Water Therapy for common ailments: Ice packs, hot and cold compresses, medicated baths and forms of water therapy were mainstays of folk medicine for centuries. Today, high-tech medicine has eclipsed water-based treatments. Yet these treatments, safe, inexpensive and easy to use, remain valuable tools for easing discomfort caused by common ailments.
Medicated baths: We all know how relaxing a warm bath can be. But not everyone realizes that even greater benefits can be reaped by adding natural ingredients to the water. Apple cider vinegar: Add a cup to bath water , and splash a handful over your shoulders, back and chest. That will invigorate you when you’re fatigued. This technique also helps restore the skin’s germ-killing natural acidity, which is continually washed away by bathing. To soothe poison ivy or sunburn, add two cups of vinegar.
Bran: A bran bath eases itching, soothes dermatitis or other skin irritations and eliminates scaly patches. Sew several handfuls of wheat or oat bran into a cheesecloth pouch. Soak the pouch in a tub filled with tepid water. Squeeze the pouch until the water turns milky. Pine extract: One capful in a warm bath helps open clogged pores, speeds healing of rashes and relieves muscle fatigue. Pine extract is available at drugstores and health-food stores. Do not confuse it with pine cleanser, which will irritate the skin.
Salt message: This energizing technique tones tissues, relieves stress and fatigue, and can help you ward off a cold. Sit on the edge of a tub filled with warm water. Pour salt into a cupped hand. Slowly add water to the salt until you make a thick paste. Using firm, circular motions, rub the paste over your body. Then rinse off paste with a brief soak in the tub, or sponge it off with cold water. Be careful not to rub salt onto sores, cuts, etc. Hand bath: To ease writer’s cramp, soak hands in hot water. To warm cold hands, soak them alternately in hot water (three minutes) and cold water (30 seconds). Repeat several times, ending with cold water. Caution: Don’t leave hands in cold water for more than a few minutes at a time.
Cold-water treading: Fill the tub ankle-deep with cold water. Holding onto a firmly anchored rail, march in place for a few seconds or minutes (as long as you can comfortably tolerate). Then rub your feet briskly with a towel. Done twice daily, this technique creates a remarkable sense of well-being, and is great for relieving exercise-related leg cramps. Some believe that it builds resistance to disease as well. Done at night, cold-water treating promotes sound sleep, yet it has an eye-opening effect when done in the morning.
Compressed: To prevent or relieve headache pain, fold a washcloth in half, dip it in ice water and wring it out. Place it on your head or neck. Re-wet it every few minutes to keep it cold. To relieve a sore throat or laryngitis, fold a cotton cloth in thirds, wet it with cold water and wring it out. Wind it once around the neck and fasten with a safety pin. Over the cloth, wrap a wool scarf. Leave this wrap in place as long as you like. With the cold trapped against the skin by the wool, the body continues to divert more warming blood to the area, helping break up congestion.
How to feel and look younger: Practice stretching each morning. Regular stretching helps you feel more flexible and, as a result, you will feel and look younger. By stretching, you relax your muscles, and movements become more graceful and youthful.
Stand up straight: By maintaining good posture, you’ll look 10 pounds thinner. Practice in front of the mirror, and you’ll notice that your stomach looks flatter, your torso appears longer and thinner, and you don’t have that old, tiered, hunched look.
Exercise at least 15 minutes a day. Physical activity alleviates depression and improves your mood. It also sends more blood to the skin, giving your complexion a healthy, rosy, youthful glow.
Eat more fruits and vegetables. A vegetarian or even a semi-vegetarian diet that includes lots of fruits, vegetables and grains will help you maintain a stable energy level. By eating sensibly, you can quickly increase your energy levels and feel younger. Reduce stress: If left unchecked, stress puts unnecessary wear and tear on your body’s internal organs and causes you to look tired and years older.
