Properly use heat and cold
One of them is to alternate heat and cold. After all, the latter also has a positive effect on the organism. And this is often underestimated. Perhaps also because it is less pleasant to get into cold water than to sit in the comforting warmth. But this is a mistake. Doctors advise their patients to use both heat therapy and cold therapy. We have researched for you what these two specifically benefit.
Sebastian Kneipp invented it
You’ve probably already heard something about the priest Sebastian Kneipp. He lived in the 19th century and discovered the positive benefits of alternating baths. His original concept envisaged showers with hot and cold water. So the users had to grit their teeth fiercely, but afterward they felt better. The cold casts have a stimulating effect and promote blood circulation, while the hot water relaxes.
In today’s medicine, the science of Kneipp has been preserved, mainly as a kind of cold therapy, because it is no longer really called. In many places you can find so-called Kneipp pools, which you should wade through in the stork gait. This helps especially tired legs to get going again and can even prevent varicose veins. But the ritual has positive effects for the entire organism. Just give it a try.
Sauna and steam bath combine health with pleasure
You as a sauna fan appreciate the beautiful hours in the pleasant warmth anyway already for a long time. At 70 to 90 degrees (158 to 194 °F), the sauna increases the core temperature of the body. This is wonderfully relaxing. But the heat therapy also benefits from a medical point of view: for example, you get your immune system up and running. However, you should only spend time in the sweat room when you are in good health. Especially, people with viral infections or cardiovascular diseases are advised against a sauna.
Alternate “steam bath”
If the sauna is too warm for you, you should switch to the steam bath. Here, the temperatures do not rise so high. So even people who are in poor health can benefit from the advantages of heat therapy. By the way, this can also be done relatively easily at home: take a hot, steamy bath.
Breathe deeply and experience how your muscles relax in an instant. This works even better if you enrich the water with lavender. The essential oils have an additional relaxing effect. With the right additive, for example mint or eucalyptus, you will relieve colds, coughs and other symptoms of a cold.
Swear by the good old calf compresses
If you suffered from a cold with fever as a child, your mother made you calf compresses. Instinctively, she took advantage of heat therapy and helped your body fight off the illness. If you put the warm wraps on your stomach, they effectively fight abdominal pain. On the back, they provide instant relaxation. But the procedure also works in cold: this is good, for example, if you suffer from insect bites or other swellings.
You prepare the wraps quite simply: Dip linen cloths in hot or cold water and place them on the corresponding part of the body. Make sure, however, that the feeling is pleasant for the affected person.
