaknesses defeat you! If you take a break, then your acquired defensive reactions will weaken (or even be completely lost), then you will have to start all over again. Therefore, you should harden the body not occasionally, but regularly, because this process contributes to the development of conditioned reflexes. It is better to harden every day for at least a few minutes than once a week for an hour - in this case there will be no visible effect.

• Health status

When choosing a method hardening, then consider your age, daily routine, state of health, as well as climatic conditions. Signs that the selected hardening scheme does not suit you are: loss of appetite, nighttime insomnia, nervous irritability. For beginners, the ideal way to harden is a contrast shower, that is, two minutes of hot water, then 5-10 seconds of cold water. Repeat this cycle about 10 times and finish with cold water. If it happens that hardening is a difficult procedure for you, you can replace the douche with a cold towel rubdown at first.

• Climatic conditions

Before starting hardening, you need to take into account the climatic conditions of your region. For residents of different cities, the intensity of hardening is not the same, because it is the temperature conditions of the area that form a certain level of sensitivity of the body, as well as its resistance to cooling.

• Lifestyle

It is important to adhere to a rational daily routine, giving up bad habits. The fact is that non-compliance with the regimen, inadequate sleep, improper (irregular) nutrition, frequent overeating, "lazy" rejection of physical morning exercises will not allow you to achieve the desired effect of hardening. Please note: drinking alcohol and smoking are NOT COMPATIBLE with hardening! Bad habits provoke the opposite reaction. For example, alcohol contributes to the expansion of peripheral blood vessels, and this significantly increases heat transfer. It is hardening that contributes to the narrowing of peripheral vessels, as a response to cooling. The habit of smoking significantly harms the blood circulation in the human body, which impairs cooling.

Take care of your health, start hardening today, do not put off good habits for later! If you can overcome your laziness and properly organize the process of hardening the body, then you will surely meet a frosty winter! Thus, safely get rid of colds, and even be able to participate in Epiphany bathing!

Chapter 2

Rubdown

One of the most commonly used procedures is wiping. They are used directly as procedures, as introductory to the course of hydrotherapy, and also as an independent course of treatment. Indications for the use of rubdowns are overwork, neurasthenia, decreased metabolism (obesity), asthenic condition, hardening.

A distinction is made between partial wiping, in which the whole body is wiped in stages, in a certain order, and general rubbing with dousing, when the whole body is wiped at the same time.

Partial wiping, as well as general, can be done independently; a seriously ill patient is carried out by a person caring for him or medical staff (in a hospital).

To carry out a general rubdown, a linen sheet moistened with water and thoroughly wrung out is applied to the body or part of it. Immediately, over the sheet, the body is rubbed with hands until it feels warm. Then the sheet is removed, doused with water and thoroughly rubbed with a coarse cloth.

If the condition of the patient allows, then the whole body is wiped in parts with a moistened and well-wrung towel or mitten, and then rubbed with a dry towel and covered with a sheet and a blanket. To enhance the response after a general wiping, one or two buckets of water are poured over at a temperature slightly lower than that with which the sheet was moistened during wiping. For the same purpose, sea salt, fruit vinegar, herbal infusions can be added to the water.

This procedure has a refreshing and tonic effect, improves peripheral circulation, and increases metabolism. It is not recommended for patients with increased nervous excitability, heart defects, after acute diseases (pneumonia). Begin the procedure at a water temperature of 32–30 ° C, gradually reducing it to 20–18 ° C and below. Duration from three to five minutes.

Washing with sea water

To enhance the effect of exposure, rubdown is most often carried out using sea ​​water. To do this, take a 3% solution (1 tsp of sea salt per 1 glass of water) at a water temperature of 38 ° C.

Rubbing with salt water refreshes and tones, has a hardening effect, improves blood circulation, and stimulates the metabolism in the body.

