Traditional Hydrotherapy

from Dr JH Kellogg's Hydriatic Techniques...

For the nervous, use Sedative effect to relieve local pain

For chronic non-inflammatory pain use Revulsive, Alternating Applications or heat

For acute pain use Derivatives and moderate cold

Strong circulatory reaction as quickly as possible to prevent fatigue

• Pain from :Irritations
  • Derivatives and Revulsives i.e,
  • Neutral Shower 5-15 min low pressure
  • Fomentations then Heating Compress
  • dry heat sometimes better
  • local Hot Douche or Revulsive Douche
  • Hot Enema
  • Very Hot Sitz
  • Alternating Applications (occasionally)
• Nervous System Irritability in Multiple Sclerosis and Neurasthenia or Lightning Pains in Tabes Dorsalis:-
  • Fan Douche to spine 33°C 3-15 min
• Nerve irritations eg Celiac Irritation :-
  • large warm Fomentations then Heating Compress and
• Visceral Irritation e.g, Colic and Enteralgia
  • large warm Fomentations
• Pelvic Irritations
  • Hot Enema
• Skin Irritations eg Burns Wounds
  • Continuous cold ie Irrigated Compress or Irrigations 15-21°C
• Acute Inflammations
  • Derivatives
• Pleuritic Pain
• Abdominal Pain
• Colic
• Gastralgia
• Gastric Crises
• Pain in....
  • Entero-Colitis
  • Dysentery
  • Peritonitis
    • Very hot Fomentations 60-70°C <15 min every 1-2 hours
    • or Hot Water Bottle (or similar) then
    • Heating Compress 1-2 hours
• Neuralgia
  • Cooling Compress or Evaporating Compress or Ice Bag mild 15-21°C continued up to several hours
• Eyeball Inflammations use Revulsive
  • very hot thin compresses (6 layers of cheesecloth 10cm) wrung from hot water, applied, covered and changed every min for 4 min then cold 15-30 sec
  • or Cold or Alternating Applications
• External Eye Inflammations to eyelid
  • very thin Cooling Compress changed frequently or cooled by fanning or dripped ice water or swapped onto on ice
• Bruises
• Sprains
  • very hot Fomentations every 2-3 hours, 15 min then
  • cold Heating Compress or Ice Bag in interval
• Oophoritis and Salpingitis
  • Hot Enema 2-3x a day 250-500 ml, retained 5 min, repeat 3-6 times, patient lies on back
• Painful Haemorrhoids
• Rectal Pain
  • Fomentations or
  • Very Hot Sitz
  • Alternate Sitz sometimes
• Pain passing stool
  • sit over pail half filled with boiling water
• Chronic Inflammations and Deep Seated Inflammations
  • Revulsives and Derivative Long heat and cooling compress every hour
    • Fomentations 15 min every 2-4 hours with
    • Heating Compress 15°C renewed every 30 min
  • Revulsives
    • Heating Compress 15°C renewed every 30 min with
    • Fomentations 15 min every 2-4 hours
    • Fomentations or Heating Compress for hours with
    • Cooling Compress every hour for 30 sec
• Chronic Pelvic Pain and Pelvic Congestion
• Chronic Ovarian Congestion
• Prostate Pain
• Rectal Pain
  • Sitz Bath 44-49°C 3-5 min followed by cold pour or friction to hips and pelvis
  • Short very hot Fomentations
  • Very Hot Sitz
• Pain of head or neck
  • Heat interrupted by Cooling Compress every 10 minutes
• Neuralgia
  • very hot Fomentations 10-15 min, every 2-6 hours with
  • Cooling Compress 15°C every hour covered with flannel or
  • prolonged Leg Pack or
  • Cooling Compress 30-60 sec or Cold Mitten Friction
• Sciatica
  • Scotch ie Fan Douche 48-55°C or hot as can be borne moderate pressure along nerve and lower back 4-5 min then
  • Jet or Fan Douche 10-15°C 6-10 sec
• Sciatica and Femoral Neuralgia
  • Fomentation then prolonged Leg Pack
• Eyeball Inflammations
  • thin Hot Compress
• Congestive Headache
  • Ice Bag or Cooling Compress to head, face and neck
  • ice to head and neck

from Dr GK Abbott's Prescriptions...

Local Sedatives

Extreme hot and cold are essential.

Pain, in inflammations, is caused by congestion and high vascular tension putting pressure on nerves. This congestion can be treated and the cause of the pain removed by...

• Heat - Derivative ie. blood taken to skin or away from part
• Cold - use proximally, reducing peripheral blood flow

Alternating Applications - Fluxion - use extremes

• Best Analgesics very hot - as hot as the patient can bear
  • Fomentations
  • hot immersions - Hot Foot Bath, hot Sitz Bath, etc
  • local hot packs or Hot Blanket Pack
  • Hot Enema
• Extremely cold
  • Ice Bag or Cooling Compress over painful part or proximally over supplying artery ie Proximal Compress
  • ice water or chips by mouth
  • cold immersion Cold Foot Bath, Cold Sitz Bath etc