The Herbalist Newsletter
Stress Relief Bath
Home Hydrotherapy Can Relieve Stress and Restore Energy
Volume 1, Issue 2
WATER
AND STRESS
Stress is an element of nature which effects every
individual. Medically, stress is ny factor that threatens the health of the
body or has an adverse effect on its normal functioning. The existence of one
form of stress tends to diminish resistance to other forms. Constant stress
brings about changes in the hormones of the body. When healthy resistance breaks
down under too much stress, damage and disease invade. Overstress is a fundamental
cause of physical illness. In the human world stress invades from mental and
emotional places as well as the physical. Stress can come like a lightning flash;
a fall, a broken heart, bad news, or it can grow slowly like toxic deposits
in cells over years.
Under normal circumstances stress builds good qualities like character, physical
endurance and mental alertness. Yet, stress can sometimes get the upper hand
and cause negative effects and physical breakdowns. Many stressful days in a
row can lead to chronic fatigue, a zone where there is neither energy nor rest.
This is a time when the body needs to rally its resistance.
The life we live is a cycle of energy that can be charted like a wave pattern.
The high crest of the wave pattern is activity, the low trough is rest. In general
the cycle reads daytime as the active and night time as the passive. Each side
of the wave is a reflection of the other half. The deeper the rest phase the
higher the active phase. If the rest phase becomes shallow the activity phase
suffers and even normal activity levels become hard to endure.
Chronic fatigue can lead to other body breakdowns and disease. Restlessness,
lack of energy, depression, insomnia, muscle tension, hypochondria, hair loss,
and temper ventings are a few signs of chronic fatigue that can stem from overstress
and a lack of deep rest. Sleep and relaxation are key preventative methods to
relieving these adverse effects. Mental, emotional, and physical relaxation
can be stimulated with hydrotherapy. Water provides a way to break the tension
buildups of stress through relaxation. The full bath, with botanicals and essential
oils will increase the effectiveness of the water.
A FULL IMMERSION BATH
Turning your bath into a therapeutic anti-stress treatment
requires a scientific approach, namely time and temperature. The bathroom should
be warm and have clean towels and a robe ready for after the bath. The bed should
be prepared and ready to crawl into with an extra blanket if needed. Have the
bath additives; botanicals, essential oils, etc. ready as well as a thermometer,
timer or clock, a washcloth soaking in cold water for the brow (ice may be added),
and a large glass of cool water. Fill the tub and check the temperature to read
105 degrees Fahrenheit. You may decrease or increase this temperature as your
comfort experience grows. When the tub is as full as possible and the temperature
is correct, note the time. Stay in the bath 15 to 20 minutes, no longer. Submerge
yourself leaving only your head above the water. If your knees rise out above
the bath, soak an extra towel with hot water and drape it over your knees like
a tent. Have the cool washcloth by the side of the bath within easy reach. The
cold cloth is used to cool the forehead. A few minutes into the bath you will
be happy to have it there.
Drift your thoughts to rhythmic breathing. Inhale and exhale fully, releasing
tension from the muscles. Relax into the water dreamlike. The water should hold
its temperature steady for the duration of the bath. If not add hot water as
needed, but the less activity the better. At the close of the bath rise slowly
as light dizziness may occur if you stand too quickly. Towel off lightly and
put on the robe. If the hair is wet wrap the head in a towel. Drink the large
glass of water to replace the fluid lost through the skin during the bath, and
immediately go to bed. Cover up snugly. Some body heating may occur under the
covers. Do not uncover as this heating is beneficial. Always avoid chill.
The relaxing hydrotherapy bath technique will greatly aid in stress reduction
and allow the body to fall into a deeper rest. Regular use of an anti-stress
therapy bath will neutralize many stress factors through deep relaxation. New
recovery energy stimulates a stronger natural resistance and a rebound to health.
WHY WATER WORKS
The body has a relationship with water which is both
primordial and present. Live began of water. We as beings are made up largely
of water. We do not think of water as being alive, but all of life is composed
of water. Our water body is the vehicle of our senses. All our physical life
functions are modalities of water functions. Is the mind and our consciousness
also a modality of water? It provides all living things with a flow of nutrients
as well as a channel of elimination. All living forms exist within the Earths
great hydrosystem. Water can be thought of as the mother and bearer of life.
In a hot full immersion bath we become surrounded by the mother element. This
triggers primordial security responses and provides the body with present comfort
and pleasure. Water with heat relaxes muscle tension that restricts fluid and
energy flow. The magnetic fields of the nervous system flow through the surrounding
water molecules. The effects are a profound and noticeable release from stress
and pain.
BOTANICALS USED IN STRESS REDUCTION
Botanicals for use in the therapeutic bath are usually
of two kinds, herbal extracts and essential oils. Many plants produce an aromatic
substance which are the essential oils. The volatile compounds are extracted
from the plant material by various methods of distillation and held in sealed
containers. Herbal extracts are the dissolving of compounds found in the herb
by means of solvents, usually an alcohol and water combination. Many herbs do
not contain essential oils, and this method extracts the beneficial substances
found in the plant. Herbal extracts and essential oils contain actives which
can aid in stress reduction when made available to the body in the water bath.
In natural thermal pools there are many dissolved minerals found which also
have a strong therapeutic effect. Minerals play an important role in water conditioning.
PERCUTANEOUS ABSORPTION (Through the skin)
In order for the body to benefit from the essential
oils and herbals used in the bath they must be uniformly dispersed in the bath
water. Soft water, or water deactivated of dissolved metals like iron, calcium,
and magnesium are the most ideal for a full dispersion of the botanicals. Natural
sodium minerals like sodium borate, sodium carbonate, and sodium chloride neutralize
metals and also set up a mild electrolyte solution which helps attract the botanical
molecules to the skin. Hard mineral water keeps the botanicals out of solution
and away from the body. A surface scum or ring around the tub is often a sign
of hard water. This is the reason therapeutic bath preparations use the sodium
minerals as an ingredient. They soften the water and help with the percutaneous
absorption of the botanicals through the skin.
