>>>
Hydrotherapy: Bathtime Undressed
Hydrotherapy as one of life’s simple pleasures, it is also one of the oldest known therapies, significant to many ancient civilizations like Egyptian, Greek, Hebrew, Hindu, and Chinese. The importance of baths are demonstrated in huge, intricate buildings constructed by Ancient Romans containing public bathhouses once used for hygiene, healing, and socializing. Many of these civilizations integrated aromatic plants like rose petals (Rosa ssp.), peppermint (M. piperita), white lily (L. candidum), and frankincense (B. serrata) to promote health and wellness. In addition, ancient recordings have mentioned burning Cannabis sativa to medicate the bath. Although many do not think of baths as a true therapy, it is recognized in alternative medicine for selfhealing, maintenance, and body optimization. Modern-day hydrotherapy is based on how our body responds to water temperature. The thermal effects of either heating water between 98-104℉ (baths, heat pads, and saunas), which can relax and sedate, or cooling water between 50-70℉ (cryotherapy, Wim Hof Method, or ice packs), which can be used to stimulate and tone the body.
Physiology
Let’s face it, baths are awesome! They are hygienic, they make us happy, they allow us some time to ourselves, they help us relax, and help us get better sleep. Adding the right dose of cannabis, herbs, or essential oils to the bath can do wonders for stress and pain management, but what is really going on in our bodies? During a hot bath, our blood vessels dilate, circulation is enhanced, our breath increases as we give our blood more oxygen, our heart rate increases, the nerves activate, and muscle volume increases as well. Due to these physiological effects of hot water plus a solid nutrient-dense diet, our oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood is able to carry away toxins and metabolic waste, allowing for the body’s detoxification process to effectively occur. Baths can be especially helpful for pelvic cramps, colds, infections, circulatory complaints, muscle relaxation, high blood pressure, and acute sports injury situations. On the contrary, ice packs and cold applications are more suitable for swelling, pain, congestion, and fevers. Alternating hot (3 to 5 minutes) and cold temperatures (30 to 90 seconds) can be effective for pain and swelling for joints and muscles. How to maximize your time in the tub? Practice some breathing exercises, turn on a guided meditation, or listen to classical music. Become a pro by integrating CBD bath products, drink a supportive herbal tea, enjoy an edible, and startup that essential
18
By Alixandra Laub
oil diffuser.
Type of Baths
There are so many different types of baths depending on your personal, individual, and perfectly unique situation. There are foot baths, herbal baths, neutral baths, ice baths, aromatic baths, facial and yoni steams. Holy cramp! Sitz baths may be a woman’s best ally, they are great for lower body complaints like pain and cramps. Steep 1 C of herbs to 1 gallon of hot water until it reaches a comfortable temperature, pour into a shallow bath, and keep the lower body submerged. Worth a mention, is a relatively new trend in women’s wellness called yoni steam, currently promoted by organizations like ‘Goop’ founded by Gwenelyth Paltrow. While it is an interesting technique for women, there is not enough research out there for me to recommend this to my clients. Though, “Goop Lab” on Netflix is worth a watch. Foot baths work by activating the nerve endings in the feet, drawing congestion away from the respiratory tract. Useful for achy feet, cramps, or swelling, steep ½-1 cups of herbs to 1 gallon of hot water until it reaches a comfortable temperature, pour into a shallow bucket or similar, and keep feet submerged until the water cools completely. Peppermint is one of my favorite essential oils to add to a foot bath. To take an herbal bath/aromatic bath, brew a tea with 1-2 cups of herbs in 64oz of hot water, allow the contents to cool, pour into a hot bath. The infusion of a whole fragrant herb is considered to be more effective than essential oils alone. Facial steams - cleanses skin, improves circulation, relaxes facial muscles, and is beneficial for congestion. Add 1 quart of boiling water to 1 C of herbs into a bowl. Drape a towel over your head to trap the steam in, practice slow breathing for 5-7 minutes.
The Herbs
From bubble baths, salts, bombs, teas, and melts, different ingredients, herbs, and essential oils can be implemented to obtain specific results. CBD, hemp, and Cannabis extracts can be added to any bath for heightened medicinal effects. With the right combination of healing herbs, baths can be sleep-inducing, pain-relieving, stimulating, anti-infectious, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, beneficial for the skin, or any combination thereof. Of course, as an herbalist, my best advice is pure, plant-based everything is best.
Sleep-inducing herbs include lavender (Lavandula spp.), valerian (V. officinalis) root, and chamomile (M. chamomilla). For a pain-relieving bath, herbs like chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) and rosemary (R. officinalis) are fantastic. Stimulating herbs include peppermint (M. piperita), citrus, and green tea (C.sinensis) For an anti-infectious bath, many essential oils have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and analgesic properties such as Juniper (Juniperus spp.), pine (Pinus spp.), and tea tree (M. alternifolia). For the more courageous, apple cider vinegar baths can be advantageous. Detoxifying herbs for baths include lemon balm (M. officinalis), basil (O. basilicum), and elderberry (Sambucus spp.). Bath salts with himalayan, epsom, and dead sea are great for detoxification. Anti-inflammatory herbs include yarrow (A. millefolium), mugwort (A. vulgaris), and oatstraw (A. sativa). A bath that is calming and beneficial for the skin would have herbs like chamomile (M. chamomilla), aloe (A. vera), and lavender (Lavandula spp.). To turn your bathroom into a healing sanctuary, have fun playing around with these herbs and methods. I would love to hear what worked for you, reach out on social media at TahoePetrichor on FB or IG. Looking for bath bombs? We partnered with a non-profit cannabis education group to provide CBD bath bombs. Disclaimer: Pregnant women should avoid hot tubs and baths with high temperatures up to 104℉. Herbs and supplements should only be viewed as assistance. No matter what method you decide to integrate, make sure you put in a call to your doctor prior to starting any new health regimen. Therapy hardly ever consists of just one drug or procedure. To get the most out of any therapy, try a variety of approaches for at least a month, then figure out what works for you and your situation. Also, this information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Alixandra Laub M.S. is on a mission to connect people to plant medicine as an herbalist, wellness coach, essential oil distiller, and manufacturer of topical herbal remedies. If you are interested in learning more about healing hacks, natural wellness, and healing plants like cannabis, stop by www. TahoePetrichor.com. We partnered with a non-profit cannabis education group to provide CBD bath bombs. References:Alakbarov, F. (2002). Aromatic Herbal Baths of the Ancients: Herbalgram. American Botanical Council; 57:4049. Retrieved from http://cms.herbalgram.org/herbclip/258/ review43685.html, American Botanical Council. (2020). Baths: Herbal Gram. Retrieved from http://cms.herbalgram.org/searchresult. html?searchfor=bath&option=all&KY_WS_LOW=, Mutterspaugh, M. (2016). Formulations and Applications of Medicinal Herbal Teas. Traditional Roots. Retrieved from https://traditionalroots.org/ files/2016/10/HOME-herbal-tea-blending-NOTES.pdf, Pizzorno, J. & Murray, M. (2013). Textbook of Natural Medicine, 4th ed. Elsevier: Mosby. ISBN: 9781455774616.