Traditional Hydrotherapy

from Hydrothermic Remedies...

Causes: Stress, fatigue, allergy, injury, infection, cold or damp climate and heredity.

This disease needs a Doctor to treat. All these treatments are adjuncts to medical management and should be applied GENTLY.

Treatment:

• Alternate Baths - 38-43°C 6min and 10-18°C 4min
• Ice Massage and Ice Pack in acute cases and Heat in any suitable form (including general body heating) in the chronic cases.
• For advanced or crippling cases:
  • Neutral Tub Bath - 37°C, 2hours, 5x week
• Therapeutic Diet - may be allergic to nightshades or citrus
• Rest - daily naps, regular bed time
• Early to bed, late nights damage joints
• Moderate graduated exercise - swimming and pool exercise - daily gentle range of movement
• Daily Sun Bath up to 30min
• Gentle Trigger Point Workup
• Ice Massage or Aloe Vera
• Tea Tree Oil - five drops in a small amount of other oil and massaged in to each joint.
• Deep breathing exercises
• Stress control through trust in God.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is best controlled by changes in lifestyle...

Contra-indications

• Alternate Shower
• Cold Shower
• Hot Local Bath

from Dr JH Kellogg's Prescriptions...

General Method:

• Improve general health by Short hot applications then carefully
  • Graduated Tonic Cold the best are:
  • Fomentations to Spine or Electric Light Bath 3-5 min or
  • Sun Bath followed by Cold Mitten Friction
  • Massage
  • general applications of Electrotherapy Stimulation
• Warm dry uniform climate
• Oil Rub
• Calisthenics
• Wet Girdle

Clinical Problems:

• Retention Fever
• Bradycardia
• Emaciation
• Neuralgic Hands
• Radiating Pains
• Swollen Painful Joints
• Spinal Irritation with Numbness and Tingling of Hands and Feet
• Cramps
• Atrophy
• Joint Deformity
• Dermographia

Contra-indications:

• Cold Douche to painful joints
• Long Sweating Treatments and any prolonged general heat

from Dr JH Kellogg's Hydriatic Techniques...

Problems:

• Acidosis
• Articular Effusions - little pain
• Debility
• Erythema Nodosum
• Exudate
• Inactive Skin
• Joint Pain
• Nervous System Irritability
• Obesity
• Rheumatic Pains
• Superficial Anaemias
• Swollen Painful Joints
• Toxaemia in remission
• Uraemia
• Deficient oxidation of protein wastes

Treatment:

• Aseptic Diet
• Sweating Treatments especially Russian Bath - heat body slightly then...
  • moderate Tonic avoiding painful joints - Graduated Tonic Cold
  • begin with Fan Douche to
  • Cold Douche - only after buildup and not during flare
  • followed by
• moderate exercise or where impossible
• vigorous Massage or Dry Friction

Eliminative

• Sweating Treatments then Massage

Inflammation Fever

• Revulsives
  • Scotch Douche or cool Douche 2-3 seconds
  • Revulsive Douche not during flare
  • Fomentations

If all joints are affected use...

• general Revulsives for Superficial Anaemias
  • Filiform Douche especially in obstinate cases

Cautions:

• Keep all heat treatments brief to avoid weakening resistance
• Sweating Pack in flare

from Dr GK Abbott's Prescriptions...

"...physical therapy is the only treatment of definitely proved value in the treatment of chronic arthritis."

Problems:

• Toxaemic Headache
• Emaciation
• Swollen Painful Joints

Physical measures used:

1. Rest - general and local by splints
2. Heat
   • infrared lamp
   • Fomentations - however dry heat better
   • paraffin bath for hands or feet 54-57°C
3. Massage - after heat - begin with light stroking and eventually to petrissage - most valuable
4. Exercise - simple and light - not to pain - ROM - after acute
5. Hubbards tank - hydrotherapy

Sun Bath - to improve skin health

Acute stage:

• Depletion by heat alone
• Ice Bag over joint or artery to joint

Chronic stage use: Tonic Sedatives

often due to

• Constipation
• intestinal infection or
• Autointoxication due to Hepatic Inactivity

to treat this use thorough...

• Gastric Lavage and
• copious Enema

In Obesity use Diaphoretics followed by Graduated Tonic Cold, build to

• Alternate Douche (percussion) especially to spine and legs with 5 changes. Followed by either rest or exercise depending on condition

Later in disease use

• Massage, Massage Douche or Turkish Shampoo and
• Wet Sheet Rub
• Effervescent Bath

In Emaciation and Anaemia

• Local heat and mild Diaphoretics only weekly
• see also Swollen Painful Joints

For painful feet:

• Heating Socks see Burning Feet

If patient is very weak, bed or wheelchair-bound...

• Mild local heat
  • Fomentations
  • Electric Light Bath
  • Hot Foot Bath
• followed by (NO cold treatment)
  • Massage especially to spine and abdomen for nerve stimulation or
  • Faradic or Sinusoidal to same areas