| Welcome to herbs2000.com - Number one source of traditional and nutritional health care. | ||||
| H O M E | |||
| ||||
HydrotherapyWater is so much a part of life that we tend to ignore it and look elsewhere for the magic ingredient that will increase energy, health, and vigor, so making us live longer. But the key to health and longevity is remarkably simple: it is water. When we come to understand water fully we will have the key to all life's processes. Water is not a self-contained and isolated substance; its characteristics depend on its situation; its structure enables it to react with other molecules. In some areas of the world, well documented by anthropologists, people seem to age slowly, remaining healthy until well over 100 years old. Degenerative diseases are almost unheard of. One area is the land of the Hunza people, in the Karakoram Mountains north of Pakistan; another is a mountainous area of Ecuador. Hunza water is ice-melt from ancient glaciers, water that has been locked up for millions of years. It is probably the purest form of water found on Earth. Hunzas drink pure water all their life, consequently they live a long and healthy existence. Hunza water doesn't contain any of the usual mineral salts found in mountain springs or well water as it hasn't traveled through the hydrological cycle and picked up minerals and other information along the way. Most water contains mineral salts dissolved in the water, but in Hunza water minute mineral clusters, including a high proportion of carbons and silicates, are suspended in the water, forming an ideal structure to support and enhance life. Every child learns at school that water is a chemical compound of two simple and abundant elements -a dipole molecule consisting of two positively charged atoms of hydrogen (H) and one negatively charged atom of oxygen (O). The formula H2O may be simple, yet the structure of water is complex. Scientists have "discovered" 36 different types of water, with different combinations of hydrogen and oxygen, and variations of "heavy" and "light" water. But these remain in a purely academic realm for most of us. It is convenient but overly simple to describe water simply as H2O; in fact, very little water is H2O. This is simply the "base" water that picks up minerals on its journey; only distilled water -the pure water of scientists -is actually H2O. Liquid water is dynamic and chaotic, always on the move in curves and spirals. Its molecules press together in constantly shifting confusion, readily disassembling and rearranging themselves around other molecules. Despite water's ever changing fluidity, its structure is immensely strong. Water molecules are joined together by hydrogen bonds that are much more adaptable than other chemical bonds. They are strong enough to bind, but weak enough to break easily. These bonds seem to hold the clue to water's behavior, as they assemble and disassemble millions of times a second, regrouping each time in a very precise arrangement. The diagram of a single water molecule looks like a Mickey Mouse head, a large circle (the oxygen) with two smaller circles (the hydrogens) in specifically aligned positions. Every water molecule wants to form a three-dimensional structure with its neighbours. Liquid water is made up of billions of tiny crystal-like structures, the more crystalline the structure, the healthier the water. Healthy water for a healthy bodyWe are largely made of water and it is the channel for all physical and chemical changes in the body. A new born baby is about 97 per cent water, a healthy adult 75 per cent, and as we get old we typically dehydrate to become about 65 per cent water. A brain is around 75 per cent water, bones 22 per cent water, even tooth enamel is about 2 per cent water. Our bodies are a mass of finely tuned chemical and biological reactions, relying on the remarkable properties of water for life. We depend on water as a catalyst, a transport system, to maintain our body temperature, and as a supplier of nutrients or electrical impulses. The body is a collection of trillions of cells, separated and filled by watery fluid, and this fluid balance is the key to health. A person can exist for several weeks without eating any solid food, but without water they dehydrate and die within days. Even a 2 per cent loss of the water which surrounds our cells (extracellular water) can mean a 20 per cent decrease in energy levels. We need to drink about eight glasses of water a day in order to maintain health. There is nothing remotely controversial about this, our health depends on the electronic exchange, or exchange of energy, in our bodies. This exchange is dependent on water -and on the health of the water we consume: the water in and around our cells must be the right polarity to catch the appropriate ions of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and others which nourish the interior of the cell so that we can function. The polarity of water depends on the positive ion exchange of minerals in the water. The potassium and sodium balance in the body is finely tuned, the two elements establishing a crucial dynamic tension. Depletion of either would reduce the ability of a cell to respond, affecting amongst other things the vital acid/alkali balance. A healthy cell takes in nutrients from the water outside the cell, and the inner and outer cellular water are balanced through a process of osmosis via the membrane of the cell wall. The cellular water which surrounds the cell should be of weaker concentration than that within the cell, so that the outer water can remove toxins from the inner cellular water. If