Revulsives
Dr Kellogg says...
Revulsives
The vascular dilation resulting from heat is transient in character. Within a short time after the heat is withdrawn and the skin exposed to the air, the blood vessels are made to contract by the cooling results from the evaporation and contact with the air at the ordinary atmospheric temperature. The circulatory reaction following a cold application is, however, much more lasting in character, and is also more thoroughgoing, since it is an active rather than simply a passive or paralytic dilation of the blood vessels, and influences the arteries to fully as great an extent as the veins. By a short cold application following a hot application, the atonic reaction is converted into the tonic reaction of cold, the state of the blood vessels being thus very materially changed, and active fluxion of the blood in the skin is thereby maintained for a considerable length of time. p 819
JHK
from Dr JH Kellogg's Hydriatic Techniques...
A reactionary Excitant effect where the thermic effect of cold is avoided, leaving only the circulatory reaction of local skin vasodilation to draw blood away from an inflamed congested area. In practice this means:
- a single prolonged application of heat followed by
- a single, very brief cold application
see also Fluxion
True revulsives begin with...
Heat
- Hot Douche
- Fomentations
- Hot Water Bottle
- Electric Light Bath hot pour or immersion as hot as can be borne
- then...
Cold
- Cold Douche then...
- Friction
Examples:
- Hot Douche (4-5 min) 46-54°C then Cold Douche 10-15°C
- Very hot Leg Bath or Hot Foot Bath (7-10 min) then Cold Douche (Derivative to legs)
- Vapor Douche (3-4 min) then Cold Douche (10-15 sec)
- Fomentations then Cooling Compress (if sensitive skin) 20-30sec
- Scotch Douche hot 3-4 min, very cold 5-15 sec
- Hot and Cold Abdominal Pack
Inflammation especially
Acute:
- Fomentations
- Heating Compress 15°C change every 30 min
Visceral Pain - avoid thermic reaction
- Abdominal Pain
- Very hot Fomentations to the abdomen (46-54°C) renewed frequently
- Alternate Douche (only if retrostasis will present no problems)
- Sciatica or Neuralgia
- Scotch Douche
- if sensitive skin - Neutral Douche at low pressure until pain lessens then Scotch at moderate temperature and pressure
Chronic Visceral Congestion
- Scotch Douche to related area
For revulsion from upper body...
- Scotch Douche to legs or hot Leg Bath or Hot Foot Bath then cold
For revulsion to upper body in Pelvic Congestion or Uterine Haemorrhage ...
- Scotch Douche to upper back and arms
Gastric Irritability associated with Celiac Irritation
- general Revulsives
- Cold with vigorous rubbing
- Alternating Applications with short cold