Hot bath with salty sea water

Hot rubbing of the body or its parts is often used in hydrotherapy. It is recommended in order to remove excess heat from the body or, conversely, to nourish the body with heat. For amplification therapeutic effect use hot water solution of sea salt. If your body needs warmth, then after such a procedure it will receive it, and if you have an excess of heat, it is brought out. The procedure is performed as follows: standing in a basin or in a bath with warm water, soak a towel in hot water and apply to the body - on the back, chest, arms, face, neck. If the towel is on a separate part of the body, then self-massage is done through it in the form of stroking or rubbing. Such rubdowns are an excellent remedy for summer heat, stuffiness and lethargy. Often it is carried out in order to harden the body.

Partial rubdown

Partial wiping is most often prescribed for very debilitated patients, for whom the general wiping is a difficult procedure.

Lying in bed and covered with a blanket, the patient is opened alternately first legs, then arms and back. At the same time, a towel moistened with water and wrung out is applied to them and thoroughly rubbed. Then the patient is wiped dry and again covered with a blanket. The procedure tones and refreshes, improves blood circulation and increases metabolism. In this case, a reflex effect on the skin occurs, which causes the expansion of blood vessels.

After rubbing, you should stay in bed for half an hour, after which you can walk.

Wraps

Wrapping and wrapping the body in a damp sheet and blanket is one of the most effective and effective means of hydrotherapy.

With a short-term use, a wet wrap strengthens the nerves, with a longer one it calms, a long-term wrap cleanses the blood and improves tissue nutrition. There are general, local and partial wet wraps. They can be hot, warm and cool. With proper conduct, it can become a real panacea for many diseases.

In order not to harm and at the same time achieve the maximum therapeutic effect, follow some recommendations.

An important condition is the normal warmth of the legs, which indicates the correct distribution of blood in the body. With cold extremities, even before wrapping, it is necessary to warm the legs either by dry rubbing or heating pads. When wrapping the heating pads, apply as needed.

In patients with acute infectious diseases, as well as those who suffer from rushes of blood to the head, it is necessary to keep a cooling compress on the head or the back of the head during the first ten minutes of swaddling.

In some cases (with strong rushes of blood to the head, with fear of a primary rush of blood to diseased organs during the degeneration of blood vessels, hemorrhage in the brain, some heart defects), full wraps are replaced with partial ones. Partial wraps are also prescribed if it is necessary to act locally on a sore spot.

When are cool wraps prescribed, and when are warm wraps? Cool wraps have a stimulating effect on the body, and therefore they are usually prescribed to patients with high temperature(with fever) for its lowering, patients with neuroses; as a tonic for epistaxis and other bleeding, after burns. Also, this procedure is carried out to cleanse the body and collect toxins and pathogenic field structures on a damp sheet. Cool wraps are carried out at a water temperature of 0 to 26 ° C.

Warm wraps have a calming effect, and therefore they are prescribed for neurosis with sleep disturbance as a calming procedure. Carried out at a water temperature of 36 ° C to 39 ° C.

Full wrap or "Spanish cloak"

One of the most effective hydrotherapy procedures is the so-called "Spanish cloak". The term itself was coined by pastor S. Kneipp, who widely used this procedure to treat many diseases. Modern practice according to the method of S. Kneipp has shown that the regular use of a full wrap with therapeutic purpose or for prevention leads to a complete restoration of the forces of the whole organism. Firstly, with a weekly procedure, the disease not only recedes, but can also disappear without the intervention of medicine. Secondly, if such a procedure is carried out monthly for preventive purposes, then the body will not be afraid of any diseases at all. It is only necessary to apply this method of treatment for a long time and persistently. S. Kneipp recommended a full body wrap using herbal infusions. A decoction of oat straw is considered the most effective, hay dust or pine branches are a little weaker.

It is recommended to use up to 1 kg of straw or 2 kg of branches for 7 liters of water. Boil for 30 minutes and infuse for 30 minutes. It is clear that in urban areas it is quite burdensome to find such a number of herbs, but do not be afraid of this. The wrapping procedure will be no less effective if you use ordinary water.