drinking water is too full of electrolytic conductors -excess of certain minerals as well as toxins such as heavy metals which can't be assimilated by the body -this will affect the polarity of our extracellular water and can even end up reversing the process of osmosis. In extreme cases the polarity of cells can become distorted or reversed through this process, and so diseases such as cancers may occur. The health of our body cells is maintained by a constant process of renewal. Anything that interferes with this process leads to cellular deterioration, that is, ill-health and ageing. It is important to drink clean and healthy water as the more complex the pollutants in the water, the more difficult become the cleansing, cell renewal, and transport of nutrients in our bodies. There is a direct correlation between the degree of water cleanliness, efficient human cell regeneration, and ageing. Water does not only pick up and transmit molecular information, but also extremely subtle energies. In the 1960s, a Canadian researcher, Bernard Grad, performed many experiments on healer-treated water. He proved that water held by a psychic healer had a positive effect on the growth of seeds, and also proved that the water that had been in contact with a psychologically depressed patient had the reverse effect. So water was able to transmit both positive and negative subtle energies. When Grad scientifically analyzed the healer treated water, he found that the hydrogen bond angle of the water molecule had undergone a subtle but detectable shift. Movement is one vital factor affecting the energy of water, temperature another. Water's thermal inertia means that its temperature is not easily affected by minor temperature changes in its surroundings. But small changes in water temperature can lead to dramatic changes in the way water behaves. Just as a change of 0.1°C (1°F) can affect the way that our bodies behave, and can indicate the onset of sickness, so a small difference in the temperature of water can have important consequences on its health and vitality. Water is, literally and figuratively, the Earth's blood. Water moves quickest when it is cool and is densest before it begins to freeze. It is constantly changing, so water that flows through a warm and sunlit valley will change as it flows into a dark wooded glade. The most energetic water comes from cool and shady sources. Temperatures at the centre of a vortex are cooler than those on outer layers: cool water is the most lively and receptive to collecting and transmitting physical and energetic information to the mass around it. We can't separate the physical and subtle characteristics of water. They are all integral to its life force. Water is affected by physical information. The movement and rhythm that give water its energy at certain temperatures allow it to carry information in the form of physical matter and vibrations from physical and magnetic realms. All are relevant, all interrelated. Healthy water needs a diversity of mineral salts and trace elements, both to keep the water healthy and nurture the human body through their chemical and electrical composition. Drinking water that lacks minerals can cause health problems; drinking water overloaded with the wrong minerals can also cause problems. We all need access to a supply of balanced healthy water. Water quality depends on numerous factors, particularly at what stage of its cycle we use it. Most useable water can be categorized according to six types: distilled water, rainwater, juvenile water, surface water, groundwater, and true spring water. Sea water, which makes up 97 per cent of all the water on Earth, cannot readily be used for domestic supplies.
BathingBathing is not just about getting clean. Regular bathing is one straightforward way of taking control of your physical, emotional, and spiritual health. The simple action of taking a bath can lead you to feel at peace with yourself and with the world around you, calm troubled emotions, and lift the spirit. Water lies at the heart of all life's processes, and bathing can unlock and transform many energies vital to life. Early systems of healthcare understood that water was the basis of all health, the element linking man, the earth, and the heavens. Traditional Chinese medicine saw illness as a sign of disharmony within the whole person, and water was (and is) central to restoring the harmony as it is the carrier and mover of chi. Indian Vedic healing similarly describes water as the element linking the individual to the cosmos, believing that the prana in water can be transformed and converted into other forms of energy which will invigorate and strengthen the human body. The ancient Egyptians had an integrated view of the sacred and physical properties of water, they built temples where priests bathed and drank mineral-rich waters, and water treatments became established as effective therapy for many physical and spiritual conditions. Highly evolved bathing practices also existed in Sumerian and Babylonian societies. The Greek Hippocrates (died c.430BC) advocated regular bathing to strengthen the constitution as well as water applications for specific complaints. Galen, the Roman who formalized many Hippocratic theories, also supported the idea of bathing for particular treatments and as a means of rising to a higher level of health. Bathing was an integral part of Roman society, supporting beliefs in health, fitness, and moral strength. Every town in the Arab world boasted hammams, or Turkish baths, as early as the 4th century, but bathing practices in Europe disappeared with the Roman Empire and only