Traditional Hydrotherapy

from Hydrothermic Remedies...

Use:

• Wet Sheet Pack
• Russian Bath

from Dr JH Kellogg's Prescriptions...

General Method:

• Proper environment - maybe isolation or confinement
  • Aseptic Diet - avoid meats especially Fruit Diet
• Suitable mental and moral influences
• Fomentations over stomach 2x a day with Wet Girdle in interval
• Short Sweating Treatments then Wet Sheet Rub
• Graduated Tonic Cold 2x a day

Treatment Method:

• Total withdrawal at once
• No food 3 days IV feeding
• copious Water Drinking
• neutral Coloclyster daily for a week

Problems:

• Insomnia from Cerebral Irritability
• Vomiting
• Delirium Tremens
• Intoxication
• Acute Nephritis - usually present in acute alcoholism
• Acute Gastritis

from Dr JH Kellogg's Hydriatic Techniques...

Problems:

• Collapse
• Intoxication
• Renal Congestion
• Spinal Irritation
• Toxaemia

Treatment:

• Water Drinking

Tonic

Mildest Tonic if feeble

Alcohol poisoning

• Spinal Alternate Applications
• Vapor Bath
• Alternate Compress

from Dr GK Abbott's Prescriptions...

Problems:

• Valvular Heart Disease
• Delirium Tremens

While severely drunk - to stimulate nerves and circulation

• Cold Shower - hold under

Treatment consists of first treating the acute symptoms then providing a protective environment for a long period with Eliminative hydrotherapy and re-education of habits.

In acute stage:

• Immediately withdraw alcohol
• Treat the effects of alcoholism...
  • Debility - increase metabolic rate - extreme Alternating Applications
• Cardiovascular and liver damage
• Vitamin B deficiency - brewers yeast, Aseptic Diet
• Dehydration
• Chronic Gastritis - small quantities of fluid
• Neuritis
• poor oral hygiene

Hydrotherapy should be used very carefully in early stages as "many patients have been killed by exhaustion from the struggle against a wet sheet pack or other forms of mechanical restraint".

Wait until condition has stabilised then use hydrotherapy to:

Increase alcohol elimination

• Hot Tub Bath or Electric Light Bath or Sweating Pack with
  • copious Water Drinking followed by...
  • Alternate Douche or Alternate Shower
• Graduated Tonic Cold during later stages. especially
  • Electric Light Bath
  • Alternate Leg Bath
  • Salt Glow
  • Fomentations
  • Alternate Douche percussion

Sedation - to help secure rest and sleep

If feeble use

• Neutral Tub Bath, Wet Sheet Pack or Fomentations with
  • Cold Mitten Friction

For jitters - no certain treatment but try...

• Fomentations to abdomen, thighs and spine
• infrared lamp 30min gentle only slight sweating, same areas

For Neuritis:

• large doses of vitamin B
• part immobilised and protected
• after pain and hypersensitivity have subsided:
  • mild passive movements and gradual massage
  • gentle heat