Kneipp wrote: to see how strong the "cloak" works, just look at the water in which it is washed after each use - the water is muddy and dirty. "Spanish cloak", expanding the pores, removes all impurities, mucus, etc. from the body. Therefore, it is so useful for general condition organism. Effectively helps with fever, gout, articular rheumatism, to prevent paralysis, cleanse the whole body; if you use hay dust, oat straw or pine branches, it helps a lot with aches, stone disease, urinary sand.

Depending on the duration, this procedure has a different effect:

10-15 minutes - antipyretic effect;

30-40 minutes - calming effect;

50-60 minutes - diaphoretic action.

Full wrapping is carried out as follows: a naked patient is placed on a couch, previously covered with a blanket and on top with a sheet moistened with water and well wrung out. The sheet is moistened in water at a temperature of 25–30 ° C. If you do not tolerate cold water, then it is better to switch to warmer water. The patient is wrapped first with a sheet, then with a blanket.

The effect of wet wrapping is one-time. The first phase of influence causes an exciting and antipyretic effect - these are the first 10-15 minutes. It is indicated as a tonic and in febrile patients. The second phase has a calming effect, drowsiness and even sleep may appear. This procedure is prescribed for patients with increased excitability of the nervous system: the initial stages of hypertension, insomnia, hyperasthenic form of neurasthenia. Duration - 30-40 minutes. With a longer procedure - up to 60 minutes, the third phase begins: profuse sweating. Such a duration of the procedure is indicated for detoxification of the body, with metabolic disorders (obesity, gout). After sweating procedures, it is recommended to take a warm shower or fresh bath at a comfortable temperature.

A short-term wrap has a cooling effect, especially if it is repeated several times in a row.

A prolonged wrap, warming the body, has a calming effect in case of stress and nervous excitement.

Long-term wrapping helps with kidney diseases. Therefore, to enhance perspiration, the sheet is moistened with hot water and the procedure is continued for over an hour.

bottom wrap

It has three varieties: the first - the wrap is carried out to the armpits, while the head, neck, shoulders and arms remain unwrapped; the second - captures the body from the navel to the feet inclusive; the third is wrapping the legs and lower torso.

The first type of wrapping is similar in its effect to the “Spanish cloak” procedure. Used for fever and acute diseases, with tumors in the legs, rheumatism, bloating. Effective in the treatment of various inflammations internal organs- lungs, heart, brain, etc.

Moreover, during the wrapping, cooling compresses are applied to the inflamed organs.

For this procedure, take a sheet or a dense fabric of the appropriate size and a blanket. The fabric is well moistened and wrung out and the patient is wrapped with it several times around the body from the armpits to the knees or to the feet inclusive. From above wrap with a woolen blanket and put in bed. The duration of the procedure is 1-1.5 hours. After that, it is necessary to wipe the patient with a dry towel, dress in warm underwear and cover with a blanket. After the procedure, you must lie still for at least 2-3 hours.

The second type of lower wrap is used in combination with other procedures to eliminate chronic flushing to the head and chest, headaches, dizziness, insomnia, heart and lung diseases, rheumatism and swelling in the legs, kidney diseases and Bladder, hemorrhoids, female diseases. Wrapping from the navel to the feet is carried out in the same way as described above, for 1.5–2.5 hours with a mandatory warm blanket.

The third type of wrap, it is also called the “Neptune Belt”, is an excellent remedy for tired and strained legs, especially for those who have to stand all day or walk a lot. It is advisable to use herbal infusions for this procedure. Pine and birch buds, wormwood, yarrow, pine or spruce needles, hop cones are well suited. The broth is prepared as follows: half a cup or a glass of herbs is poured with a liter of boiling water, boiled for 5 minutes, insisted and filtered.

The wrap itself is done with a coarse cloth (towel) about half a meter wide and three meters long. Most of the fabric is rolled up like a bandage, leaving up to 1 meter for wetting in cold herbal decoction. Having moistened the unrolled part in an infusion of herbs (cool or cold), they squeeze and wrap the legs and lower body with it. Then the top is wrapped with a dry part of the fabric. The belt is held until it dries. Can be used during night sleep. This cool wrap has a soothing effect.