re-emerged in the 14th century. Bathing was primarily a secular and functional activity, rather than the sensual and spiritual affair of the early bathers. Hydrotherapy, a truly ancient therapy, is believed to promote self-healing. Hydrotherapy has many forms include bathing - cold, hot, soaking in a hot bath to sweat out impurities, relax muscles, and ease pain; having a cold bath to treat inflammation and circulation problems; sitting in sitz baths (two side-by-side basins, with a ledge to sit on, filled with hot and cold water to hip level) to treat discomforts such as hemorrhoids and cystitis; wrapping wet clothes around various parts of the body to ease aches, fevers, muscular strains, and pain and to remove toxins; applying hot and cold compresses for stiff muscles and sports injuries, such as sprains; taking alternate hot and cold showers to treat circulation problems, headaches, swelling, and inflammation; having a steam bath, vapor bath, Turkish bath, or sauna to sweat out impurities; sitting in whirlpools to benefit circulation and fluid-retention problems; inhalation to help clear cold symptoms, such as a blocked nose; and receiving physiotherapy in warm water to strengthen weakened muscles. Hydrotherapy is used for:
Minerals in bathing waterHealth problems change over the centuries, even over the decades; we no longer have to worry about many pests and diseases that were once life-threatening, but other conditions arise in their stead. One scourge of modern health is environmental pollution. With the best will in the world, we can't avoid pollution, but we can do our best to counteract its effects. Every day we are exposed to toxins and pathogens, in the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, the places we work, and even the homes we live in. Our environment is contaminated by heavy metals and chemical pollutants from industrial and agricultural processes, through organophosphates, nitrates, and organochlorines in our food and water, and by electro-magnetic fields penetrating most areas of our existence. All these pollutants contrive to weaken the body's natural defenses, but we can overcome the effects of this daily invasion by looking after our health. Each of us has a unique ability to resist or overcome invading pathogens. This is determined in part by our constitution with its specific strengths and weaknesses - genetic and acquired -and by our lifestyle and environment. Everyone of us has a unique metabolism: our ability to detoxify what we do not need, to absorb what is essential to life, and to maintain the correct balance between the two. The simple act of bathing can bolster the constitution, stimulate the metabolism, and combat the effects of pollution. Immersion in mineralized water can change the structure of the water in our bodies, making it able to receive the healing vibrations that are the source of our life force. Minerals make life possible. They make up our rocks and soils, then feed the waters of the world. They are the main source of nutrition for every human, animal, and plant. Our bodies require large amounts of some minerals but only trace amounts of others. Minerals and trace elements are both equally essential to health -we need a few milligrams of zinc just as much as several hundred milligrams of calcium. Organic gardeners know that nutritionally balanced soil will mean healthy plants. A nutritionally balanced body, with all the required minerals in the correct balance, makes us healthy, too. Mineral imbalances lead to ill-health and malfunction. We obtain our essential minerals from food and water, but we can't store them in our bodies -they need to be constantly replenished through food and fluids. Minerals are nutrients that are necessary for the structure and function of cells, and are part of the body's biochemical make up and physiological processes. They act as essential catalysts for the body's manufacture and assimilation of the vitamins, enzymes, and amino acids upon which health depends. They are instrumental in biological reactions such as transmission of nerve impulses, digestion, use of nutrients, and in hormone production. They maintain the delicate water-acid base in the body which is essential for proper functioning of all mental and physical processes. If we are exposed to too many toxins and pathogens, our blood will typically become acid. The more acid the blood, the less oxygen it can carry -as well as many other problems, this leads to vulnerability to invading viruses and bacteria, premature ageing, and a damaged immune system. Blood acidity also impacts on the acid and alkali balance of the entire system, including saliva, mucus, stomach acid, and our skin. So the correct balance of minerals is vital in optimizing the body's defenses against pollution, stress, and infections. Environmental pollution means that we have to be more and more careful to ensure that we do have an adequate intake of minerals. While a healthy diet is vital to maintain adequate mineral levels, in today's polluted world bathing can have an equally important role, when we can absorb vital minerals through the skin. Sea bathing, salt water bathing, spa bathing, and mud bathing are particularly relevant. Just as modern chemical pollutants and electromagnetic disturbances affect the water, changing its structure and diminishing its power to carry or transmit energy, so minerals' electrical energy affects the electromagnetic field of the water and its ability to carry healing vibrations. Bathing in mineralized water is one way of tapping directly into water's vital energies. Sea bathingThe sea is the lifeblood of the