What is Constitutional Hydrotherapy, and how can it help?
Constitutional Hydrotherapy is a classic nature cure remedy for stimulating the Vis—the healing power of nature inherent within every living being. The application of hot and cold towels on the abdomen and back, along with the use of a gentle electrical stimulation using a sine wave machine, provide a healthy stimulus that activates the body’s innate healing mechanisms. Greater benefits are seen with a series of treatments.
Benefits of constitutional hydrotherapy include…
Increased circulation to the organs, skin, and lymphatic system
Increased oxygen and nutrient delivery to the tissues
Strengthening of immune system
Lymphatic drainage
Digestive support
Nervous system balancing and regulation
This treatment can be supportive for conditions such as IBS, indigestion, recurrent infections such as EBV, chronic stress and anxiety, thyroid issues, fatigue, and infertility.
How it works
During a constitutional hydrotherapy treatment, a series of hot and cold towels are placed on the abdomen and then on the back. For example, 5 minutes of a hot compress followed by 10-15 minutes of cold compress. At a couple different points in the treatment, a gentle pulsing electrical stimulation is applied to the back and abdomen using a sine wave machine. In combination with the contrasting compresses, the electrical application stimulates the abdomen to aid in blood flow, motility, and detoxification.
A modified at-home constitutional treatment
One of the powerful aspects of this treatment is the back and forth between wet heat and wet cold. If you’d like to try this treatment on yourself (or with the help of a family member), here’s what you’ll need:
Hot water
Cold water
3-4 towels, large enough to cover the abdomen from hip bones up to collar bones
Blankets
A comfortable place to lie down
Follow these steps
The hot compress: get 1-2 towels wet with hot water, and wring it out so they’re not dripping. Drape these over your body so that 2-4 layers of towel are covering your abdomen from hip bones up to collar bones. Bundle up underneath blankets. Set a timer for 5 minutes
Quick hot: If a family member is helping you, have them “refresh” the hot towels with a new one (this emphasizes the contrast between hot and cold) for a minute as they’re prepping the cold towel
The cold compress: get 1-2 towels wet with cold water (ice can be helpful here), and wring out so they’re not dripping. Quickly replace the short hot towel with the cold, exhaling as the cold towel is applied to your skin. Bundle up underneath your blankets. Set the timer for 10 minutes
After 10 minutes, check the temperature of the towels over your navel; if they are still cold, wait another couple of minutes. If they are warm, remove the cold towels, dry off your abdomen, and allow yourself to rest under your blankets for as long as you’d like.
Dr. Savannah offers at-home Constitutional Hydrotherapy sessions complete with compresses and e-stim for those in the Greater Seattle area.* Purchase your sessions below, and Dr. Savannah will reach out to you for scheduling.
*If you live more than 10 miles from Dr. Savannah’s office, you will be charged a travel fee of $0.50 per mile.