Leg wraps can also be done in other ways. These methods are used for inflammation of the lungs, catarrhs respiratory tract. Also wrapping the legs improves blood circulation, reduces body temperature. To do this, put wet cotton socks on your feet, and woolen socks over them. You need to lie down and cover yourself with a blanket. The duration of the procedure is 1-1.5 hours. It is more convenient to perform the procedure at night, since after wrapping it is necessary to stay in bed for another 2-3 hours.

Another way of wrapping is that a cotton cloth or bandage is well moistened with water or an infusion of herbs and wrapped around the legs to the knees, then tightly wrapped with a woolen blanket. The duration of the procedure is 2 hours. Then the bandage is removed, the patient is carefully covered with a garment and left in bed for 3 hours.

neck wrap

With an increase in the neck lymph nodes Neck wraps are great. To do this, a light towel is moistened with cold water, wrapped around the neck and tightly wrapped with a woolen scarf in four turns on top. The duration of the procedure is up to 1.5 hours. After that, you should remove the bandage, wipe the skin dry and do not go outside for 3 hours.

head wrap

With frequent headaches of people suffering from neuritis, neuroses and other diseases not associated with an increase blood pressure, brain tumors, head wraps are recommended. To do this, first pour one liter of water at room temperature on the head, then tightly tie it with a dry towel (handkerchief). When the hair is dry, the procedure is repeated two or three times. Then they take off the scarf, wash their heads and wipe them dry. Before each of the procedures, the head must be dry.

Shawl wrap

With catarrhs ​​of the respiratory tract, wraps in the form of a shawl help well.

For this procedure, a dense fabric is taken, moistened, folded in the form of a shawl and applied to the body, capturing the chest in front and upper back. The top is covered with a dry wool cloth and the bandage is kept for 1.5–2 hours. If the shawl dries out too quickly, it can be dampened periodically. After the procedure, you need to lie down for 2 hours.

Waist wraps

This procedure is used for chronic constipation, stomach ulcers and duodenum, inflammation of the gastric mucosa, abdominal cramps, high blood pressure and inflammation of the biliary tract and pancreas.

Wraps should be carried out from the costal arch to the middle of the thighs. A wet cloth up to half a meter wide and up to two meters long is tightly wrapped around the body without folds. Top wrapped with woolen cloth. The duration of the procedures is 1-1.5 hours.

Hot chest wrap

In some cases, hot wraps can be used. In particular, with dry cough, allergic bronchitis and chronic bronchitis. When just starting acute bronchitis it is advisable to apply hot chest wraps.

A fabric measuring 50 cm x 200 cm is immersed in hot water, wrung out and tightly, without folds, wrapped around the chest: from the armpit and below the costal arch, to the width of the palm. Wrap the top with a woolen shawl or woolen scarf. The duration of the procedure is up to 30 minutes (as long as the feeling of warmth persists). To enhance the effect, you can take not hot water, but thyme infusions (half a glass of grass for three liters of boiling water, boil for 5 minutes, insist and strain).

Washing

In hydrotherapy, washing is one of the easiest, but at the same time very effective procedure. Washing is divided into full and partial. For this procedure, predominantly cold water or water that does not exceed room temperature is used. Usually, a mitten (sewn from a terry towel) or a towel is used for washing, which is wrapped around the four fingers of the hand. The procedure initially causes vasoconstriction, then expansion, which is accompanied by a feeling of warmth.

Regular washing stabilizes thermoregulation in the body, so if you have a cold body, if you feel chilly or cold, then this procedure is especially effective for you. Washing also stabilizes the nervous system, improves the overall level immune system, acting as a hardening, and are an excellent tool in the fight against rheumatic diseases. Most often, washing is recommended to be carried out in the morning, but washing the lower body in the evening can be used as a means to fall asleep.

The procedure uses the usual clean water or, to enhance the effect, apply sea salt and infusions of medicinal herbs.

Never start washing if the body is not warm or the skin is cold; and never forget to warm up after the procedure.