planet. The sea affects the energy of us all, wherever we live, since its waters carry celestial as well as physical information from shore to shore. The flow of every drop of liquid on Earth mirrors the tides of the oceans, from the blood in our veins to the water we drink. So our life force is affected directly by the great water masses that cover the Earth. The sea conjures a vivid picture of health, happiness, energy, or tranquility. The sea means something to all of us, and nothing can beat it as the perfect tonic, rejuvenating body and soul. Bathing in sea water can renew flagging energies, heal mental and physical problems, and strengthen mind and body to prevent illness. Air quality is partly determined by the movement of electric energy, and the way that movement interacts with the electric and magnetic fields on and around the Earth. This is partly due to weather conditions, as the Earth's electric field is affected by sun, rain, wind, and particularly thunder and lightning. The heavy and uncomfortable feeling before a storm is due to the build-up of positive ions in the atmosphere, which will only be broken when rainfall or lightning brings the necessary high negative ions to overcome them. Apart from weather, the chief factor affecting air quality is pollution, where chemical pollutants steal negative ions from the air. While pollution tends to clog up the air, leaving too many positive ions, the energy in moving water lets loose a mass of negative ions: as the water breaks up into drops, the positive ions remain with the larger drops, and the negative ions fly free with the fine spray. The finer the spray, the more negative ions are produced through the friction of air and water. At the seashore (and in the mountains) the air is always negatively charged, encouraging deep breathing and increased energy levels. It is thought that all natural elements exist in the sea, fed into it via thousands of rivers and streams. As water evaporates, the minerals are left to form the bitter saline brine we know as sea water. Sea water's antibacterial action clears skin infections from inside and out. Bathing in sea water is a good general health tonic, as it contains vitamins and minerals which are almost identical to those in our own blood's plasma. Blood plasma is responsible for feeding and strengthening all our cells to make sure our bodies' function healthily. At blood temperature the minerals present in sea water can penetrate into the blood- stream to be absorbed by the cells that need them. They rebalance the whole body. As well as all important minerals, the sea contains vital proteins and vitamins in algae and seaweed. These elements help to feed and detoxify the body via the skin, and the iodine content of seaweed is a powerful natural antiseptic, and also has a specific role in balancing the thyroid gland, which controls the body's biochemistry. Seaweeds and other algae are the oceans' cleansers. Their extraordinary ability to absorb heavy metals and other pollutants means they can keep sea water clean enough to support marine life. Their deep cleansing properties are equally potent detoxifiers of the human body. However, their ability to clean the oceans means they are often themselves contaminated, so care must be taken in sourcing algae from clean waters before using them as food in detoxification and purification regimes. Thalassotherapy is one of the regimes offered by many spas. It is an ancient Greek therapy, based on a combination of sea air, protein-rich algae, and mineral-rich muds and clays from the seabed. It was originally recommended as a remedy for boosting the constitution, and to combat muscular stiffness and digestive complaints. Therapies that rely on sea muds and clays are sometimes known as pelotherapy. The energizing showerSome days we awake full of energy, but on others we feel sluggish and unfocused. Occasionally, overstress, ill-health, or lack of quality sleep leave our energy reserves taxed to the limit. A positive way to start the day is to re-energize with a shower. The negative ions in moving water provide a feeling of energy, which is why we feel revitalized after a walk by crashing waves or waterfalls. Man-made waterfalls -showers -can help us to regain energy and mental wellbeing. Many Northern European cultures have a long tradition of cold showers to boost circulation and general fitness as well as a positive attitude with which to greet the day. Scandinavia, and many areas of Russia have highly developed water practices, combining physical benefits with a deep-rooted, but often unstated, belief in their emotional and social benefits. The Japanese have a highly developed consciousness of water, and the spirit of cleanliness is fundamental to their religion and philosophy. Implications of ritual purification pervade the most ancient Shinto ethos and remain constant throughout Japanese history. Ritual cleansing may be as simple as rinsing one's hands and mouth at a fountain at the entrance to a Shinto shrine, or praying underneath freezing waterfalls. Many martial arts practitioners also like to shower under a waterfall, and if there is none nearby, they may shower each morning under a bucketful of cold water. Pine has a cleansing effect; pine is a powerful antiseptic and deodorizer, and pine essential oil is recommended as a respiratory healer. But it also has other qualities. If you go for a walk in the evening among pine trees, watch them at sunset, and see how long they retain an aura of light after their neighboring trees are in darkness. This gives a clue to the pine's ability to bring us the special energy which is important