Constitutional Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy is the use of hot and cold water for the maintenance of health and treatment of disease. This is instrumental in reducing pain sensitivity, invigorating blood flow and circulation, increasing production of stress hormones, and stimulating the immune system.

Hydrotherapy is one of the oldest methods of healing and has been utilized in most ancient cultures in some form or another for thousands of years.

The modern evolution of Naturopathic Hydrotherapy began with the techniques of Father Sebastian Kneipp of Germany, and Vincent Priessnitz of Austria/Czech Republic. Both men used hydrotherapy to heal themselves from major illness: Kneipp from Tuberculosis and Priessnitz from severely broken ribs.

Their clinics became especially famous when they achieved extremely high rates of healing during Europe’s most deadly disease epidemics. Priessnitz treated about 45,000 patients and 1% of them died during outbreaks of the epidemic diseases such as syphilis and smallpox that carried much higher death rates at the time.

Constitutional hydrotherapy evolved out of these traditions when naturopathic doctor O.G. Carroll pioneered a style of in-office hydrotherapy derived from Kneipp combining the use of hot and cold towels with modern physiotherapy devices.

Benefits include: improvements in; sleep, digestion, bowel function, increased energy level, and reduction in chronic pain. 

During the treatment the patient lies comfortably on a soft heated table while hot towels are applied over the upper torso. The person is then wrapped in a sheet and covered with several layers of blankets. Once the skin is warmed, a single cold towel is exchanged for the heated one. The body, well prepared by the preceding warmth, reacts to this temperature  change by greatly increasing the blood flow to the skin and internal organs of the chest and abdomen.

To enhance these effects, when indicated a mild electrical stimulation is applied over the spine during treatment.

Certain modifications may be made during the therapy depending on the person’s health level and the type of disease being addressed.

We have found that for the best results, the therapy should be repeated 2 or 3 times per week for several weeks. The number of treatments needed is in part determined by your specific illness and your physician. 

Many of our patients have found it extremely beneficial to combat the early onset of a cold or flu or just as a treatment to relieve stress and to detox.