Full wash

Full washing is used for weakened defense mechanisms in the body, in case of circulatory disorders, low or unstable pressure, neurosis, thermoregulation disorders, insomnia, rheumatic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and bed rest (when bathing is a difficult procedure for the patient).

Complete washing is carried out using cold water (start at a temperature of 20 ° C, gradually lowering it).

Take a mitten (or towel), dip it in a container of cold water, wring it out and start washing your body. Washing is carried out in turn, first with one hand (from the outside, then from the inside), then from the other hand. Then the neck, chest, stomach and back. The legs are washed alternately, first from the outside, in front, from the inside and behind along with the buttocks. After the procedure, they do not dry themselves, at the end, warm up under a blanket or dress and move around slightly.

Washing the upper body

Washing the upper body is carried out to improve the processes of thermoregulation in the body, with exhaustion, with circulatory disorders and inflammation, especially with rheumatic diseases. Since the procedure is quite invigorating and tonic, it is not recommended to be performed in the evening, as well as in case of problems with falling asleep, with chills.

Perfectly influencing the condition of the skin, stimulating metabolism and blood circulation, this procedure helps to harden the body, increasing immunity. The procedure should begin with a water temperature of 20 ° C, gradually reducing it to cold. The duration of the procedure should not exceed three minutes. You will need a mitten or towel and a container of cold water. Dip the mitten in the water and wring out. The procedure begins with washing hands: first the right, outer side, then the inner; then similarly the left hand. Then the chest, stomach and back. To avoid hypothermia, washing is carried out continuously. During the procedure, the mitten is pressed against the skin so that a water film appears.

Periodically, you should dip the fabric in water. After the end of the procedure, without drying yourself, put on any outer clothing and move around until you warm up. To enhance the effect, add salt or infusions of chamomile, sage, etc. to the water.

Washing the lower body

The procedure is used in violation of the process of thermoregulation in the body, with exhaustion, rheumatoid arthritis, diseases of the veins of the legs, varicose veins, with problems with the intestines (gas, flatulence, constipation).

The procedure should be started at a water temperature of 20 ° C, gradually reducing it to very cold. The duration of the procedure should not exceed three minutes. You will need a mitten (towel) and a container of water.

Dip the mitten in the water and wring it out lightly. The procedure starts with the right leg, first from the outside, front, inside and back along with the buttocks; then, in the same sequence, wash the left leg. To avoid hypothermia, the procedure is carried out continuously, periodically dipping the fabric in water. When washing, the mitten should be pressed against the skin so that a water film forms on it. After the procedure, do not dry yourself, put on underwear and move vigorously. If you perform the procedure in the evening, then immediately go to bed. To increase the effect, you can add salt to the water (1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water) or herbal decoctions.

Washing the belly

This procedure helps to solve problems associated with digestive disorders (constipation, flatulence). Do not use for chills and infections of the bladder and kidneys.

This procedure uses water at a temperature of 20 °C. Washing the abdomen should be performed only after warming up in bed; to relax abdominal wall, bend your knees.

Dip a mitten (towel) in a container of water and wring out. Throughout the procedure, it is necessary to moisten the tissue repeatedly. The procedure begins to be performed on the right at the level femur, moving slowly in a circular motion clockwise. The number of movements - up to 40 times.

Pouring

Douching is considered a procedure that can not only heal chronic diseases, but also effectively harden the body. One of the most accessible procedures at home. First of all, douches stabilize heat exchange and regulation of the body due to the effect on lymphatic vessels, capillaries and veins.

There are surface douches, that is, dousing under a slight pressure of water, in which the temperature effect is primarily exerted, and lightning-fast, that is, dousing with a jet of water under pressure, in which, in addition to the temperature effect, there is mechanical pressure water jet. We repeat that, depending on the treated area of ​​the body, there is an effect on organs and systems: pouring legs from the knee and thighs affects the bladder, organs abdominal cavity and pelvis, hemorrhoids; dousing hands, upper body and back - affects the respiratory, cardiovascular systems and blood circulation; dousing with rising temperature or hot dousing of the thighs, lower back and neck - relieve stiffness, tension and stagnation in the muscles of the spine.