to strengthen our life force. Taking the watersThe word spa is often used to describe a health centre which offers specific beauty treatments and exercise routines loosely based on some kind of hydrotherapy. But a spa is, literally, a place with mineral springs, named after the town of Spa in Belgium. This was one of the first places to recognize the healing potential of its mineral-rich waters. Every well, spring, or spa is unique. Their waters vary according to the mineral and trace element contents. Such variation depends on the rocks, clays, and peats which the water filters through, the natural gases released into the water, and the influences of local electric and magnetic fields. Spa water is particularly beneficial today because of the mineral deficiencies brought on by unhealthy diets and lifestyles. When you immerse yourself in mineral water your body receives necessary minerals to balance health problems, and experiences a rise in the anti-inflammatory hormones, or endorphins, that relieve pain. Spa treatments usually combine the positive effects of breathing in negative ions with an intake of trace elements and minerals, often with the additional benefits of marine salts and antibacterial plankton. If you go to a spa suffering from stress, or in pain, you are likely to leave in a state of blissful relaxation and a feeling of total wellbeing. Recommended for general good health and against stress, spa treatments are also highly beneficial for:
Hot springs and whirlpoolsAll volcanic islands are blessed with numerous hot mineral springs, bubbling up through the earth with a turbulence that maximizes the healing energies of the water. Immersion in this hot spring water must be the most sensual of all bathing experiences: bathing out of doors in constantly bubbling water which stays hot even if the air temperature is freezing and snow lies on the ground. Different hot springs have different mineral contents. In Japan the hot spring culture is so developed that the mineral content of every one of their several thousand springs, or onsens, is published and available at tourist offices. Visits to their hot springs have been popular among the Japanese throughout their history. The different hot springs are known to be effective in curing specific ailments. The Japanese visit the springs for relaxation, as an aid to overall wellbeing, or specifically for healing purposes. They often bathe publicly in a group -even at home, bathing is often a family affair. Their habit of daily bathing -first washing away body dirt then soaking in a deep tub or pool of clean water - has not changed in centuries. Jacuzzis or whirlpool baths have become popular fittings in modern bathrooms in the US and Europe. Their outdoor equivalent, the spa bath, is popular throughout Australia where the climate suits outdoor bathing all year round. In a jacuzzi, jets of water erupt into the water from strategically placed nozzles, so the water is always moving and picking up energy, forming little whirlpools and vortexes as it meets resistance. The moving water relaxes and energizes your body; you can choose a constant temperature to suit you, or else change the temperature during your bath. Jacuzzis are excellent as a general aid to wellbeing and health. Their massaging effect is particularly good for people suffering from circulatory problems or muscular stiffness, especially after sport as they effectively prevent the build-up of lactic acid in the body. Hot whirlpool baths help to relieve chronic pain. Some hot springs and spa resorts offer mud baths, where clients wallow in hot mineral-rich mud and water. Suspended and soothed between layers of mud and hot mineral water, your body will sweat and be cleansed of toxins. The heat and weight of the mud relaxes muscles and increases circulation, loosens joints, and slows down the nervous system. Mud baths are also good for treating acne and psoriasis. For maximum effect, follow a mud bath with a shower and cooling bath, then rest. Sweating it outA sauna or steam bath is a great revitalizer. Although sweating is a natural cure, avoid steam baths, saunas, and very hot baths if you have high blood pressure, angina, heart disease, or diabetes. Don't take any sweat bath if you suffer from epilepsy, are asthmatic, or have a history of thrombosis. Dry heat is good for respiratory conditions and as a gentle constitutional remedy. Damp heat acts quickest to discharge blocked energies associated with colds and sinus problems. Hot steam treatments are excellent for treating viral or bacterial infections, and for regulating slight fevers. Hot steam increases skin action to cause sweating, which cleanses the body from within, releasing unwanted waste through the skin's two to four million sweat glands. About 98 per cent of sweat is water, but the rest is toxins -salt, heavy metals, nicotine (if you smoke), and chemicals from the environment. Particularly good for athletes, steam also flushes out lactic acid, a major cause of stiff muscles and fatigue. The modern sauna reflects ancient practices of native tribes and cultures who used to dip alternately in hot springs and icy cold pools and rivers. Steam baths have been regular features of life for centuries, if not millennia, throughout North and South America, Russia, and Finland. Most steam treatments are followed by a dip in a cold pool, or a cold shower, or even a roll in the snow -the complete contrast stimulates circulation and energy, and leads to a euphoric feeling. The Finnish sauna ideally combines all elements of dry heat, wet steam, a plunge into a cool pool, and, if possible, massage. The sauna is