Taking a hot bath or applying heat in other ways produces a stimulus in the body. It activates metabolism and defenses and, above all, trains the body in adapting to temperature changes.
We are homeothermic animals, that is, we maintain a temperature constantly, and this heat is one of the distinctions of our life, which accompanies us from conception and the warmth of the home until the end of life, in which the loss of temperature will be one of the signs of death.
In general, we find very pleasant heat sources close to our body temperature and, not only that, but they will help us in every way to improve our bodily functions.
THERAPEUTIC SOURCES OF HEAT
The hot bath, the sauna, the application of bags of pastime, hot seeds or punctually of moxas (lit poles of mugwort) in the acupuncture points transmit a heat that we will receive in a pleasant way. Even the therapeutic touch or in the massage also transmit a comforting warmth.
Also, the corporal exercise, which increases our temperature, and the movement produced by shivering, help us to increase our temperature and will favor metabolic processes that will help us improve our state of health.
IMPROVE THE BODY’S ADAPTATION TO COLD AND HEAT
Although these sources of heat are important, the most beneficial thing is that our body is trained to adapt to both cold and heat, so it reacts to rebalance our temperature.
Sometimes, in this search for balance, our body can increase the temperature itself producing fever, almost always with a positive purpose, to improve the process of adaptation to new microbes or environmental situations.
HOW TO TAKE A HOT BATH
A technique of applying heat that is available to many people today is the hot bath. For your regulated practice, follow these steps:
- Wait at least an hour after eating.
- Heat the water to 35-36 ºC. Use a thermometer to calculate the temperature accurately
- Submerge the body almost completely (including the nape of the neck), in a large bathtub.
- Add hot water every minute to increase the temperature by 1 ºC until it reaches 40 ºC.
- It is highly recommended to monitor the heart rate: it should not exceed 140 beats at 40ºC. If this heart rate is reached at 38 or 39 ºC, it is necessary to decrease the water temperature by 1 or 2 º and give cold water irrigations in arms, legs, neck and neck. If at any time a feeling of weakness, tightness in the chest or cyanosis (bluish skin) appears, the bath must be interrupted and cold water applied to the nape of the neck and chest.
- The minimum duration of the bath should be 10-15 minutes.
- Before finishing the bath, lower the temperature to 37 or 38ºC and irrigate with cold water arms, neck and heart area. Get out of the tub slowly.
- Dry quickly and cover yourself in bed to promote sweating and rest.
HOT BATH EFFECTS
The hot bath and other forms of heat application produce a series of effects on the body:
- Hyperthermia speeds up metabolism (more calories are burned).
- It favors the transfer of oxygen from hemoglobin to cells.
- Decreases the elimination of water and sodium by the kidneys.
- It produces leukocytosis and activates immune defenses, inhibiting growth and favoring the self-destruction of tumor cells.
- Increases heart rate and blood volume per minute of the heart.
- Increases the elasticity of connective and muscle tissue.
INDICATIONS OF THE HOT BATH
- It serves to activate defenses in chronic inflammatory states and rheumatic diseases (sciatica, lumbago, gout, ankylosing spondylitis).
- It also helps in diseases of the central nervous system (poliomyelitis. E.L.A., tabes…) and in cancer (always under medical supervision).
CONTRAINDICATIONS OF HOT BATH
However, it is contraindicated in heart failure, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, severe atherosclerosis and varicosis. In these cases, the application of heat can go well but it must be done in a more local and punctual way.