According to the temperature regime, douches (superficial) can be cold - temperatures below 18 ° C, tonic from 18 ° C to 22 ° C, alternately (contrasting) thermal and cold (36 ° -38 ° C, up to 18 ° C), with increasing temperature - from neutral (body temperature) to 43 ° C.

We will talk about superficial douches, since lightning douches are mainly carried out at spas and spas by specially trained personnel.

Cold dousing of the legs from the knee

This procedure helps to effectively fight varicose veins and is used for chronic venous insufficiency, disorders of the arterial blood supply to the legs, headaches, and a feeling of heaviness in the legs.

At home, pouring can be done with a shower (removing the nozzle) or a garden watering can. The procedure can be carried out while sitting or standing in the bathtub or in a basin (if you perform douching in the bathroom, it makes sense to put a grate or rug on its bottom).

The legs should be poured alternately: first, the right side from the back side from the bottom up, after a short delay, go forward and pour water on the legs at a level just above the knee, then inside legs go down. Perform the pouring of the left leg in the same way. At the end of the procedure, pour over the soles (also alternately). After the procedure, you should wipe your feet dry, put on socks or keep warm under a blanket.

Contrasting dousing of the legs from the knees

The procedure helps with headaches, disorders of the arterial blood supply to the legs, as well as with heat.

Not recommended for diseases of the kidneys and bladder, menstruation, severe varicose veins, lumbago (sciatica pain), chills. The procedure is similar to the previous one, with the only difference that you alternately water your feet first with warm water (36–38 ° C), then with cold water (up to 18 ° C). Each procedure is repeated once. Make sure you warm up your feet well before jumping into cold water.

It is necessary to finish the procedure by dousing the feet with cold water (watering is also alternate). After the procedure, wipe your feet dry, put on socks and warm up under the covers.

Cold pours from the thigh

The procedure begins with dousing the right leg: first, pour over the back side from the bottom up, fix the jet on the gluteal region, then transfer the jet to the inguinal region and go down along the inside of the thigh. Dousing the left leg is performed in the same way. Finish the procedure by alternately dousing the feet.

If you have low blood pressure, you should be extremely careful. Also, this procedure is not recommended for menstruation, chills, urinary tract infections, and pain with sciatica.

Do not forget to warm up your feet after the procedure.

Contrasting douches from the thigh

This procedure will help to effectively deal with varicose veins and venous outflow disorders, disorders of the arterial blood supply to the legs and insomnia.

Start pouring with warm water (36–38 °C): first pour over right leg- the back part, from the outside of the heel, go up from the bottom up to the inguinal region, go down along the inside. Pour the left leg in the same way. Then douse your feet with cold water (up to 18 ° C). Repeat each procedure once. At the end of the procedure, alternately pour cold water over the feet. Be sure to dry your feet, put on socks and warm clothes or keep warm under the covers.

Cold pours on hands and chest

It is advisable to use the procedure for chronic or accumulated fatigue, for hardening the body (if you are often prone to colds).

Pouring starts with hands: pour right hand from the outside from the bottom up to the shoulder, then from the inside from the top down. Do the same for the left hand. The chest is poured over with eight-shaped movements. Please note that the procedure is best performed by leaning over the bath so that water does not fall on the lower body.

At the end of the procedure, without drying yourself, brush off the water, dress and warm yourself under the covers.

Pouring on the lower back

This procedure is advisable to apply for any pain or problems in the lumbar spine. For acute inflammatory processes in this area, it is better to refuse the procedure.

The pouring procedure is carried out while sitting, so it is most convenient to sit in the bathroom on a small stool or on the edge of the bath. It is very difficult to douse the lower back on your own, you should seek help from relatives. Have an assistant direct the water jet at lumbar spine. Since the procedure is carried out with a gradual increase in water temperature, it must be done slowly and evenly, starting from 35 ° C to the tolerance limit (it is individual and approximately up to 42–43 ° C).