a room usually made of pine with a small fire of burning coals on to which water is ladled periodically to increase the temperature and increase the steam. Before entering the sauna, Finns like to spend ten minutes or more in a dry heat bath to start the process of perspiration. They then move to the sauna, taking with them a small pail of water. With a birch whisk they flick water on to the coals, and also to beat the body gently to increase circulation. This brings the blood to the surface and makes the sweat flow freely, encouraging thorough detoxification through the skin. After 30 minutes in the sauna, they like to plunge straight into a cold pool. This is a very heady experience after the initial shock -yet Finns like to return to the hot chamber, sometimes after a massage, and repeat the experience. Turkish baths, or hammams, are dry heat baths where perspiration is induced by hot air from heated stones, usually also followed with bathing or showering and massage. They originated in the sensuous practices of early Arabic cultures, emphasizing the cleanliness demanded by Islam but also the belief in the body as the temple of the soul. The original hammams, popular throughout the Byzantine world from c.AD500, were retreats linking spiritual and physical purification. They combined numerous different chambers and halls with special treatment rooms for massages, mud wrapping, and body brushing. Women could spend the whole day bathing in their hammam, relaxing, massaging, anointing, enjoying each other's company, and gossiping. Hammams still exist, some re-created in their original splendor and complexity. A visit is a sensual and luxurious experience, rather like a trip to an exclusive health centre, with hot and cold rooms, hot and cold pools, massage, aromatherapy, and mud treatments. FloatingFloating is one bathing therapy that is becoming increasingly popular in Western society, particularly as an antidote to busy stressful lives. Most people can benefit, but don't float if you suffer from epilepsy, schizophrenia, kidney conditions, acute skin disorders, thrush, or fungal infections. Floating reduces blood pressure and heart rate. It slows your brain waves, and balances the activity of the left and right hand sides of your brain, leading to clearer and more creative thought. Floating in salts lowers the level of stress-related chemicals in the body and stimulates the production of endorphins. It also rids people of general aches and pains, and is increasingly finding success with sufferers of diseases such as multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and ME. Before floating some people may worry that the experience will be claustrophobic, or unpleasant, but such worries usually disappear quickly. Most people (re)discover the ability to retrieve an inner sense of harmony. Typically, soothing music is played for the first ten minutes, when most people will drift off to sleep. A float usually lasts for about an hour, and floaters completely turn off from the world, losing touch with their day-to-day reality and worries, therefore able to access a deeper consciousness. It has been suggested that floating brings back the sense of being in your mother's womb, which is a reason why it soothes stress and tension. At body temperature, water, the universal solvent, seems to be able to dissolve emotional boundaries and blockages. The many benefits of water exerciseWater is an excellent medium for therapy for recovery from minor to major injuries, surgery, and for cross-training or preventive fitness. Water decreases the wear and tear on the body from leisure or competitive sports or job-related duties. It addresses muscle imbalances or postural problems that may lead to recurrent, nagging injuries from the over-development of muscle groups that are used repetitively. Nagging injuries can develop from work patterns and recreational sports. If unaddressed, they can evolve into a chronic pattern or a major disruptive injury. The ever-increasing symptoms need to be tended to in a timely manner to avoid a disruptive development or injury in the future. In this instance, water exercise is so effective because it offers such a wide range of therapeutic and health care benefits, especially when compared with other physical activities. Before you undertake a water exercise program, examine the following list. If you have any of these conditions, you might be prevented from participation, or you will at least need medical clearance before entering the water:
THE PROPERTIES OF WATERAnyone of the several characteristics of water alone is therapeutic, and the combination of these properties makes water more comprehensive and beneficial than land exercises for rehabilitation and fitness.
EXERCISING FOR REHABILITATIONThe properties of water are ideal for achieving therapeutic goals in a safe and effective environment. Many individuals who are unable to do their rehabilitation in a conventional clinic setting can successfully participate in a water exercise program. Restrictions from recent surgery or chronic pain are better accommodated in water because of the supportive and gravity-reduced environment.
EXERCISING FOR FITNESSWater exercise is multifaceted. Not only is it a comprehensive therapeutic tool, it has far-reaching positive health benefits as well. Some of the same advantages of water exercise for rehabilitation are also available when exercising for fitness. These include gains in strength, range of motion, and flexibility. There are other reasons to choose water exercise to improve the overall level of health and fitness.
| |
Back To Top
©2002-2008 herbs2000.com |