Douching is continued until redness, that is, until blood circulation increases. After the end of the procedure, it is necessary to wipe dry the lumbar region and rest in bed. Drafts should also be avoided.

Cold pours on hands

This procedure is good remedy fight fatigue, dizziness, helps with low blood pressure, tachycardia, heart failure. In a very hot summer time, cold dousing of the hands refreshes and tones the whole body.

Dousing is performed alternately: first, pour the right hand from the outside from the bottom up to the shoulder, slightly fix the stream of water, but not for long, then pour the inner surface from top to bottom. left hand pour in the same way. The procedure should be carried out so that water does not fall on the rest of the body (it is best to stand near the bath, holding your hand over it). Repeat procedure. Total time pouring - three minutes. At the end of the procedure, do not dry yourself, but only brush off the water, get dressed and warm yourself under the covers.

Contrasting hand grips

This procedure helps fight fatigue and tachycardia, low blood pressure, mild form heart failure. Do not use for angina pectoris, bronchial asthma, chills and some heart diseases.

First, dousing with warm water is carried out - the temperature is 37-38 ° C, then cold - up to 18 ° C. The duration of the procedure is three minutes.

First, pour warm water over your right hand: from the outside from the bottom up to the shoulder, hold the stream of water until it is completely warmed up, then direct the jet down to the inner area of ​​​​the arm. Do the same with the left hand. Similarly, carry out the procedure with cold water, repeat it again (first with warm, then again with cold water). Douches should be carried out so that water does not fall on the rest of the body (it is best to lean over the bath). After the end of the procedure, without wiping yourself, shake off the water, dress and warm yourself in bed.

Pouring on the back of the head

This procedure is very strong and effective tool combating migraines, depression, chronic neck muscle tension, chronic tinnitus; also helps to deal with sudden changes in the weather, if you belong to the so-called category of people - a “barometer person” (that is, a person who reacts strongly to weather changes). It is strongly not recommended to carry out hot dousing of the back of the head with high blood pressure, heart failure, glaucoma, diseases thyroid gland. When carrying out this procedure, you also can not do without an assistant. Lean over the tub and rest your hands on a low bench placed on the bottom.

The initial temperature of the water should be comfortable for you (34 ° C), then you should gradually increase the temperature to the tolerance limit (42-43 ° C). Leaning over the bath, ask the assistant to direct the jet of water to the back of the head so that a water circle is formed, that is, water should flow on both sides.

The procedure is continued until redness, that is, until blood circulation improves. If the blood rushes too much to the head when bending over, abandon this procedure, replacing it with a hot foot bath or dousing the legs. At the end of the procedure, it is necessary to wipe the head dry and warm the neck with a scarf or handkerchief, drafts should also be avoided.

Full body dousing

One of the best procedures for hardening and cooling after a bath. Perfectly normalizes metabolism, especially with excess weight, helps with age diabetes. This procedure is best done with an assistant.

Cold full-body douches should be approached very carefully for those who have either never tempered or had a long break, that is, cold douches of the whole body are intended for people with good blood circulation. Otherwise, it is necessary to start with a comfortable water temperature, gradually reducing it to cold (full douches are better to start with partial douses, gradually moving to dousing the whole body at once).

After a bath or sauna, dousing with cold water has no contraindications.

The procedure is started from the back pouring: first, pour the right leg from the back side of the foot along outside legs up to the buttocks, on the inside go down from top to bottom. Do the same with the left leg. Then proceed to dousing the hands: pour the right hand along the outer side from the bottom up from the palm to the shoulder. Fix a stream of water on the shoulder, but in such a way that most of it flows down the back, the smaller one flows from the shoulder. Pour the right side of the back from top to bottom and go to the left hand. Similarly, repeat the procedure on the left hand. Douching in front is carried out in the same way as in the back. Then pour over the area of ​​​​the abdomen., In circular motions clockwise and complete the procedure by pouring over the feet, alternately right and left.

After the end of the procedure, it is necessary to rub the whole body dry with a rough towel, get dressed and be sure to rest in bed.